What is the proper way to take L-Arginine in order to obtain a nitric oxide release?
The answer is — separately from the amino acid, Lysine. When Arginine and Lysine are consumed together, these two amino acids compete for uptake into the body, and so, the benefits of neither are received. The matter of nitric oxide benefit boils down to having L-Arginine go into the blood stream at a different time than L-Lysine. This seems simple enough, but the reality is that most foods contain a significant amount of both of these amino acids and therefore an Arginine rich food or an Arginine supplement should be consumed “apart” from other foods. That is the way animals instinctively eat in nature. We recommend no other foods for two hours before and one hour after consuming an Arginine supplement, so that nitric oxide release is best assured.
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What exactly are Cardio Care and Cardio Pro?
- Cardio Care and Cardio Pro are pharmaceutical grade formulations of free-base, elemental L-Arginine with Citrulline and other co-ingredients that gives superior, Nitric-Oxide release, followed by periods of little Nitric Oxide release (during this time, Lysine can be well utilized), with superior endothelial and cell membrane protection from free radicals.
- Each scoop of either product delivers 5 grams of elemental pharmaceutical grade, free base L-Arginine (left-hand polarity or isomer). This is the form best metabolized by humans.
- Cardio Care and Cardio Pro, both include Citrulline in the dosage which all three of the 1998 Nobel Prize winners have recommended for best Nitric-Oxide release, and, in combination with L-Arginine, for preserving cardiovascular elasticity and integrity.
- The unique, proprietary flavor system of Cardio Care and Cardio Pro is orange flavor, reminiscent of Tang. Unlike many L-Arginine products, it is very good tasting.
- Cardio Care and Cardio Pro are are third generation products in a new category of complete L-Arginine formulations designed to give superior Nitric-Oxide production with negation of nitric free radical production that is coincident to Nitric-Oxide production and also protection of delicate endothelial cells (the linings of arterial walls where Nitric-Oxide is produced).
- Cardio Care and Cardio Pro are a Low Glycemic L-Arginine product, with only 24 calories per serving, that crosses the blood brain barrier and stimulates production of youthful hormones.
- Cardio Care and Cardio Pro are unexcelled in its ability to assist in the goal of youth preservation and is one of the best ways to restore youthful levels of anti-aging hormones.
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Isn’t Arginine Just an Amino Acid Present in Nearly All Food?
That depends on one’s point of view... laser light could be called just light, but it is far more than just light in what it can do. Here’s why Arginine is special:
When Arginine is eaten by itself (away from the other amino acids so as to avoid Arginine / Lysine competition), it takes on the ability to produce some remarkable results, specifically the ability to release nitric oxide into the body, the ability to promote wound healing, HGH release, improved immune function and improved sexual function.
These properties have been validated by the scientific community including receiving the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998. Columbia University refers to it as the “magic bullet” in human health. In an effort to document its many properties, Columbia’s researchers have compiled over 10,000 citations. A study of the phenomenon of L-Arginine is even included in the course material at the Columbia University of Medical Physicians and Surgeons. The key is taking Arginine in a specific way, apart from competing amino acids.
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How does L-Arginine Supplementation (Away from Other Amino Acids) Help in Terms of Slowing Down or Reversing Aging?
Arginine helps in many ways.
First, it helps both the circulatory system and the muscles maintain integrity and flexibility. Loss of this flexibility is a hallmark of aging.
Second, Arginine is a signaling molecule and is key to nearly every process of life, energy production, thinking, immune function and much more. A slow down in these processes is also associated with aging.
Third, Arginine helps the body’s cells stay optimally hydrated. “Drying out” (literally) is also a common hallmark of aging.
