What is L-Arginine?

L-arginine is an amino acid and a building block of proteins. L-arginine is known as a semi-essential or conditionally essential amino acid because in certain circumstances, including critical illness, trauma, and muscle building, our body can’t produce enough amount of L-arginine amino acid therefore, this should be taken from dietary sources including foods rich in L-arginine, or a good quality L-arginine supplement.

Other than that, it is considered a non-essential amino acid which means that it can be synthesized in the body from other amino acids such as citrulline. L-arginine itself is also a precursor of other amino acids such as glutamate, proline, and creatine.

What are the Benefits of L-Arginine?

L-Arginine is beneficial for everyone, but in particular, for athletes and those who do light, moderate, and severe intensity workouts daily.

L-arginine provides the following benefits to our body:

1. Improves Stamina and Athletic Performance

L-arginine becomes an essential amino acid for athletes that can be taken as a pre-workout supplement to improve their athletic performance. L-arginine amazingly improves the stamina of athletes because it is a precursor of a chemical named, Nitric Oxide, which dilates the blood vessels and increases the blood flow in the body. 

2. Helps in Muscle Building

L-arginine is a building block of proteins. And proteins are the building blocks of muscles. Due to this reason, athletes, and those people who intend to gain muscles are recommended to take L-arginine either through food or in the form of a pre-workout supplement.

3. Improves Blood Circulation

L-arginine helps improve blood circulation by regulating the production of Nitric Oxide, which helps dilate the blood vessels and retains the flexibility of blood vessels for smooth blood flow.

4. Reduces the Risk of Heart Diseases

L-arginine produces Nitric Oxide, which widens the blood vessels for smooth blood flow. In this way, L-arginine helps reduce the risk of high blood pressure and other heart health issues by regulating smooth blood flow.

5. Helps Improve Male Reproductive Health

L-arginine helps improve the reproductive health of men by improving the blood flow to the male reproductive organ. In this way, L-arginine helps reduce the risk of infertility in men and regulates the production of male reproductive hormones in their bodies.

6. Reduces the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

L-arginine helps regulate blood sugar levels by improving the blood flow and insulin sensitivity in the body.

Do Foods Contain L-Arginine?

Legumes, soybeans, chickpeas, chicken, and fish contain a significant amount of L-arginine. However, foods like nuts and seeds including pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, watermelon seeds, walnuts, and almonds also contain L-arginine.

Why Do Athletes Need to Take L-Arginine as a Pre-Workout Supplement?

As athletes perform strenuous anaerobic exercises, they need high stamina to continue their workout without bearing damage to their muscles. L-arginine is an amino acid, and we know that amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. The specialty of L-arginine is that it produces Nitric Oxide, a compound that expands the blood vessels to increase the blood and ultimately oxygen levels in the body tissues and heart muscles, thereby improving the workout stamina of athletes.

L-arginine also benefits the body by boosting muscle growth; reducing post-exercise lactate and ammonia levels in the body, and contributing to the speedy recovery of tissue damage. Due to these amazing beneficial facts about L-arginine, athletes are encouraged to take L-arginine as a pre-workout supplement. 

Which is the Best L-Arginine Supplement for Athletes in Pakistan?

Nutrifactor’s L-Arginine is the best supplement of L-arginine available in Pakistan. It contains a decent amount of L-arginine which helps to enhance athletic performance by dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow in the body tissues. It helps boost protein production and is also involved in urea metabolism & excretion from the body.

Can Those People Who Do Light Workouts Take L-Arginine Supplements?

L-arginine is beneficial for every single person who performs light to strenuous workouts, because it enhances performance, and reduces lactate and ammonia levels in the body to keep you active and energetic. So, those people who perform light-intensity workouts are also motivated to take premium quality L-arginine supplements just like Nutrifactor’s L-Arginine to enhance their stamina and performance.

References: 

•    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12495375/

•    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/l-arginine

•    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/l-arginine

•    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323259

•    https://www.healthline.com/health/erectile-dysfunction/l-arginine

•    https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-l-arginine/art-20364681