John Myers
It has long been known in athletes’ circles: The amino acid L-arginine brings a noticeable increase in performance within a very short time – not only in the gym and in the gym, but also in bed. Because L-arginine promotes muscle building and fat burning and also ensures better blood circulation. The amount of oxygen required decreases and the level of performance increases. If high blood pressure is present, it can be reduced. Incidentally, there is not a particularly large amount of L-arginine in meat, but in a completely different food.
Especially in times of extreme tension, in physical and mental stress, after illness, or in phases of intense training, it can happen that L-arginine suddenly becomes scarce, and as a result, our performance – no matter where it is required – decreases rapidly. If L-arginine is now supplied from the outside in a very targeted manner, an enormous increase in performance can be observed.
L-arginine for muscle building, immune system, and fat burning
In a study by the University of Exeter (UE), scientists found that L-arginine can increase athletic performance by 20 percent and improve race times by up to two percent.
The reason for this amazing effect is that L-arginine promotes the release of growth hormones, which leads to muscle building, but also activation of the immune system, and even increased fat burning.
L-Arginine, Maca, and Cordyceps instead of Viagra
Since nitric oxide (NO) is formed from L-arginine in men’s cavernous bodies, which in turn improves blood circulation, regular intake of L-arginine leads to an increased erection.
If you also think of the power tuber Maca and the medicinal mushroom Cordyceps, both of which have an extremely targeted and very positive effect on libido and against erectile dysfunction, hardly anything should go wrong at this point.
The medicinal mushroom Cordyceps improves blood circulation in the penis, regulates the balance of sex hormones, and also improves – together with Maca – the semen quality.
L-arginine increases nitric oxide levels
Nitric Oxide is an important substance produced by the body from L-arginine. It regulates blood flow, fights harmful microorganisms, and also plays an important role in cell communication.
Additionally, nitric oxide helps distribute nutrients throughout muscle tissue, which is one reason why high levels of NO in athletes lead to better performance. At the same time, L-arginine is also a starting substance for collagen, connective tissue, important enzymes, and hormones.
L-arginine in research
L-arginine was tested on a group of healthy men. Not only was a significantly better level of performance noted, but it was also discovered that L-arginine appeared to help lower blood pressure and reduced the amount of oxygen needed during exercise.
The research found that when L-arginine was used in supplement form, there was a tremendous increase in performance by altering the uptake of oxygen during exercise,
said Professor Andrew Jones of the University of Exeter’s School of Sport and Health Science.
This is particularly important for endurance athletes, as we believe that with the help of L-arginine, the race times of top athletes could be improved by another one to two percent. While these numbers may seem minimal, one to two percent represents an extraordinary increase in performance in the sport’s elite, since there is often only a fraction of a second between winners and losers.
L-arginine in food
L-arginine occurs naturally in protein-rich foods such as legumes, nuts, oilseeds, and also in meat. The arginine leaders are pumpkin seeds (5,137 mg arginine per 100 g), which is almost four times the arginine content in meat (1,430 mg per 100 g, e.g. in medium-fat steak).
If you don’t like to nibble pumpkin seeds out of your hand, you can also use them to prepare extremely delicious dishes, e.g. B. a hummus made from pumpkin seeds. Or you can bake our pumpkin seed bread, which also contains walnuts, which are also good sources of arginine (1,700 mg). You can also easily add pumpkin seeds to the recipes of healthy sweets, such as nut and fruit bars, e.g. B. with our amaranth bars.
If you generally do not eat oilseeds, nuts, and legumes that often, an arginine-rich dietary supplement is a good idea, e.g. B. about purely plant-based protein powder.
L-arginine in natural plant proteins
The purely vegetable protein powders – pea protein, lupine protein, hemp protein, and rice protein – are rich in L-arginine and are therefore well suited as a dietary supplement for people who want to spice up their arginine supply. The protein powders (each of effective nature) provide the following amounts of arginine per portion (this is in brackets):
- Hemp Protein (15 g): 700 mg arginine
- Lupine protein (20 g): 750 mg arginine
- Pea protein (20 g): more than 1,300 mg of arginine
- Rice protein (20 g): 1,500 mg arginine
If you get your protein powder from another manufacturer, the values may differ.
To increase performance, a daily intake of 1,000 to 2,000 mg L-arginine is recommended. According to studies, even these 1,000 to 2,000 mg of L-arginine in connection with weight training, for example, can lead to a reduction in body fat after just five weeks.
L-arginine in cancer
When it comes to cancer, L-arginine is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is the precursor substance of nitric oxide that tumors use to ensure their survival. Cancer cells even make their own NO synthases. These are enzymes that make nitric oxide from L-arginine.
For this reason, people in cancer research have already tried out whether inhibition of NO production could be a means of fighting cancer. However, this approach had too many side effects. It was then shown that while cancer tumors can use NO to grow, too much NO is not good for them.
A November 2021 study suggested that L-arginine could increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy in patients with brain metastases for this very reason. Of 63 patients, 31 had been given a solution containing 10 g of L-arginine one hour before each irradiation (20 irradiations in total); 32 patients received a placebo preparation.
In the arginine group, 78 percent of the brain tumors (and also the primary tumors) disappeared completely or at least significantly shrunk in the course of the following four years. In the placebo group, it was just 22 percent. Significant improvements were already evident after 6 months.
L-arginine was then referred to as a “radiosensitizer” (radiation sensitizer) because it can apparently make the tumor more susceptible to radiation therapy. If there is too much NO, the tumor is no longer able to repair the damage to its cells caused by radiation.
L-arginine was also used in brain tumors because it can quickly get from the blood to the brain. In addition, it would not only weaken the tumor directly through the NO overdose but also fight cancer indirectly because L-arginine activates certain anti-tumor defense cells.
Taking isolated L-arginine in the form of a conventional dietary supplement, e.g. B. We would not recommend capsules with 2,000 mg L-arginine for cancer. Only very high amounts of 10 g seem to be helpful. However, these are not easily tolerated and could cause nausea, etc., so that L-arginine should only be integrated into cancer treatment in consultation with the therapist.