Fourth, as part of the aging process the human body begins to slow down in its production of youth hormones. In fact, one of the clinical definitions of aging involves the reduction of youth hormones. Growth hormone, testosterone and IGF factors are the primary anti-aging hormones and they are directly involved in the aging process. In our youth the hormones account for:
- muscle tone
- bone and skin growth
- elasticity
- reduced stored body fat
- energy
- sexual stamina
These hormones keep us young (beautiful, lean and strong) when they are present in our bodies in high levels. Upon reaching the age of 23, the levels of these hormones begin to go down. As the level of these anti-aging hormones reduces in our body we begin the natural process of aging – we look and feel older.
One of the amazing properties of L-Arginine is its capacity to stimulate the body's production of growth hormone, testosterone, and IGF back to the same level as it did in its youth. This product is a dream come true for the “baby boomer’s” just now stepping into old age. Quite literally, one can administer L-Arginine to an 80 or 90 year old person and they will begin to produce youth hormones that help keep the skin tight, the body healthy and lean, increase muscle mass, and improve immune function – all of which typically decline after the age of 23.
To achieve the maximum youth-preserving effect, we recommend using either Cardio Care and Cardio Pro according to our anti aging protocol.
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What are Other Specific Benefits of L-Arginine?
One of the most promising benefits of L-Arginine is it’s capacity to reduce the risk of and improve the effects of cardiovascular heart disease. This is only one of many benefits. We believe that Cardio Care and Cardio Pro produces more benefits than any other pharmaceutical or neutraceutical agent ever discovered, including:
- Arginine reduces the risk of vascular and heart disease
- Arginine reduces body fat
- Arginine promotes body fat burning
- Arginine improves immune function
- Arginine is a natural alternative for Viagra and also works for women
- Arginine builds muscle mass
- Arginine increases bone density
- Arginine reduces healing time of injuries particularly bones when they break as in Osteoporosis
- Arginine furnishes antioxidant properties
- Arginine increases energy levels
- Arginine reduces blood pressure
- Arginine reduces risk of heart disease, stroke and cholesterol
- Arginine reduces clogged arteries
- Arginine reduces the risk of cardiovascular heart disease
- Arginine achieves and maintains erections
Arginine improves cardiovascular disease that is already existing
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Has there been any research to confirm the effectiveness of L-Arginine?
There has been a great deal of research and ongoing study of Arginine for over 30 years. A Nobel prize and over 10,000 citations exist for the effectiveness of Arginine in producing the benefits mentioned above. Please go to the science page and start your review there.
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How are Cardio Care and Cardio Pro more effectively formulated and utilized?
There are many good ways to formulate and utilize Arginine. In fact, a good way is to just dissolve Arginine powder in water and drink... no fanfare... nothing special, just do it. Another good way is to just eat pine nuts or walnuts (apart from other foods) since they are high in Arginine and low in Lysine.
Nobel prize-winning scientists and the majority of Nitric-Oxide researchers recommend, that for better results, Arginine be complemented with other ingredients that extend the amount of time that Nitric-Oxide will continue to be released in the body.
For instance, Nobel Prizing Nitric Oxide research scientists recommend that a small amount of Citrulline be combined with L-Arginine for the purpose of increasing the time that L-Arginine is effectively utilized in the body. Other experts recommend various salts or compounds of Arginine such as Arginine hydrochloride, Arginine alpha-ketoglutarate or Arginine ester-chloride. Some researchers recommend that only Citrulline is needed since Citrulline converts into L-Arginine when it is in the blood stream (in the kidneys). One particular Arginine formula patent holder condemns all Arginine formulations as being highly dangerous except her own, which according to her explanation is the only one that will not potentially cause sterility, heart failure, and other maladies, that she warns can result from consumption of any other Arginine product.
In regard to which Arginine supplement to take, our position is that taking any good quality Arginine product is better than taking none at all. We believe that too much Citrulline or Citrulline only supplementation will reduce Lysine levels in the body, which is not good. In other words, add a good quality Arginine supplementation to your life now so that your Nitric Oxide levels can be boosted. Don’t wait. Whichever good quality brand of Arginine you use will be better than not using one at all. Remember though, you should consult with your medical professional before embarking on any supplementation regimen.
