L-arginine is an amino acid found in protein foods that the body uses to make nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels, and creatine. As a supplement it is marketed for workouts ("pump") and blood flow, but NIH says it does little for exercise performance.
Also known as: L-arginine.
Arginine has no intake value or upper limit. ODS says people typically get 4 to 5 g a day from food, and exercise studies used 2 to 20 g a day, most often 2 to 10 g as a single dose. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling.
ODS says the research on arginine as a performance aid is limited and conflicting and suggests little to no effect on strength or endurance. Arginine usually did not raise nitric oxide, blood flow or exercise byproducts in trained athletes, its effect on growth hormone and IGF-1 is inconsistent, and there is little evidence it raises muscle creatine. A review of 54 studies found little or no benefit for performance or recovery.
Safety, per ODS: up to 9 g a day for days or weeks appears safe and well tolerated. At 9 to 30 g a day, the most common side effects are diarrhea, nausea and a slight drop in blood pressure, and the safety of high doses for more than 3 months is not known. Because higher amounts can lower blood pressure slightly, tell your prescriber if you take blood pressure medicines.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for arginine that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
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