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Consumer Alert: The NO2/Arginine
Scam
by David Barr
The Biggest Scam in Supplement History
Take a look at the history of nutritional supplements and you'll find many
scams and cons. It's easy to spot these swindles in hindsight; it's a little
tougher to identify them during their market peaks. Well, there's a scam going
on right now, a big one. In fact, it's growing even bigger as I write this. Are
you falling for it? Are you being suckered by bad science and questionable
marketing tactics?
Let's cut to the chase: the biggest scam on the market right now is
arginine blood flow stimulators. You may know these by the terms
"nitric-oxide stimulators" or "NO2 supplements."
Wait, you already knew these supplements were worthless? And you think
you already know what the scam is? Doubtfully. Because I'm about to
reveal the real con behind these supplements. In this Consumer Alert,
I’ll not only blow the lid off of the whole scam, but I’ll also reveal to you a
better hemodilator that's been proven for years to increase blood flow, aid in
recovery, and stimulate muscle protein synthesis.
This article covers the science showing why arginine products don’t stand up
to their claims, but the rabbit hole goes much deeper than that. Hang on
Alice, you’re in for a wild ride.
Why Arginine? Why Now?
Why are so many supplement companies focusing on arginine? Well, now that
prohormones are banned, companies are scrambling to throw out the next big
supplement to keep them in business. If nothing truly groundbreaking is within
their grasp, they'll come out with a worthless supplement supported by dubious
science. Want to know what's really pathetic? If this garbage supplement makes
some money, other companies will rip off the bad idea and market their
own versions, regardless of whether or not the supplement works!
Are the copycats and knockoffs, with their additional bells and whistles,
better? No. In fact, some sleazy manufacturers are even including potentially
harmful substances like glycocyamine in
their products!
This copycat movement was really noticeable at the recent Olympia Expo, where
only variations on two products seemed to exist: creatine and nitric oxide
stimulators. While readers may be aware of the inherent risks of creatine
wannabes from our Consumer Report on Dangerous
Creatine, recent evidence demonstrates how nitric oxide stimulators can be
considered the greatest con since ENRON. Let's dig into the evidence.
Hemodilators: Theory and Practice
The hemodilator (or blood vessel dilator) products saturating the market are
purported to stimulate blood flow and subsequently enhance nutrient delivery to
muscles, resulting in increased size and strength. As you may know, these
products contain little more than the amino acid arginine, something that's been
on the supplement market for years and years. Basically, arginine
supplementation is claimed to stimulate the synthesis of the hemodilator nitric
oxide (NO) in our blood vessels.
The existing theory looks like this:
Arginine -> Nitric Oxide -> Vasodilation -> Nutrient
Delivery -> Muscle Growth and Strength
Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with arginine. In fact, it’s an
important amino acid. It’s just not the amino acid to really help your
gains — more on that later.
New research has been revealed since the first T-Nation article on these
types of supplements was published. Now we can focus on that which is directly
applicable to us: studies on healthy adults.
Sick Over Arginine
The whole hemodilator theory is relatively simple. Arginine is the precursor
for NO synthesis and it's been shown that high dose arginine infusion directly
into the bloodstream can lead to vasodilation in healthy fasted humans (17).
Unfortunately, high doses can lead to decreases in total body water and sodium
(4). And even a dose as low as 10 grams has been associated with gastric upset
when consumed orally (26,14).
Researchers involved in a third study demonstrating oral
arginine-induced GI distress actually had to reduce the quantity originally
given so the trials could be completed effectively (29). Despite the reduction
to seven grams an hour for three hours (for a 200 pound man), the researchers
reported: "All of our subjects reported mild intestinal cramping and diarrhea
that lasted for approximately five hours."
But wait, it gets worse! This arginine dose still had no significant
effect on glycogen storage following exercise (29)! Because oral arginine only
has 70% bioavailability, and up to 50% of this can be broken down to ornithine,
taking arginine tablets or powder is impractical for research (6, 9). This is
why arginine is usually infused directly into the blood via peripheral IV for
scientific studies, and even then an impractical dose of 30 grams of this amino
acid is common.
In fact, one study compared infusions and oral dosing. The researchers found
that six grams of arginine had no effect via either route of administration,
while it took a 30 gram infusion to cause vasodilation (6). So, it takes a 30
gram IV dose to get results. If we were to get these results from an oral dose,
we’d have to take 43 grams because only 70% of it is bioavailable (i.e. 30 / .7
= 43).