Our particular formulation includes ingredients that elevate our Arginine product from a merely good product to a practically perfect one, for many reasons. But, if you have another Arginine product in your cupboard or refrigerator, then take it, because in the words of General George Patton, a good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan executed later. But, when you run out of that product, get our product. We believe that you’ll like it better.
Our particular formulation includes ingredients to protect endothelial cells and to increase and extend the period of time in which Nitric-Oxide release occurs, to reduce Leptin insensitivity, neutralize free radicals, etc.
As far as effective utilization, keep in mind that the standard protocol for taking L-Arginine is different from the anti-aging protocol. Single doses of L-Arginine will provide cardiovascular benefit, Nitric-Oxide, sperm motility and count.
Anti-aging benefits mostly occur when double or triple doses of L-Arginine are taken, and especially just prior to intense exercise or prior to sleep.
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What is the relationship between obesity and L-Arginine?
The TRUE cause of obesity is insensitivity of the hypothalamus gland to the chemical messenger called Leptin. The Leptin molecule is made in fat cells (even more Leptin is made when blood sugar levels are high), and circulates in the blood and tells the brain (the hypothalamus gland) how much fat (stored energy) exists in the body. This Leptin to hypothalamus communication circuit is part of the human survival mechanism AND is probably more powerful than any other communication mechanism in the body.
When Leptin levels are low (less than 2.0 ng/ml) or when hypothalamus Leptin receptor sites have been damaged (and therefore the subconscious brain mistakenly believes the levels are low), the subconscious brain switches the cells of the body into sugar burning / fat storing mode.
While the body is in a fat storing and sugar burning mode, the metabolic set point is lowered and fat is conserved and built-up because the cells of the body have been told to burn sugar only, and told that all available calories are to be stored as fat. This survival mechanism is so powerful that it is the cause for failure of most “diets”. You CAN’T FIGHT THE SURVIVAL MECHANISM and win long-term. You have to work with it.
One great thing that Nitric-Oxide and the other ingredients in Cardio Care and Cardio Pro do is to help repair damaged hypothalamus receptor sites for Leptin. When Leptin receptor sites in the hypothalamus work correctly, then the brain will get the message that there is plenty of fat stored in the body and this will cause the fat burning mode to be turned on. With fat burning on instead of off, excess body fat will be utilized, and normal weight can be regained as long as one eats sensibly and exercises.
Another way that Arginine combats obesity is that human growth hormone levels can be increased through Arginine supplementation. Nitric-Oxide stimulates the hypothalamus which stimulates the pituitary to release HGH. HGH causes increased muscle density, which leads to greater calorie consumption and burning off more fat.
Thus, Cardio Care and Cardio Pro supplementation leads to fat burning in the above two ways.
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What is the relationship of glycemic index, carbohydrates and L-Arginine?
Glycemic index is a measurement of how “fast” a particular food increases our blood sugar level.
Consuming high glycemic foods leads to obesity because high blood sugar levels spike insulin and Leptin levels, leading to increased fat storage. Leptin spikes also damage Leptin receptor sites in the hypothalamus (that tell the brain how much stored fat exists in the body).
When the hypothalamus’s Leptin receptor sites are all damaged, the hypothalamus will think the body is starving (even though there may be many pounds of stored fat in the body). Thus, the brain will continuously direct the body to burn sugar, and store fat, the opposite of what is healthy.
High glycemic index foods such as rice cakes, which rapidly convert to sugar, are actually more fattening than a bowl of ice cream because ice cream and sugar have a lower glycemic index than rice cakes. Because of their high glycemic index and high calorie content, rice cakes are 600 times more fattening than a bowl of sugar.
So, high glycemic foods spike blood sugar and insulin levels and Leptin levels, leading to damaged Leptin receptor sites (much like screaming into one’s ear can damage eardrums).
