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What is arginine good for?

Two men jogging together at sunset.

There are a lot of products out there that claim to be miracle cures for basically anything that ails you. A lot of these products can’t really deliver on all the things that they claim. This has, understandably, made people wary of most supplements and self-proclaimed “super-foods.” But there are some supplements that are actually worthy of the attention that they’re getting. One, in particular, is arginine. However, there are a lot of people who don’t know what arginine is or why people use it. Here at Natural Arginine, we want to rectify that. So, let’s talk about what arginine is and why it’s so great.

The basics of arginine

To get started, we really need to first define what arginine is to help you understand what it can be good for.

Arginine is an amino acid. Now, we don’t expect you to remember everything from high school science class, so let’s explain what that is. Amino acids are chemical compounds that are found in the body and are the building blocks of proteins. Proteins are more than just some powder you take when you want to bulk up. They are the compounds that help your body carry out literally everything it needs to do. You can breathe and process air properly without proteins. Basically, without proteins, you can’t do anything. This means that without amino acids, you also can’t do anything.

While amino acids are found in the body, they aren’t actually made by the body. We get most of our amino acids from what we eat and drink. That’s part of the reason why diet is so important. You have to make sure that you’re getting all the vitamins and minerals (and amino acids) you need to stay healthy. Arginine is an amino acid that is not uncommon to be lacking in people’s diets. It can be found in protein-filled products like red meats, fish, and dairy. However, sometimes the amount that is found naturally in our foods isn’t enough, especially if you have a diet that restricts you from eating one or all of these. So, that’s why supplements with arginine in them are so popular.

But if arginine is so important, what does it even do?

What arginine may be able to help with

Now that we have the definition of arginine out of the way let’s talk about what it may be able to help people with.

As mentioned before, arginine is an amino acid, which is reason enough for it to be a big deal. But it may be able to do something that could make it an even bigger deal. That is, it may be able to help expand narrowed blood vessels. Right off the bat, you can already see why this would be such a good thing and such a big deal. But there’s even more to it than you may have initially thought. Because narrowed blood vessels can cause all kinds of problems, which means that arginine may be able to help with all kinds of problems. But what kinds of issues would that include?

To start off, narrowed blood vessels can cause hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. We’ve all heard about hypertension and how bad it is. But do you know the extent? Hypertension can cause serious and long-lasting damage to your arteries. Plus, it could lead to things like aneurysms. Clearly, hypertension is not something that anyone should want. There are a lot of ways you can help reduce it, like diet and lifestyle changes, sometimes those aren’t quite enough. This is where the arginine could come into play. Because it may be able to help with expanding narrow arteries, it may be able to help reduce certain kinds of hypertension.

Another thing that arginine may be good for is pregnancy-related hypertension. You may be thinking, “Isn’t that just the same as regular hypertension?” The answer is kind of. Hypertension during pregnancy is not only dangerous for the mother, but it’s also dangerous for the baby as well. If there isn’t enough blood flow making its way to the placenta, it could mean that the baby isn’t getting the oxygen and nutrients it needs to grow and develop properly. It is incredibly common as a side effect of pregnancy, so a lot of pregnant women have to deal with it. On top of that, the traditional ways of helping relieve hypertension, like exercise or eating better, may not be an option for most pregnant people. Too much physical work could be dangerous, and it’s not uncommon to develop aversions to certain foods when pregnant. 

This means that many pregnant women turn to medication, but here again, they have to be careful. Whatever you eat, your baby eats as well. This means that there are certain medications that pregnant people shouldn’t use. This is why a lot of pregnant women turn to arginine. It is believed to be safe for pregnant women when used at the right levels. But be sure to talk with your doctor before you start using it.

One final thing that arginine may be able to help with is angina. If you’ve never heard of angina before, it is sudden and sharp chest pains that are usually caused by narrowed blood vessels. It’s pretty easy to see where we’re going with this. Arginine may be able to help open up blood vessels better and, as a result, may be able to help reduce the regularity of angina symptoms. 

So, as you can see, there’s some pretty incredible stuff that arginine could be good for. Of course, you should talk with your doctor before you start using arginine or any other supplement. But once you do, come back here, to Natural Arginine. We carry high-quality arginine that is easy to use and dissolves quickly. You can just mix it in with your drinks to get that extra amino acid boost you need to get your blood flowing properly again. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please reach out to us! Learn about arginine side effects.