Now if 10 grams can cause gastric upset, then the 43 gram oral dose (with
bioavailability taken into account) makes me more than a little uneasy.
Arginine: A No Go for NO
If you think that this lack of effect is an isolated incident, other studies
investigating high oral doses of arginine and NO induced blood flow have shown
no effect when 21 grams (7 g 3x/d) were used (1). Two additional studies where
20 grams per day were taken for 28 days also showed no effects (11,12).
At first, this complete lack of effect was a little surprising considering
that arginine is the precursor for nitric oxide synthesis. But upon closer
inspection, natural arginine levels are far in excess of what should activate
the enzyme responsible for NO production — an effect known as the arginine
paradox (21).
In yet another study, a six day, arginine free diet had no effect on nitric
oxide synthesis. This indicates that arginine isn't limiting for NO production,
and its regulation is far more complicated than supplement companies would have
us believe (9).
Of course, the whole rested and fasted thing doesn’t apply to you, so let’s
see what happened when exercise was involved. This next noteworthy study used 10
grams of arginine along with 70 grams of carbohydrates in subjects who either
performed resistance training or cycling exercise (26). The results? There were
no changes in blood flow or glucose uptake compared to placebo,
regardless of which mode of exercise was used. This is significant because it
directly contradicts the claims of the supplement manufacturers.
For those who are more skeptical, or perhaps just brainwashed by flashy
advertising, you’re probably not happy with studies using pure arginine. Oh no,
it has to be special arginine, like the ones used in the popular
products, before you’ll believe any results. Fine, let's look into the science
and crack that nut.
The Acid Test
While it’s important to understand the evidence behind normal arginine
supplementation, many would argue that it doesn’t apply to the original nitric
oxide-stimulating supplement, NO2. This is because the aforementioned product
contains arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, not simply arginine. The theory is that
alpha ketoglutarate (AKG) somehow makes this supplement "work." Okay, that’s
cool, let’s see what science has to say.
This specific product had several studies performed on it, and they were
presented at the International Society of Sports Nutrition conference in the
summer of 2004. While the findings do not yet come from peer reviewed
publications, they yield important information about the efficacy, or lack
thereof, of this supplement.
The first study examined the blood levels of arginine and "time released
arginine" (following a four gram supplementation with each) to determine whether
the latter enhanced the duration of elevated blood arginine levels (18). The
reasoning for this study is due to the claim that NO2 has time-release
technology, resulting in "perpetual pumps."
Unfortunately for the company, blood arginine levels were nearly all quite
similar, and at times 30% lower, in the time-release trial compared to
the pure arginine trial! The reason for the lower levels of the former group
remains elusive, but could be due to a decreased absorption by the gut, an
increased uptake by tissues, or a half dozen other fates for arginine (see 4).
Not surprisingly, there was nothing resembling a "time release" effect.
The second study of interest evaluated the effects of NO2 on body
composition, muscle strength and endurance (8). For eight weeks, subjects took
either 12 grams of NO2 or placebo and underwent a resistance training protocol.
At the end of the time period, subjects between groups had no differences
in either muscle mass or body fat percentage.
Interestingly, the NO2 group threw an average of 19 pounds onto their bench
1RM, while the placebo group added less than a six pound mean. Does it seem
strange to anyone else that this supplement alone supposedly added an average of
more than 13 pounds to bench press 1RM over placebo without a concomitant
change in muscle mass? This would indicate that the changes are strictly neural
in origin, which gets quite complicated and goes beyond the scope of this
article.
I'll briefly mention that while nitric oxide itself can have a negative
effect on the force of muscle contraction (25), this effect has yet to be shown
in humans, and doesn’t warrant serious consideration for our purposes. More
importantly, all of the scientific evidence indicates that it's not even
possible for us to consume high enough levels of arginine to effectively
increase nitric oxide levels! Since this unpublished study is already gracing
the advertisements for this supplement, we need to examine the results in a
little more detail.
If the subjects in the above study were untrained, they would all add a
significant amount of strength without changes in muscle mass within the first
several weeks of working out. In this case, these rapid neural adaptations would
be expected in both groups, but wouldn't explain how arginine seemingly tripled
the improvement in the nervous system activation.
