L-Arginine is a popular supplement used in the hopes of helping out with erectile dysfunction.
But, is there solid evidence to back up this amino acid being used for sexual health concerns?
Below, we will cover just what L-Arginine is, why it may be a potential help in the realm of erectile function, what the studies say about L-Arginine for Ed so far, the potential side effects you may expect from trying it out, as well as the commonly used dosages.
There are 20-22 amino acids that the human body uses to string together and make the proteins needed for proper functioning and growth. L-Arginine is one of these amino acids.
L-Arginine is considered a conditionally essential amino acid. This means that most people are able to synthesize enough L-Arginine in their body from the essential amino acids you intake through your diet, but for certain situations like infancy, pregnancy, or severe trauma and illness, you may need to intake more than your body will make to reach the correct L-Arginine quotas.
L-Arginine is found in higher amounts in many foods including fish, meats, beans, soy, grains, and dairy products.
When you ingest L-Arginine, you help your body produce more nitric oxide (NO).
Nitric oxide is a necessary element of healthy erectile function since this gas works to help dilate vessels and relax the smooth muscles in the penile tissue to increase local blood flow and produce an erection when mentally stimulated.
Studies have shown that there may be reduced nitric oxide bioactivity in men who are having issues with erectile dysfunction.
Many prescription erectile dysfunction drugs even have the mechanism of indirectly amplifying the effects of the nitric oxide mediated erectile function system, by preventing the breakdown of cGMP, a second messenger in the erectile response.
According to what we know about NO and L-Arginine, it seems worthwhile to assess if this amino acid can help men dealing with ED issues. And, a few small-scale studies have ventured to look into this.
One small study had 32 men dealing with various levels of erectile issues try taking either a placebo or 500mg of L-Arginine three times daily for 17 days and asked to review their erectile function via a questionnaire. After this, the men were given a 7 day washout period, and switched to the other side to use either a placebo or L-Arginine three times daily again (whichever one they did not try to begin with), and asked to report their erectile function again via another questionnaire. With this study, there was no significant difference found between the placebo and L-Arginine groups for improved erectile function.
However, this study was quite small, and the dosages of L-Arginine used seem to be on the lower end of studies looking into its erectile effect. So, it is possible that we need to dive deeper into the potential effects of L-Arginine for ED with larger studies and potentially higher dosages.
Other studies have tried a combination approach of L-Arginine along with one or a few other potentially beneficial benefits, and the reports have seemed more promising.
One example is a 3 month long study using 40 male participants with diagnosed erectile dysfunction. In this study 1.7g of L-Arginine was taken per day for the first month, the L-Arginine was then combined with 2 X 40mg tablets of pycnogenol (pine tree bark extract) daily for the second month, and the patients took L-Arginine with 3 X 40mg tablets of pycnogenol daily for the third month. The men were asked to report their sexual functioning via a questionnaire after each month. The results found that after the first month only %5 of the men (a non-significant amount) reported normal erections, after the 2nd month 80% of the men reported restored sexual ability, and after the 3rd month 92.5% of the men reported experiencing normal erections.
In the study described above, it seems like there may be something more to look into with pycnogenol or the combination of L-Arginine with pycnogenol for ED. However, due to the small size of the study, and not having the use of L-Arginine alone, it is not yet clear whether there is a significant benefit of supplementing with L-Arginine.
Most medications and supplements may have some level of side effects if used in large amounts or in the wrong people.
While normal amounts of L-Arginine are needed in the body, are considered generally safe, and supplementing moderately should not have any adverse effects, large amounts of L-Arginine may come along with the following side effects:
People using certain medications may also be advised to avoid supplementing with L-Arginine due to potential interactions:
Many of these interactions stem from the possibility of blood pressure becoming too low, the potential excess reduction in blood sugar, or the blood thinning too much from the combination with L-Arginine.
L-Arginine is not FDA-approved for use as an erectile dysfunction treatment, and very few studies have been done to find the appropriate dosage to use if you wanted to try it out for this indication. So, there is not a lot of guidance currently available on the dosage to use for ED if you were so inclined to give it a whirl.
However, some of the L-Arginine studies have used ranges between 1.5g - 5g.
If you do want to try L-Arginine out for yourself, be sure to check with your doctor first so that they can make sure it is an appropriate supplement for you and won’t have significant interactions with any of your current medications or conditions.
Hypothetically L-Arginine may have the potential to aid in reducing ED symptoms through the mechanism of increasing nitric oxide in the body.
However, there is not currently clear evidence that L-Arginine can help significantly with ED. While some studies have reported benefits from using L-Arginine, the sample sizes are normally very small, or L-Arginine is being used alongside other supplements.
So, more studies need to be done to prove L-Arginine’s benefits for ED, and also figure out what amounts may safely deliver those benefits.
That being said, L-Arginine supplementation in recommended amounts is generally considered to be safe unless you have certain medical conditions or are on medications that may interact with L-Arginine.
Talk with your doctor first to make sure L-Arginine is safe for you if you do decide to supplement with this amino acid.
Here at Strut, we carry prescription erectile dysfunction medications which have been shown to help most men with their ED symptoms.
If you are looking for a more reliable way to treat your erectile dysfunction, PDE-5 inhibitor medications may be a better fit for you than inconclusive supplementation.
To see if you are a good candidate for ED medications like Sildenafil or Tadalafil, you can have a free online questionnaire-based telemedicine consultation with our U.S. licensed doctors today.
If you are a good candidate for treatment, your medication will be shipped to your front door with our free shipping.
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