Fortunately, L-Arginine consumption functioins to help repair damaged Leptin receptor sites in the hypothalamus.
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Obesity is related to an increase in the insulin levels in the blood. How does this relate to diabetes?
High insulin levels promote fat storage, so the higher one’s insulin levels are the more likely one is to have a large amount of body fat. Insulin goes up in essentially only one way:
- Too much sugar in the blood
Too much sugar in the blood is generally (except for endocrine disorders) the result of eating too many high glycemic index carbohydrates.
After prolonged periods (years) of many episodes of sugar spiking, cell membrane damage reaches the point that cell membranes will no longer respond to the insulin provocation to store fat. When this point is reached, called “insulin resistance”, sugar remains in the blood stream, and a diagnosis of diabetes will be made.
Diabetics are the most likely of all people to age rapidly and experience disease conditions because of the damage that high levels of blood sugar do to the cells of the body.
It behooves everyone who cares about their health to take action to keep blood sugar in a low range. Cardio Care and Cardio Pro can assist greatly in this effort by promoting cellular membrane repair through nitric oxide release. Additionally, numerous other ingredients in Embla Arginine promote cell membrane repair and repair of Leptin receptor sites in the hypothalamus. Finally, taking double doses of Cardio Care and Cardio Pro before going to bed promotes release of HGH which promotes increased muscle tone and calorie consumption. Thus, Cardio Care and Cardio Pro are one of the great tools one can use to help avoid obesity and blood sugar problems.
L-Arginine is the main oral agent responsible for restoration of HGH in humans, and administration of 8 to 12 grams of free form L-Arginine taken at bedtime on an empty stomach 30 minutes prior to sleep helps reinstate normal HGH levels, which assists in fat burning and decreasing insulin levels. - Pharmacology, 1988, 36:2, 106-11
And, again, Type-II diabetes, or adult onset diabetes, develops as a result of dietary habits that spike Leptin levels and insulin levels. These spikes damage the Leptin receptor sites in the hypothalamus. Once these receptor sites are damaged, the brain no longer is able to detect Leptin and believes the body is in a state of famine. It continuously instructs the levels of insulin to be high, and increases appetite and simultaneously lowers the metabolic set point. All of this increases insulin levels and fat storage. Eventually, cell membranes will become resistant to insulin and then blood sugar will unavoidably rise until a person has the condition called diabetes which leads to cardiovascular disease, hormonal cancers, diabetes and all sorts of diseases of aging.
Two things are needed to reverse high blood sugar conditions.
- One is to heal the damaged Leptin receptor sites (arginine, banaba, chromium, folic acid, and many of the other ingredients in Cardio Care and Cardio Pro help heal these receptor sites).
- The other is to limit consumption of foods that stimulate insulin production and Leptin production, i.e. excess carbohydrates (more than is required for one’s activity level) and especially high glycemic carbohydrates that spike Insulin and Leptin levels.
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How is cardiovascular health related to Arginine?
In hundreds of clinical tests L-Arginine has been shown to have a dramatic effect on cardiovascular health.
- Oral administration of L-Arginine produces a 24% decrease in plasma cholesterol levels within hours and without negative side effects. There is no drug that can give these kinds of results. A 5 gram dose of elemental Arginine is required in order to affect this decrease.
- L-Arginine therapy results in a decrease in platelet activity and an increase in vassal dilation thus reducing cholesterol.
- Arginine prevents the increase in blood pressure in cases of high-risk hypertension. In healthy humans with essential hypertension, L-Arginine quickly reduces systolic and diastolic pressure. This is more effective than any drug and also without negative side effects.
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for l998 was awarded to Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad for their discoveries concerning “the Nitric-Oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system”.
Since then, Arginine and cardiovascular research in the scientific community and especially cardiovascular surgeons have been very focused on finding out how to unleash L-Arginines’s powerful capacity and utilize it in everyday medicine.
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How and Why does L-Arginine Benefit Athletes?
