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General description	Conditionally essential amino acid with vasodilatation effect.
Found	- beans - brewer yeast - chocolate - dairy products - eggs - fish, seafood - legumes - meat - nuts, popcorn
Anti-aging role	- stimulates the pituitary gland to release growth hormone - reduce the risk of CVD - reverse endothelial dysfunction - lower blood pressure (vasodilatiation) - boost nitric oxide production - boost the immune system - Increase IL - 2 production increase thymic weight - promoting healthy permeability and adaptive response of the gut - increase testosterone level and sperm production - decrease symptoms of erectile dysfunction - maintain normal bowel permeability - lower blood CRP level - stimulates organism - rise energy - reduce migraine attacks caused by neck blood vessels constriction - improve sport performances and reduce recovery time - prevent preeclampsia - prevent intestinal inflammations in premature infants - local on skin - improve circulation and wound healing
Deficiency symptoms	- decreased sperm production - hair loss - skin rash
Therapeutic doses	- 2 - 3 g /day - improving sport performance: 3-5 g 30 minutes before workout - erectile dysfunction: 5 g/day - angina pectoris: 3-6 g/day - congenital heart failure: 6-20 g/day divided in several doses - premature infants: 261 mg/kg body weight - put in infant formula for first 28 days of life
Maximum safe level	Not established
Side effects	- diarrhea - flatulence - abdominal pain
Contraindications	- renal and hepatic insufficiency - diabetes type 1 - allergy to eggs, milk, wheat - herpes infection (aids herpes virus infection) - asthma - low blood pressure - recent heart attack - psychical disorders
Interactions	- arginine and lysine are antagonistic amino acids - NSAIDs - ACE inhibitors - Viagra
High risk groups	- premature infants
Composition formulas	- usually by itself or in combination with L-ornithine or other amino acids
Other remarks	- in time of trauma and in premature infants arginine is essential amino acids - during metabolic pathways arginine turns into nitric oxide - it's not recommended to use arginine 2 weeks before scheduled surgery

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