However, since the subjects were in fact trained, the situation is
even more puzzling. Unlike novice trainees, strength increases in trained
individuals tend to be more a result of muscle growth, which means that there
should've been some changes in lean body mass accompanying the other gains.
There wasn't.
I would've been impressed, albeit skeptical, by a three or four pound gain
over the placebo group on bench press 1RM, but an average of 13 pounds?! Looking
at it another way, this means an average gain of two and a half pounds on bench
1RM each week, and this progress is maintained for a whole eight weeks on
the same program!
If this trend continued for all exercises, which it presumably does, everyone
with these results could easily become a competitive powerlifter. Although such
improvements might be theoretically possible, you must remember that these
fantastic results were achieved on a training program and diet that normally
leads to a mere six pound addition to bench press. Furthermore, to have such
incredible strength gains throughout every muscle group, without even the
slightest trend for improved muscle growth, demands questioning.
Considering the other research which showed no effect on blood flow and no
time release effect, the results just don’t fit. Whether it be improper group
selection, outliers in the data, or measurement error, the results presented
remain questionable.
With my objective experience as a strength coach, researcher and bodybuilder,
I don't believe these results to be possible. Having said that, this article is
merely intended to give you the facts that you won’t get anywhere else, and
allow you make up your own mind.
Let’s sum of the results of this study and others:
• One group used oral arginine in this study,
but oral arginine supplementation doesn't affect blood flow.
• The arginine group used "time release" arginine,
but so-called time release arginine is not actually time released.
• The trained individuals in the NO2 group got
stronger without increasing muscle growth, but trained individuals get
stronger mostly due to muscle growth.
• The training program and diet alone yielded a six
pound increase in bench 1RM, yet four grams of NO2 taken three times a
day tripled strength gains on the same program.
In short, something just isn't right.
But Wait, I Thought I Felt Something!
I’m sure some people are reading this and thinking, "But I know these
products work because I’ve taken them and feel their effects!" While
these perceived effects are potent, I submit to you that based on the scientific
evidence, this is merely a result of the placebo effect.
The placebo effect is when someone uses an inert substance, which should
produce no effect, yet somehow still experiences an effect. This occurs
frequently when pharmaceutical companies test a new drug. They give one group
the real drug and another group an inert sugar pill. Interestingly, the group
receiving the sugar pill often has a series of side effects like dry mouth,
headaches, dizziness, adding ten pounds to their bench, etc. — all caused by
their own minds!
One famous research analysis calculated the placebo effect to account for 75%
of a drug’s effect, although this exact figure remains controversial (19). It’s
amazing what dogma we can succumb to in the face of contrary reason and
evidence, merely because we want to believe something. This belief,
desire and trust all seem to work at the neurological level of the brain (10).
This indicates that it’s more than a matter of a few people being tricked by
unscrupulous companies.
Unfortunately, the situation is even worse when it comes to sports
supplements because of our expectations. Hundreds of advertisements with
spectacular claims, combined with our incredibly strong desire to believe that
these supplements work, often defeat our poor psyches. I call this a directed
placebo effect, because we have not only a simple belief in what the
supplement is supposed to do, but a powerful desire to believe in its
effectiveness.
What can make our desire to believe in these products even stronger is the
very fact that we've already purchased them! After all, recognizing that a
product doesn’t work is like admitting that we were duped — something no one
wants to do. Hey, I've fallen into this trap too in the past. We're all
susceptible.
Even if you still believe in the products in question, you’ll now be aware of
this powerful psychological effect.
But What About Growth Hormone Release?
In response to this rather damning article, some companies will scrounge up
data showing that arginine can elevate growth hormone levels. While we’ve known
for the past decade that this applies only to huge doses infused into the
bloodstream, many people will be unaware of this trick.
Now, there's evidence that ingesting 22 grams per day (in a 200 pound man) of
arginine aspartate increased nocturnal growth hormone output (5). The peak GH
output during sleep was increased by an average of 60%. Unfortunately, only five
subjects were studied and one of them had four times the peak output of
the others. Without that one oddball subject, the average peak was cut in half!
(Again, these are just peak measurements, not total levels.)
Also of note, prolactin increased by an average of 75%. This hormone is
associated with decreased Testosterone (7)! What’s really scary is that a mere
five grams of arginine consumed during exercise actually decreased the
resistance exercise-induced increase in GH output (24)!
The bottom line is that you can forget about arginine and GH stimulation,
despite what the advertisements try to tell you.
