Consumption of the popular supplement arginine may decrease hormonal benefits of exercise.
Arginine is a very popular supplement found in “Nitric Oxide” supplements, such as the infamous NOXplode. Many people inaccurately believe that consuming these supplements will increase the body’s level of nitric oxide prodution, leading to superior gains. Unfortunately, research has not substantiated these claims.
In a new study, subjects who consumed arginine following a workout had a 41% decreased release of Growth Hormone compared to those subjects who consumed a placebo.
Conclusions
This study was an acute study that only looked at one metric of the workout, so it is completely impossible to determine what long-term effects this would lead to. This is just one of many studies, however, that has not found any benefit to consuming arginine supplements such as NOXplode, suggesting that the benefits of these types of supplements are likely placebo-derived.
References
1 Forbes SC, Harber V, Bell GJ. The acute effects of L-arginine on hormonal and metabolic responses during submaximal exercise in trained cyclists. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2013 Aug; 23(4): 369-77.