L-Arginine Benefits

As an amino acid, L-arginine is beneficial to the body in several ways. For example, it is thought to provide antioxidant properties and hormone stimulation; it also helps with nitric oxide production (which causes the blood vessels to relax). In addition, L-arginine may help people who have certain medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, impotence, or the common cold.

L-Arginine Supplements

What Are Some Possible Benefits of L-Arginine?

L-arginine is an important amino acid. However, this does not mean that everyone needs to take L-arginine supplements. For most people, the body is capable of producing all the L-arginine it needs, and no additional supplementation is necessary. However, some medical conditions seem to be associated with low L-arginine levels, and supplementation may be useful in these situations.

People use L-arginine for a variety of different uses, such as:

Impotence (erectile dysfunction, or ED)
Congestive heart failure (CHF)
Chest pain (angina)
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Intermittent claudication (leg pain associated with peripheral artery disease)
The common cold
Male infertility
Preeclampsia of pregnancy
Migraine headaches
Interstitial cystitis (a painful bladder condition).

L-arginine is also used in nutritional products for premature infants and critically ill patients (such as ICU patients).

Some of these uses have reliable scientific evidence in their favor, while others have no proven benefits (see Does L-Arginine Work? for more information).

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