There are many reasons why you might wonder,"What L-arginine is used for?" This important amino acid is helpful in combating many different diseases and is beneficial for protecting your long-term health. As always, be sure to talk to your health care provider before using any supplement.
A Conditionally Essential Amino Acid
L-arginine is one of the amino acids that is commonly referred to as conditionally essential. The body does not make it on its own but it is naturally found in many foods including:
- Cottage cheese
- Wheat germ
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Chocolate
- Raisins
While eating handfuls of chocolate covered Bridge Mix might seem like the perfect answer, you are probably better off with one of the other sources or a good supplement.
What Is L-Arginine Used for in the Body?
What does L- arginine do in the body? It is used by your system to:
- Make creatine
- Make L-glutamate
- Make nitric oxide
- Make L-proline
- Can be converted to glycogen if necessary
- Clear out waste products like ammonia
- Involved in protein formation
- Stimulates growth hormones
- Stimulates prolactin
- Reduces healing time, especially in bone injuries
- Increases muscle mass
The Use of L-Arginine in Specific Health Problems
Some people use L-arginine to treat specific health issues that they may be experiencing. They feel that by supplementing with L-arginine their health is improved.
L-Arginine to Treat Heart Disease
This nutrient increases blood flow to all parts of the body, relaxes the vessels and improves the function of the circulatory system overall.
The Mayo Clinic confirms that evidence suggests L-arginine can improve the blood flow to the heart as well as allowing patients to better tolerate exercise. Some patients that had been experiencing angina or coronary artery disease found that their symptoms improved. However, L-arginine should never be taken after a heart attack. A study that was being done by the National Institute of Health was cut short when a large number of heart attack patients died after being given L-arginine. Patients who were not given the L-arginine did not die. These results were published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
L-Arginine to Treat Erectile Dysfunction
Approximately 30 percent of men suffer from some amount of Erectile Dysfunction, or ED. Studies have shown that L-arginine can be helpful in many cases where the ED is caused by problems with the blood vessels rather than low testosterone.Since L-arginine improves circulation and relaxed blood vessels, blood flow to the penis is enhanced and increased which leads to stronger erections. This is one reason that L-arginine is called natural Viagra. It takes about six weeks, however, to achieve optimal results and the supplement must be taken daily, not just on the days you wish to be intimate.
L-Arginine for Wounds and Bone Injuries
Another use for this supplement is to help wounds to heal quickly and thoroughly. This works especially well with bone injuries.Researchers believe that it works to speed healing of these injuries because it is an important component in the formation of L-proline. L-proline is essential for the synthesis of collagen which is an important substance in cell repair.
Other Uses for L-Arginine
There are many more uses for L-arginine, and more being found every day. Some of the ways people use this nutrient are:
- Migraine relief
- Sexual dysfunction in women
- Painful bladder syndrome
- Critical illness, although researchers are unsure how it helps
- Chronic anal fissures
- Breast cancer
- Burns
- Chemotherapy
- Kidney disease
- Pre-eclampsia
Everyone seems to have an opinion on what L-arginine is used for but it is important that you research for yourself and find out the facts. It can be very helpful in many instances but taken in the wrong way L-arginine can cause complications and even death. Talk to your health care provider to find out his thoughts on treating your health problem with L-arginine. What is L-arginine used for? All kinds of exciting, new nutritional research!
