INTRODUCTION

Designed to help shorten the time of recovery after an injury and potentially improve athletic ability and recovery, this IV consists of premium-quality high dose vitamins and amino acids that can help promote improved performance,recovery and overall wellness while giving you a boost of energy!

POSSIBLE BENEFITS

• Decreases recovery time

• Enhances athletic performance/recovery

• Replenishes essential nutrients

• Reduces inflammation

• Helps convert fat into energy

• Boosts metabolism

INDICATIONS

Athletic Performance &  Increase Activity Tolerance

PATIENT INFORMATION

Best known for its vascular system effect

USES (likely beneficial for the following)

• Athletic Performance

• Cardiovascular

• Blood Pressure

• Peripheral arterial disease /

• Intermittent Claudication

• Congestive Heart Failure

• Interstitial Cystitis

• Immune Function

• Erectile Dysfunction

• Metabolic Support

• Pre-eclampsia / Pregnancy-induced

• hypertension

• Sickle Cell Disease - Pain

• Waist Circumference

• Wound healing

BASIC INFORMATION

Semi-essential or conditionally essential amino acid, (semi essential because it is obtained by oral intake but our body does produce it but our body is not able to increase synthesis if the rate in which we use it exceeds production (which is how people become deficient)

Subnormal arginine levels -> muscle weakness, fatigue 

Can become suboptimal with decreased intake or absorption 

** Originally approved by the FDA in February 1973 as an IV stimulant of the pituitary to release HGH which can aid in the diagnosis of HGH related conditions

MECHANISM OF ACTION

Growth Hormone Deficiency Diagnosis: Arginine stimulates pituitary release of growth hormone in patients with normal pituitary function. Patients with impaired pituitary function who receive arginine will have lower or no increase in plasma concentrations of growth hormone after administration of arginine.

Urea Cycle Disorders (UCDs): The urea cycle is normally responsible for maintaining low blood concentrations of ammonia and glutamine from protein breakdown. The normal urea cycle requires numerous enzyme-catalyzed steps to form nitrogenous waste such as urea. Hyperammonemia may occur when there is a deficiency in one or more urea cycle enzymes or a cofactor: N-acetylglutamate synthetase (NAGS), carbamyl phosphate synthetase (CPS), argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS), ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC), or argininosuccinate lyase (ASL). Arginine becomes an essential amino acid when any of these enzymes is deficient. If essential amino acids are not available, protein catabolism occurs, which increases ammonia concentrations. Exogenous arginine is administered in patients with UCDs to restore serum levels and prevent the breakdown of endogenous protein. Additionally, arginine administration lowers the blood ammonia level and increases the amount of nitrogen excreted in the urine by stimulating an alternative pathway for waste nitrogen excretion.

Metabolic Alkalosis: Arginine is a precursor to hydrochloric acid and has a high chloride content and is, therefore, an alternative treatment for severe metabolic alkalosis.

Cardiovascular disease: Arginine is a precursor of nitric oxide, which is a potent vasodilator with antiplatelet activity. Nitric oxide has been shown to induce vasodilation in patients with atherosclerosis.

PHARMACOKINETICS

• Oral Bioavailability: L-arginine has an oral bioavailability of 68% (Bode-Böger et al., 1998). In another study, a 10 gram oral dose of arginine had a 20% bioavailability (Tangphao et al., 1999).

• IV - Peak serum time: ~20-30 min; Half-life: 0.7 – 1.3 hrs

ARGININE AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE STUDIES

Meta-analysis; 11 randomized clinical trials (Rezaei, et al. 2021)

• Arginine supplementation increased VO2 max compared to the control group.

Systematic review and meta-analysis effects on aerobic and anaerobic performance. Likewise, to show the effective dose and timing of this supplementation (Viribay, et al. 2020)

• Eighteen studies included; Meta-analysis included 15 studies.

• Results revealed that Arg supplementation could improve aerobic and anaerobic performance tests (i.e.lactate)

• Acute Arg supplementation protocols to improve aerobic and anaerobic performance should be adjusted to 0.15 g/kg of body weight ingested between 60–90 min before.

• AND chronic Arg supplementation should include 1.5–2 g/day for 4–7 weeks in order to improve aerobic performance, and 10–12 g/day for 8 weeks to enhance anaerobic performance.

• Even if not ingested 60-90 min before, there is still benefit to increasing supplementation for this reason

Twenty-four male soccer players ingested either Citrulline + Arg or placebo (both 1.2 g/day each) for 6 days. (Suzuki et al.  2019)

• Day7, ingested Cit + Arg 1 h before a 10-min full-power pedaling test.

• Power output was significantly greater with Cit + Arg than in the placebo group

• Plasma concentrations of post-exercise NOx was significantly higher in the Cit + Arg than in the placebo group

• Cit + Arg also gave improved post-exercise subjective perception of “leg muscle soreness” and “ease of peddling

2017 double-blinded, randomized and placebo-controlled trial; 56 male soccer players randomly assigned to either L-arginine or placebo groups (Pahlavani et al., 2017).

• Athletes received either 2 g DAILY arginine or for 45 days.

• Sport performance (VO2 max) significantly increased in arginine group

• Increase remained significant even after adjustment of baseline values, physical activity and usual dietary intake.

• No effect on anthropometric measurements (i.e. BMI; though soccer players likely are quite fit anyways)

2019 systematic review effects of arginine on athletic performance (Pahlavani, et al.)

• Most studies, arginine improved athletic performance and body composition in athletes.

• Dose of 2-5 grams per day had no side effects.

Yavuz, et al. (2014) 

Found no difference in oxygen consumption. Time to exhaustion improved.

*This study was only done with a single dose of arginine

Older, IV study of arginine in healthy adults. (Schaefer et al., 2002)

• Double-blind study of responses after IV arginine or placebo in 8 healthy subjects.

• Improvement in peak Lactate and ammonia production; May play a role in improved exercise performance

For additional information; please ask to see our arginine power point presentation!