The Real Secret
Here’s where things get real interesting. You may want to be seated
for this, because I’m about to blow the lid off the whole deal.
Arginine is the amino acid known to be the most potent insulin secretagogue,
meaning that it causes insulin release from the pancreas (4). Now this is of
critical importance, because insulin itself stimulates vasodilation and blood
flow (2), and this occurs via elevations in nitric oxide synthesis (27).
So arginine stimulates insulin, and insulin stimulates nitric oxide. Nitric
oxide causes vasodilation and increased blood flow. Hmmm… Combining this info
with what the scientific literature tells us, we can see that much of arginine’s
vasodilatory effect can be attributed to insulin secretion!
In fact, one study examined the extent of this very effect, and the results
are shocking. Researchers infused the standard 30 grams of arginine with or
without blocking insulin release from the pancreas (15). As usual, the massive
arginine infusion increased blood flow. But, when insulin release was blocked,
blood flow decreased by 77%!
When the latter experiment was repeated with an insulin infusion, blood flow
was completely restored! So, over three-quarters of the increased blood flow
response was caused by insulin. While not all arginine-induced blood flow can be
attributed to insulin, you must remember that these studies use the equivalent
of over 40 grams orally ingested arginine, which isn't even possible to
tolerate.
The Revised Theory:
Arginine -> Insulin -> Nitric Oxide -> Vasodilation
-> Nutrient Delivery -> Muscle Growth and Strength
You have to wonder if the companies who produce these supplements knew this
when they began to market them. If they did, then they intentionally swindled
people. If they didn’t, then they clearly didn’t have any idea what they were
asking people to put into their bodies. Either way, it’s lose-lose for them.
To make things worse, AKG is being shown to play a role in stimulating
insulin secretion (23), suggesting that companies may have indeed been trying to
pull the wool over our eyes the whole time.
While this addition may seem beneficial, you have to remember that we still
have no real evidence even suggesting that any of these products work at
reasonable doses. And don't forget, an increase in insulin levels (and therefore
blood flow) is all too easy to obtain without NO products.
Why would we use arginine to stimulate blood flow when we can get
direct effects by manipulating insulin? In Part II of this article, I'll
tell you how to do that without arginine supplements. The good news is, you're
probably already doing it!
Scam
by David Barr
The Biggest Scam in Supplement History
Take a look at the history of nutritional supplements and you'll find many
scams and cons. It's easy to spot these swindles in hindsight; it's a little
tougher to identify them during their market peaks. Well, there's a scam going
on right now, a big one. In fact, it's growing even bigger as I write this. Are
you falling for it? Are you being suckered by bad science and questionable
marketing tactics?
Let's cut to the chase: the biggest scam on the market right now is
arginine blood flow stimulators. You may know these by the terms
"nitric-oxide stimulators" or "NO2 supplements."
Wait, you already knew these supplements were worthless? And you think
you already know what the scam is? Doubtfully. Because I'm about to
reveal the real con behind these supplements. In this Consumer Alert,
I’ll not only blow the lid off of the whole scam, but I’ll also reveal to you a
better hemodilator that's been proven for years to increase blood flow, aid in
recovery, and stimulate muscle protein synthesis.
This article covers the science showing why arginine products don’t stand up
to their claims, but the rabbit hole goes much deeper than that. Hang on
Alice, you’re in for a wild ride.
Why Arginine? Why Now?
Why are so many supplement companies focusing on arginine? Well, now that
prohormones are banned, companies are scrambling to throw out the next big
supplement to keep them in business. If nothing truly groundbreaking is within
their grasp, they'll come out with a worthless supplement supported by dubious
science. Want to know what's really pathetic? If this garbage supplement makes
some money, other companies will rip off the bad idea and market their
own versions, regardless of whether or not the supplement works!
Are the copycats and knockoffs, with their additional bells and whistles,
better? No. In fact, some sleazy manufacturers are even including potentially
harmful substances like glycocyamine in
their products!
This copycat movement was really noticeable at the recent Olympia Expo, where
only variations on two products seemed to exist: creatine and nitric oxide
stimulators. While readers may be aware of the inherent risks of creatine
wannabes from our Consumer Report on Dangerous
Creatine, recent evidence demonstrates how nitric oxide stimulators can be
considered the greatest con since ENRON. Let's dig into the evidence.
