L-Arginine is also known for its ability to raise growth hormone levels, thus providing anti-aging benefits such as the reduction of adipose tissue and the increase of muscle mass.
L-Arginine improves immune function and reduces the healing time for injuries.
It also improves sperm counts and sperm motility, thereby alleviating male
infertility problems.
The issue of L-arginine causing deaths in previous heart attack victims was brought up in the Jan. 4, 2006 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. This was a surprising finding given that L-arginine helps enhance circulation, improving coronary artery blood flow. Viagra, the prescription drug that mimics L-arginine, probably causes heart attacks by a similar mechanism.
In this study, all of the subjects were elderly heart attack patients and were using various prescription drugs. While the addition of L-arginine to the treatment protocols may have led to the sudden deaths, there is nothing in this study that would indicate that L-arginine used alone without prescription cardiac drugs poses any danger for healthy individuals without heart disease.
If you have had a heart attack in the past, I would not risk using L-arginine at this time. Further study of this supplement is indeed warranted to establish safety guidelines for those who are in your situation.
Dr. Zoltan Rona
