by Cathleen London, M.D.
SUSTAINED-RELEASE L-ARGININE
hope for those at risk for developing, or who have
been diagnosed with, cardiovascular disease
L-arginine is a non-essential amino acid,
meaning we can get it from food, but we can also make it in our bodies from other substances.
L-arginine is involved in many bodily systems; for instance,
it helps create proteins, it helps our endocrine (glandular)
system function, it revs up our immune system, and helps
injuries heal. But one of the most important functions of
L-arginine is its contribution to cardiovascular health. In our
blood vessels, L-arginine makes nitric oxide, which causes our
blood vessels to relax, allowing healthy blood flow to our heart,
brain and other body parts. Nitric oxide also makes blood
platelets and certain white blood cells less sticky for better
blood flow.
When you have enough L-arginine in your cells, sufficient nitric
oxide is produced and several positive things happen:
- Arteries relax, causing greater blood flow
- As arteries relax, normal blood pressure is better maintained
- Blood platelets become less “sticky,” allowing them to perform their normal clotting functions
- White blood cells adhere less to vascular endothelial cells, helping to maintain supple, flexible arteries
- In men, erections occur in the normal course of intimacy.
We get most of our L-arginine from dietary proteins, about
3.5–5 grams daily. However, we also need to make enough in
our bodies. If your body does not make enough L-arginine on
its own—due to lifestyle, genetic, or dietary issues—sexual
dysfunction, and even serious cardiovascular conditions, may
result. Because of this, and the fact that clinical studies
have shown supplemental L-arginine supports cardiovascular
health, many doctors have their patients supplement with pure
L-arginine.
The problem with supplementation has been that L-arginine
doesn’t stick around very long in the body. It is absorbed
quickly, but then it disappears from the bloodstream in just a
few hours, making it necessary to take large doses frequently
throughout the day and night for it to be effective. Who wants
to wake up several times every night to take a supplement?
Plus, the frequent dosing made it expensive.
So when researchers started studying the effects of a
patented, sustained-release L-arginine, called Perfusia-SR™,
on patients with heart disease (when you REALLY want relaxed
blood vessels), it was exciting that PET scans indicated very
dramatic results. In fact, Perfusia got its name because of its
ability to increase the perfusion of blood to the heart. There
also is some indication that sustained-release L-arginine may
help lower triglyceride levels, and may benefit people with high
blood pressure.
Sustained-release L-arginine is slowly released into the bloodstream
over a 12-hour period. So you only need to take it twice
daily for a 24-hour benefit.
Benefits of L-arginine supplements for heart patients
Many cardiovascular patients are treated with cholesterollowering
statin drugs. But even though these medications
lower cholesterol, they do not always decrease the risk of heart
attack or stroke. Researchers believe nitric oxide may be the
key to this dilemma. Inadequate nitric oxide in their blood vessels
can diminish the vascular-protection qualities of statins.
Recent research indicates that adding sustained-release
L-arginine supplementation to statin drug therapy can increase
vascular nitric oxide production. In fact, while supplementation
with sustained-release L-arginine significantly improved
blood flow by itself, it improved blood flow even more in individuals
who took it with a statin drug.
This is great news. Prescription medications often have
numerous side effects. Supplementing with L-arginine—
something that the body makes naturally—has no side effects.
This can mean fewer blood draws, and less need for a lot of
other medical monitoring you would need to do when taking
prescription drugs.
Why your ADMA level may be an important indicator
Asymmetric Dimethyl Arginine (ADMA) is a molecule that looks
a lot like arginine, but it doesn’t act like it in the body. Some
of us have higher than normal blood levels of ADMA, which
can fool the body into thinking it has enough arginine. And
if you are not making enough L-arginine, you are not forming
enough nitric oxide. So people with elevated ADMA levels are
very likely to benefit from sustained-release L-arginine supplementation.
We will soon conduct a study in my office of 100 people
over age 40. Some of these subjects may have been previously
diagnosed with heart failure. Specifically, we’ll be looking at
the correlation between sustained-release L-arginine supplementation
and ADMA and triglyceride levels. We’ll use the
standard, recommended dosage of three capsules twice daily.
Results from our study should be available in six months.
Should you consider L-arginine supplementation?
You don’t have to have heart failure, or high blood pressure,
to benefit from this amino acid. Increasing L-arginine in
your system has a host of other benefits. I recommend it to
patients who want increased energy levels in the afternoon
without using caffeine. Patients suffering from sexual dysfunction
report better performance with L-arginine without
unwanted side effects. Others who have tried sustained-release
L-arginine tell me they have a general sense of just feeling
better. And who doesn’t want that?
|