Hemodilators: Theory and Practice
The hemodilator (or blood vessel dilator) products saturating the market are
purported to stimulate blood flow and subsequently enhance nutrient delivery to
muscles, resulting in increased size and strength. As you may know, these
products contain little more than the amino acid arginine, something that's been
on the supplement market for years and years. Basically, arginine
supplementation is claimed to stimulate the synthesis of the hemodilator nitric
oxide (NO) in our blood vessels.
The existing theory looks like this:
Arginine -> Nitric Oxide -> Vasodilation -> Nutrient
Delivery -> Muscle Growth and Strength
Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with arginine. In fact, it’s an
important amino acid. It’s just not the amino acid to really help your
gains — more on that later.
New research has been revealed since the first T-Nation article on these
types of supplements was published. Now we can focus on that which is directly
applicable to us: studies on healthy adults.
Sick Over Arginine
The whole hemodilator theory is relatively simple. Arginine is the precursor
for NO synthesis and it's been shown that high dose arginine infusion directly
into the bloodstream can lead to vasodilation in healthy fasted humans (17).
Unfortunately, high doses can lead to decreases in total body water and sodium
(4). And even a dose as low as 10 grams has been associated with gastric upset
when consumed orally (26,14).
Researchers involved in a third study demonstrating oral
arginine-induced GI distress actually had to reduce the quantity originally
given so the trials could be completed effectively (29). Despite the reduction
to seven grams an hour for three hours (for a 200 pound man), the researchers
reported: "All of our subjects reported mild intestinal cramping and diarrhea
that lasted for approximately five hours."
But wait, it gets worse! This arginine dose still had no significant
effect on glycogen storage following exercise (29)! Because oral arginine only
has 70% bioavailability, and up to 50% of this can be broken down to ornithine,
taking arginine tablets or powder is impractical for research (6, 9). This is
why arginine is usually infused directly into the blood via peripheral IV for
scientific studies, and even then an impractical dose of 30 grams of this amino
acid is common.
In fact, one study compared infusions and oral dosing. The researchers found
that six grams of arginine had no effect via either route of administration,
while it took a 30 gram infusion to cause vasodilation (6). So, it takes a 30
gram IV dose to get results. If we were to get these results from an oral dose,
we’d have to take 43 grams because only 70% of it is bioavailable (i.e. 30 / .7
= 43).
Now if 10 grams can cause gastric upset, then the 43 gram oral dose (with
bioavailability taken into account) makes me more than a little uneasy.
Arginine: A No Go for NO
If you think that this lack of effect is an isolated incident, other studies
investigating high oral doses of arginine and NO induced blood flow have shown
no effect when 21 grams (7 g 3x/d) were used (1). Two additional studies where
20 grams per day were taken for 28 days also showed no effects (11,12).
At first, this complete lack of effect was a little surprising considering
that arginine is the precursor for nitric oxide synthesis. But upon closer
inspection, natural arginine levels are far in excess of what should activate
the enzyme responsible for NO production — an effect known as the arginine
paradox (21).
In yet another study, a six day, arginine free diet had no effect on nitric
oxide synthesis. This indicates that arginine isn't limiting for NO production,
and its regulation is far more complicated than supplement companies would have
us believe (9).
Of course, the whole rested and fasted thing doesn’t apply to you, so let’s
see what happened when exercise was involved. This next noteworthy study used 10
grams of arginine along with 70 grams of carbohydrates in subjects who either
performed resistance training or cycling exercise (26). The results? There were
no changes in blood flow or glucose uptake compared to placebo,
regardless of which mode of exercise was used. This is significant because it
directly contradicts the claims of the supplement manufacturers.
For those who are more skeptical, or perhaps just brainwashed by flashy
advertising, you’re probably not happy with studies using pure arginine. Oh no,
it has to be special arginine, like the ones used in the popular
products, before you’ll believe any results. Fine, let's look into the science
and crack that nut.
The Acid Test
While it’s important to understand the evidence behind normal arginine
supplementation, many would argue that it doesn’t apply to the original nitric
oxide-stimulating supplement, NO2. This is because the aforementioned product
contains arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, not simply arginine. The theory is that
alpha ketoglutarate (AKG) somehow makes this supplement "work." Okay, that’s
cool, let’s see what science has to say.
This specific product had several studies performed on it, and they were
presented at the International Society of Sports Nutrition conference in the
summer of 2004. While the findings do not yet come from peer reviewed
publications, they yield important information about the efficacy, or lack
thereof, of this supplement.
