Beware of Arginine Supplementation

Regarding arginine containing supplements (and lotions), here is my view. The amino acid arginine is the precursor for nitric acid (NO), which plays critical roles in vasodilation and sexual arousal, as well as neuro and muscular functions. For that matter, arginine has been an ingredient in potency and sport nutrition supplement products, under the premise that arginine supplementation can help increase virility and muscular performance, respectively. However, commercialization and true science do not always go hand in hand and what seems theoretically true often fails to work in real life.

There are several problems with arginine supplementation:

First, arginine feeds the herpes virus. If unbalanced with the amino acid lysine (such as with some arginine containing products), arginine may increase the risk for contracting herpes.

Second, arginine is abundantly found in food (nuts and seeds are very high in arginine, compared to other amino acids). Arginine deficiencies are rare but lysine deficiencies are common. (Note that lysine is marginally deficient in most plant foods and it can be easily destroyed during cooking or processing due to its high sensitivity to heat.) Therefore, there is evidently a notable unbalance between arginine and lysine in our typical diet, which favors arginine over lysine. Supplementing with unbalanced arginine will just make it worse.

Third, hypertension and impotence are often associated with impairments with the enzyme NOS (nitric oxide synthase) that produces NO. Supplementing with arginine won't help resolve these metabolic impairments. In fact, it may increase the levels of harmful metabolic by-products such as nitrites and nitrates.

Fourth, lotions containing arginine do not make sense. There is no evidence that arginine can be even assimilated via the skin. Unlike oils and small lipophylic compounds that can penetrate the epidermis, the assimilation of protein is highly questionable.