What Is the Scientific Evidence for Arginine?
Note: The first three conditions in this section are life-threatening. If you have angina, congestive heart failure, or intermittent claudication, do not attempt to treat yourself with arginine except under physician’s supervision. Congestive Heart Failure Three small double-blind, placebo-controlled studies enrolling a total of about 70 individuals with congestive heart failure found that oral arginine at a dose of 5 g to 15 g daily could significantly improve symptoms as well as objective measurements of heart function. 21,22,23 Intermittent Claudication People with advanced hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, often have difficulty walking because of lack of blood flow to the legs, a condition known as intermittent claudication . Pain may develop after walking less than half a block. In a double-blind study of 41 individuals, 2 weeks of treatment with a high dose of arginine improved walking distance by 66%; no benefits were seen in the placebo group or a low-dose arginine
