13 Foods with arginine – Your Health

Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid for the organism, this means that it is not essential under normal circumstances, but it can be so in some situations, as is the case of a post-operative period of a surgery, for example, because it is involved in several metabolic processes and favors the healing.

Like the other amino acids, it is present in foods rich in proteins, such as queso, jamón and some nuts, such as avellana, las nueces and anacardo, for example.

In addition to this, it is also common to find arginine in the form of food supplements, which can be used to relieve physical or mental fatigue, and can be purchased at pharmacies, natural products stores or at stores online.

List of foods rich in arginine

In the table below, the amount of arginine per 100 g of food is indicated:

main functions

The main functions of this amino acid in the organism are:

• Help heal woundsas it is a component of collagen, a protein responsible for giving firmness and elasticity to the skin, keeping the cells strong and united;
• Improve the body’s defensesstimulating the immune system;
• detoxify the bodyyou can act directly in the liver, promoting the elimination of substances that are found in excess;
• It acts on the metabolic process for the formation of various hormonesfavoring growth and muscular development in children and adolescents;
• Help relax blood vesselsimproving blood circulation and reducing blood pressure.

In addition, arginine also favors an increase in muscle mass, as it favors an increase in the flow of blood to the muscles, helping to improve strength and muscular endurance, as it forms part of the composition of muscle fibers. See more details for what arginine serves.

Relationship between arginine consumption and herpes

Despite the fact that it improves the immune system and helps to heal wounds, some studies seem to show that the consumption of foods rich in arginine can cause recurrent herpes crises, or even worsen them, due to which it favors the replication of the virus in the organism. However, more studies are needed to verify it.

For this reason, it is recommended that individuals carrying this virus reduce the consumption of these foods and increase the consumption of foods rich in lysine.

supplementation with arginine

The supplementation with this amino acid is very used by athletes, because it could increase the blood supply to the muscle for a better performance and increase the muscle mass. However, scientific studies are contradictory, and some demonstrate that they can increase blood flow during exercise and others that do not.

The standard dose that should be indicated before exercise is from 3 to 6 grams of arginine.