The first study examined the blood levels of arginine and "time released
arginine" (following a four gram supplementation with each) to determine whether
the latter enhanced the duration of elevated blood arginine levels (18). The
reasoning for this study is due to the claim that NO2 has time-release
technology, resulting in "perpetual pumps."
Unfortunately for the company, blood arginine levels were nearly all quite
similar, and at times 30% lower, in the time-release trial compared to
the pure arginine trial! The reason for the lower levels of the former group
remains elusive, but could be due to a decreased absorption by the gut, an
increased uptake by tissues, or a half dozen other fates for arginine (see 4).
Not surprisingly, there was nothing resembling a "time release" effect.
The second study of interest evaluated the effects of NO2 on body
composition, muscle strength and endurance (8). For eight weeks, subjects took
either 12 grams of NO2 or placebo and underwent a resistance training protocol.
At the end of the time period, subjects between groups had no differences
in either muscle mass or body fat percentage.
Interestingly, the NO2 group threw an average of 19 pounds onto their bench
1RM, while the placebo group added less than a six pound mean. Does it seem
strange to anyone else that this supplement alone supposedly added an average of
more than 13 pounds to bench press 1RM over placebo without a concomitant
change in muscle mass? This would indicate that the changes are strictly neural
in origin, which gets quite complicated and goes beyond the scope of this
article.
I'll briefly mention that while nitric oxide itself can have a negative
effect on the force of muscle contraction (25), this effect has yet to be shown
in humans, and doesn’t warrant serious consideration for our purposes. More
importantly, all of the scientific evidence indicates that it's not even
possible for us to consume high enough levels of arginine to effectively
increase nitric oxide levels! Since this unpublished study is already gracing
the advertisements for this supplement, we need to examine the results in a
little more detail.
If the subjects in the above study were untrained, they would all add a
significant amount of strength without changes in muscle mass within the first
several weeks of working out. In this case, these rapid neural adaptations would
be expected in both groups, but wouldn't explain how arginine seemingly tripled
the improvement in the nervous system activation.
However, since the subjects were in fact trained, the situation is
even more puzzling. Unlike novice trainees, strength increases in trained
individuals tend to be more a result of muscle growth, which means that there
should've been some changes in lean body mass accompanying the other gains.
There wasn't.
I would've been impressed, albeit skeptical, by a three or four pound gain
over the placebo group on bench press 1RM, but an average of 13 pounds?! Looking
at it another way, this means an average gain of two and a half pounds on bench
1RM each week, and this progress is maintained for a whole eight weeks on
the same program!
If this trend continued for all exercises, which it presumably does, everyone
with these results could easily become a competitive powerlifter. Although such
improvements might be theoretically possible, you must remember that these
fantastic results were achieved on a training program and diet that normally
leads to a mere six pound addition to bench press. Furthermore, to have such
incredible strength gains throughout every muscle group, without even the
slightest trend for improved muscle growth, demands questioning.
Considering the other research which showed no effect on blood flow and no
time release effect, the results just don’t fit. Whether it be improper group
selection, outliers in the data, or measurement error, the results presented
remain questionable.
With my objective experience as a strength coach, researcher and bodybuilder,
I don't believe these results to be possible. Having said that, this article is
merely intended to give you the facts that you won’t get anywhere else, and
allow you make up your own mind.
Let’s sum of the results of this study and others:
• One group used oral arginine in this study,
but oral arginine supplementation doesn't affect blood flow.
• The arginine group used "time release" arginine,
but so-called time release arginine is not actually time released.
• The trained individuals in the NO2 group got
stronger without increasing muscle growth, but trained individuals get
stronger mostly due to muscle growth.
• The training program and diet alone yielded a six
pound increase in bench 1RM, yet four grams of NO2 taken three times a
day tripled strength gains on the same program.
But Wait, I Thought I Felt Something!
I’m sure some people are reading this and thinking, "But I know these
products work because I’ve taken them and feel their effects!" While
these perceived effects are potent, I submit to you that based on the scientific
evidence, this is merely a result of the placebo effect.
The placebo effect is when someone uses an inert substance, which should
produce no effect, yet somehow still experiences an effect. This occurs
frequently when pharmaceutical companies test a new drug. They give one group
the real drug and another group an inert sugar pill. Interestingly, the group
receiving the sugar pill often has a series of side effects like dry mouth,
headaches, dizziness, adding ten pounds to their bench, etc. — all caused by
their own minds!
