The Benefits of the Amino Acid Arginine

Arginine is an amino acid that can be found in many popular food sources. Arginine has the potential to provide a number of health benefits to some users, but also contains qualities that mean it should be avoided by specific members of the population. Supplemental sources of arginine are available for those who don't enjoy the natural sources and can be ingested either in tablet or capsule form or as a powder mixed with water or juice.

The benefits associated with arginine spring from its functional status in building proteins in the body. The effectiveness of arginine to stimulate the human growth hormone varies considerably and decreases as one ages. Arginine is an amino acid that aids in the building of muscles, the healing of wounds and increasing metabolism in fat cells that provides the possibility of decreasing obesity.

The process by which arginine provides many of its beneficial qualities is through stimulating activity in the thymus gland. This stimulation results in the thymus gland producing more cells that play a crucial role in the developing the immune system.

A 2009 study reported in the "International Journal of Molecular Medicine" found that arginine can assist in inhibiting the activity of some herpes viruses. The effectiveness of arginine is dependent on the dosage. The benefits of arginine at higher dosages is compromised by an increase in toxic side effects.

The qualities associated with arginine can benefit some people more than others. Those most likely to see a beneficial effect to increasing arginine dosage include people dealing with a lack of adequate protein in their diet. Those suffering from recent burns or injuries can benefit from arginine's role in facilitating the healing process. Arginine's protein building capacity also makes it an effective choice for anyone dealing with immunity disorders like AIDS.

One of arginine's most useful qualities is that it is plentiful enough that deficiencies are rare. Those most likely to suffer from a deficiency of arginine are people engaging in a crash diet who subsist on a very limited number of different foods. The effects of arginine deficiency include impairment of insulin production and a breakdown in the efficiency of liver-lipid metabolism. The Mayo Clinic advises that most people do not need to consider supplemental doses of arginine because the body produces enough for those not subjecting themselves to the possibility of deficiency.

Sources of arginine in natural food products are limited in range, but can be found in certain specific products that are commercially popular. Good sources for arginine include popcorn, chocolate, peanuts, raisins, oatmeal and brown rice.