Dr. Harry Elwardt, N.D., Ph.D., authority on nutrition and L-Arginine and author of “Let's STOP the #1 Killer of Americans TODAY!” writes:
“The following report, which is backed up by incredible scientific research, shows the many health benefits of increased arginine in the human body. Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid, which is produced in the liver and can be found in protein rich foods like red meat. ARK 1™ contains 6 grams of the highest quality, pharmaceutical grade arginine. Medical research has now shown that by simply supplementing with 3 to 6 grams of arginine everyday all the following is possible:
Aging Process
• Arginine inhibits one of the primary mechanisms of the aging process as it inhibits the process of
cross-linking (1)
• Arginine increases the release of the human growth hormone (HGH), also known as the anti-aging
hormone, from the pituitary gland (2)
Cardiovascular System
• Arginine improves blood circulation, improves exercise capability and facilitates vasodilation in angina patients (3)
• Arginine helps to prevent atherosclerosis and reduces the severity of existing atherosclerosis (4).
• Arginine inhibits the adhesion of monocytes to the endothelium (an underlying event in the course of
atherosclerosis) (5)
• Arginine improves blood circulation (by stimulating the production of nitric oxide, an endogenous
neurotransmitter that helps to prevent vasoconstriction and which initiates vasodilation by relaxing
the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels) (6)
• Arginine helps to prevent abnormal blood clotting (by stimulating the production of plasmin and by
increasing vasodilation) (7)
• Arginine helps to prevent free radicals-induced damage to the lining of blood vessels (by enhancing
the production of nitric oxide in blood vessels) (8)
• Arginine significantly increases stroke volume and cardiac output (without effect on heartbeat rate) in congestive heart failure patients. It also increases vasodilation (leading to increased blood
circulation) in congestive heart failure patients (9)
• Arginine reverses consequences of coronary heart disease (10)
• Arginine lowers blood pressure in some hypertension patients (by facilitating the body's production
of nitric oxide (NO) and by inhibiting the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)) (11)
• Arginine reverses adverse effects of high blood pressure (12)
• Arginine decreases high blood pressure (13).
• Arginine reduces pulmonary blood pressure and improves blood circulation in pulmonary
hypertension patients (14)
• Arginine increases walking distance in intermittent claudication patients (15)
• Arginine restores normal endothelial function in hypercholesterolemia (16)
• Arginine improves walking distance in peripheral vascular disease (17)
• Arginine improves outcome after bypass surgery (18)
• Arginine reduces blood clots and strokes (19)
• Arginine helps prevent restenosis after angioplasty and bypass (20)
• Arginine may give protection against size of heart attack (21)
• Arginine improves heart failure (22)
• Arginine improves peripheral vascular disease (23)”
Research
1. Radner, W., et al. L-arginine reduces kidney collagen accumulation and N-epsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine in the aging NMRI-mouse. J Gerontol. 49(2):M44-M46, 1994.
2. Gianotti L, Macario M, Lanfranco F, et al. Arginine counteracts the inhibitory effect of recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I on the somatotroph responsiveness to growth hormone-releasing hormone in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000 Oct;85(10):3604-8.
3. Ceremuzynski, L., et al. Effect of supplemental oral L-arginine on exercise capacity in patients with stable angina
pectoris. Am J Cardiol. 80:331-333, 1997.
4. Adams, R. R., et al. Oral L-arginine improves endothelium-dependent dilatation and reduces monocyte adhesion to
endothelial cells in young men with coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis. 129(2):261-269, 1997.
5. Adams, M. R., et al. Cigarette smoking is associated with increased human monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells:
reversibility with oral L-arginine but not vitamin C. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 29(3):491-497,
1997.
6. Huk, I., et al. L-arginine treatment alters the kinetics of nitric oxide and superoxide release and reduces
ischemica/reperfusion injury in skeletal muscle. Circulation. 96:667-675, 1997.
7. Drexler H, et al. Correction of endothelial dysfunction in coronary microcirculation of hypercholesterolaemic patients by
L-arginine. The Lancet. 338:1546-50, 1991.
8. Huk, I., et al. L-arginine treatment alters the kinetics of nitric oxide and superoxide release and reduces
ischemica/reperfusion injury in skeletal muscle. Circulation. 96:667-675, 1997.
9. Koifman, B., et al. Improvement of cardiac performance by intravenous infusion of l-arginine in patients with moderate
congestive heart failure. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 26(5):1251-6, 1995.
10. Quyyumi AA. Does acute improvement of endothelial dysfunction in coronary arterydisease improve myocardial ischemia? J Am Coll Cardiol 1998 Oct;32(4):904-11
11. Khosh, F. Natural approach to hypertension. Alternative Medicine Review. 6(6), 2001.
12. Sisic D, Francishetti A, Frolich ED. Prolonged L-arginine on cardiovascular mass and myocardial hemodynamics and collagen in aged spontaneously hypertensive and normal rats. Hypertension 1999 Jan;33(1 Pt 2):451-5.
13. Nakaki T, et al. L-arginine induced hypotension. Lancet 1990Oct 20; 336(8721):1016-7.
14. Nagaya, N., et al. Short-term oral administration of L-arginine improves hemodynamics and exercise capacity in patients
with precapillary pulmonary hypertension. Am J Resp Crit Care Med. 163(4):887-891, 2001.
15. Roberts, A. J., et al. Nutraceuticals: The Complete Encyclopedia of Supplements, Herbs, Vitamins and Healing Foods.
Berkely Publishing Group. New York, USA. 2001:319.
16. Maxwell AJ, Anderson B Zapien MP, Cooke JP. Endothelial dysfunction in hypercholesterolemia is reversed by:
nutritional product designed to enhance nitric oxide activity. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 2000 Jun;14(3):309-16.
17. Maxwell AJ, Anderson BE Cooke JP. Nutritional therapy for peripheral artery disease. Vasc Med 2000;5(1):11-19.
18. Wallace AW, Ratcliffe MB, Galindez D, Kong JS. L-arginine infusion dilates coronary vasculature in patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery Aenesthesiology 1999 Jun;90(6):1577-8.
19. Bode-Boger SM, Boger RH, et al. Differential inhibition of human platelet aggregation and thromboxane A 2 formation by L-arginine in vivo and in vitro. Arch Pharmacol 1998; 357:143-150.
20. Le Yorneau T, Van Belle E, Corseaux D, et al . Role of nitric oxide in re-stenosis after experimental balloon angioplasty
in the hypercholesterolemic rabbit. J Am CollCardiol 1999 Mar;33(3):876-82.
21. Suematsu Y, Ohtsuka T, et al. L-Arginine given after ischemic preconditioning can enhance cardioprotection in isolated
rat hearts. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2001, Jun;19(6):873-9.
22. Hambrecht R, et al. Correction of endothelial dysfunction in chronic heart failure: additional effects of exercise training and oral L-arginine supplementation. J Am Coll Cardiol 2000 Mar 1; 35(3):706-13.
23. Bode-Boger SM, Boger RH,et al. L-arginine induces nitric oxide-dependent vasodilation in patients with critical limb ischemia. A randomized, controlled study. Circulation 1996 Jan 1; 93(1):85-90.