Arginine Supports Exercise Performance in Older Athletes

LOS ANGELESSupplementation with a combination of antioxidants and L-arginine may support nitric oxide (NO) activity and exercise performance in older athletes, according to a new study out of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) (J Intl Soc Sports Nutr. 2010,7:13; DOI: 10.1186/1550-2783-7-13). Researchers from UCLAs Center for Human Nutrition randomized 16 male cyclists (ages 50 to 73) to receive a placebo powder or proprietary powder supplement L-arginine, L-taurine, L-citrulline, vitamins C and E, plus alpha lipoic acid (as Niteworks®, from Herbalife International Inc.). Maximal incremental exercise testing was performed at baseline, week one and week three.

Subjects on the active intervention showed an increase of anaerobic threshold by 16.7 percent at week one, which was sustained at week 3; there were no changes in anaerobic threshold in the placebo subjects. There were no changes in either group in VO2 max. The researchers concluded the combination of antioxidants and L-arginine could improve exercise performance.