One famous research analysis calculated the placebo effect to account for 75%
of a drug’s effect, although this exact figure remains controversial (19). It’s
amazing what dogma we can succumb to in the face of contrary reason and
evidence, merely because we want to believe something. This belief,
desire and trust all seem to work at the neurological level of the brain (10).
This indicates that it’s more than a matter of a few people being tricked by
unscrupulous companies.
Unfortunately, the situation is even worse when it comes to sports
supplements because of our expectations. Hundreds of advertisements with
spectacular claims, combined with our incredibly strong desire to believe that
these supplements work, often defeat our poor psyches. I call this a directed
placebo effect, because we have not only a simple belief in what the
supplement is supposed to do, but a powerful desire to believe in its
effectiveness.
What can make our desire to believe in these products even stronger is the
very fact that we've already purchased them! After all, recognizing that a
product doesn’t work is like admitting that we were duped — something no one
wants to do. Hey, I've fallen into this trap too in the past. We're all
susceptible.
Even if you still believe in the products in question, you’ll now be aware of
this powerful psychological effect.
But What About Growth Hormone Release?
In response to this rather damning article, some companies will scrounge up
data showing that arginine can elevate growth hormone levels. While we’ve known
for the past decade that this applies only to huge doses infused into the
bloodstream, many people will be unaware of this trick.
Now, there's evidence that ingesting 22 grams per day (in a 200 pound man) of
arginine aspartate increased nocturnal growth hormone output (5). The peak GH
output during sleep was increased by an average of 60%. Unfortunately, only five
subjects were studied and one of them had four times the peak output of
the others. Without that one oddball subject, the average peak was cut in half!
(Again, these are just peak measurements, not total levels.)
Also of note, prolactin increased by an average of 75%. This hormone is
associated with decreased Testosterone (7)! What’s really scary is that a mere
five grams of arginine consumed during exercise actually decreased the
resistance exercise-induced increase in GH output (24)!
The bottom line is that you can forget about arginine and GH stimulation,
despite what the advertisements try to tell you.
The Real Secret
Here’s where things get real interesting. You may want to be seated
for this, because I’m about to blow the lid off the whole deal.
Arginine is the amino acid known to be the most potent insulin secretagogue,
meaning that it causes insulin release from the pancreas (4). Now this is of
critical importance, because insulin itself stimulates vasodilation and blood
flow (2), and this occurs via elevations in nitric oxide synthesis (27).
So arginine stimulates insulin, and insulin stimulates nitric oxide. Nitric
oxide causes vasodilation and increased blood flow. Hmmm… Combining this info
with what the scientific literature tells us, we can see that much of arginine’s
vasodilatory effect can be attributed to insulin secretion!
In fact, one study examined the extent of this very effect, and the results
are shocking. Researchers infused the standard 30 grams of arginine with or
without blocking insulin release from the pancreas (15). As usual, the massive
arginine infusion increased blood flow. But, when insulin release was blocked,
blood flow decreased by 77%!
When the latter experiment was repeated with an insulin infusion, blood flow
was completely restored! So, over three-quarters of the increased blood flow
response was caused by insulin. While not all arginine-induced blood flow can be
attributed to insulin, you must remember that these studies use the equivalent
of over 40 grams orally ingested arginine, which isn't even possible to
tolerate.
The Revised Theory:
Arginine -> Insulin -> Nitric Oxide -> Vasodilation
-> Nutrient Delivery -> Muscle Growth and Strength
You have to wonder if the companies who produce these supplements knew this
when they began to market them. If they did, then they intentionally swindled
people. If they didn’t, then they clearly didn’t have any idea what they were
asking people to put into their bodies. Either way, it’s lose-lose for them.
To make things worse, AKG is being shown to play a role in stimulating
insulin secretion (23), suggesting that companies may have indeed been trying to
pull the wool over our eyes the whole time.
While this addition may seem beneficial, you have to remember that we still
have no real evidence even suggesting that any of these products work at
reasonable doses. And don't forget, an increase in insulin levels (and therefore
blood flow) is all too easy to obtain without NO products.
Why would we use arginine to stimulate blood flow when we can get
direct effects by manipulating insulin? In Part II of this article, I'll
tell you how to do that without arginine supplements. The good news is, you're
probably already doing it!
