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Abstract

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(2): 556-566, 2019. The efficacy of L-arginine in augmenting blood flow via nitric oxide (NO) production is controversial, with several studies in the literature providing equivocal findings. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of L-arginine supplementation on vascular stiffness at rest and during induced reactive hyperemia. Young healthy males (n = 15) were studied on two separate study days. On day one, a resting pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured from the carotid and radial sites at rest and immediately following an induced reactive hyperemia (RH). On day two, subjects rested for 40 minutes following a dose of 70 mg of L-arginine per kg of lean mass and PWV was again measured from the same two sites at rest and immediately following a RH. There was no difference in PWV between control and supplemented states at rest (6.33 ± 0.81 m/s and 6.09 ± 0.96 m/s; p = 0.32) or immediately following RH (6.03 ± 0.99 m/s and 5.77 ± 0.83 m/s; p = 0.06). In conclusion, L-arginine supplementation did not reduce PWV in healthy subjects at rest or during induced RH.

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