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Arginine, Its Role in Cardiovascular Function and Therapy |
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Epidemiologic and clinical studies have established hypercholesterolemia, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, obesity/insulin resistance and advanced age as major cardiovascular risk factors. |
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| Author: Ray Ricardo |
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Arginine is a precursor for nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. NO is the endothelium-derived relaxing factor essential for regulating vascular tone and hemodynamics. Many studies have shown that arginine may prevent and treat cardiovascular disorders, the leading cause of death in developed nations. Blood vessels are lined by special cells called endothelial cells. These cells produce nitric oxide. In blood vessels, endothelium-derived NO activates enzymes which cause smooth muscle relaxation. Thus, NO plays an essential role in regulating vascular tone and hemodynamics.
NO also stimulates endothelial cell (EC) proliferation and new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) thereby playing an important role in wound healing and microcirculation. In addition, NO inhibits the release of molecules that cause blood vessel constriction, stickiness of white blood cells and platelets and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.
Thus, in addition to its effect on blood vessel relaxation and angiogenesis, NO has anti-atherogenic (anti-arterial plaque) and antithrombotic (blood clot) functions. Epidemiologic and clinical studies have established hypercholesterolemia, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, obesity/insulin resistance and advanced age as major cardiovascular risk factors.
Although extensive cardiovascular research has focused historically on dietary fat and cholesterol due to the recognition of their roles in atherosclerosis, studies over the last 10 years have shown the promise of using Arginine to reverse endothelial dysfunction associated with these major cardiovascular risk factors.
About Author
Dr. Ray Ricardo is a retired physician. He is currently chairman and president of Totalmed Corporation http://www.totalmedsubic.com, a health delivery company and International College of Integrative Medicine, a teaching and training institution for complementary medicine. He is also president of Antioxidants Inc. http://antioxidantsinc.com, a health products marketing company.
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