Taking L-Arginine at bedtime helps to promote human growth hormone and testosterone levels. Obviously, if an athlete has low HGH and low testosterone he or she is not going to be able to perform at a highest level.
Professional athletes often take from 15 to 30 grams of Arginine/day to help stimulate HGH release and muscle growth. In combination with adequate amounts of protein (30 grams every 3 hours), this helps them to achieve maximum muscle mass.
An athlete will get see better results with Arginine, adequate protein and low glycemic carbohydrates than from taking steroids.
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What are the benefits for increasing testosterone, especially in older men?
One of the biggest complaints of older men is in the area of sexual dysfunction and that relates to testosterone. Reduced testosterone levels are correlated to high blood pressure, heart attacks, lessened activity, propensity to catch colds and lessened happiness. So, when men get older and their testosterone starts declining, they are not as happy.
Fortunately, it is possible to boost testosterone levels without any side effects by supplementing with L-Arginine. Also, fortunately, there are few, if any, side-effects (see Arginine Safety), from supplementing with Arginine. L-Arginine is a natural amino acid. When consumed apart from other amino acids, it will tell the pituitary gland to make its own natural testosterone, giving the same testosterone levels that men had when they were young. L-Arginine is not testosterone, it is simply triggering the body to produce it’s own natural testosterone and that is the key to not having any side effects.
There is also a correlation between testosterone levels and increased sexual desire, increased sexual performance and fertility in regards to both male and females. And, in males, increased arginine levels also produce increased sperm counts.
Erectile dysfunction is a problem for 50% of the male population over 40, which is related to low testosterone and diminished blood flow. L-Arginine scores a direct hit in helping in both of these areas. This is why many reproductive clinics and reproductive endocrinologists now use L-Arginine in their practices with virtually all their patients.
When you have a product that effects sperm count, and motility as well as sexual desire without any side effects, you can see why reproductive endocrinologists are starting to use this in their practices.
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How do you take L-Arginine?
The interesting thing about L-Arginine is that there are basically 2 protocols. L-Arginine supplementation is dose dependent. That means the amount of L-Arginine ingested is relative to the benefits received.
- The Nitric-Oxide boosting protocol is comprised of ingesting 5 grams, which is 5,000 milligrams of elemental Arginine, 1-3 times during the day.
- The anti-aging, HGH boosting protocol is comprised of ingesting 10 grams of elemental L-Arginine, just (0 to 10 minutes before) at the peak of intense exercise or before going to sleep.
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How do Cardio Care and Cardio Pro taste?
The flavor of Cardio Care and Cardio Pro a delightful tropical berry. It is a quite refreshing and very good tasting. Interestingly, adding more or less water changes the flavor from rich, deep berry to a very light sport drink flavor.
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How old is too old to be taking Cardio Care and Cardio Pro?
Errr – when you’re not able to fog a mirror. Yes – stop using it at that point! Seriously; Cardio Care and Cardio Pro have anti-aging properties built into the formulation so it’s ideal for anyone that wants to slow down the aging process and even, in some ways, reverse it. Of course, you should participate in a good exercise program, eat well, and get some sunshine - amongst other things - and Cardio Care and Cardio Pro might even help with "That" - if you know what we mean!! Cardio Care and Cardio Pro can assist you in maintaining and even improving your cardiovascular health and because L-Arginine can also help to repair wounds, the product is very useful for older people. As always, if you have any reservations or concerns, consult your health care professional.
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How young is too young to be taking Cardio Care and Cardio Pro?
We recommend that children not use Cardio Care and Cardio Pro until they reach 23 years of age (unless under the close supervision of a health professional).
The main reason for this recommendation is to avoid increasing the Human Growth Hormone levels to an abnormally high amount. When human growth hormone levels are too high, excessive growth and also pain (“growing pain”) can be the results.
Another reason for this recommendation is that there have not been sufficient studies showing that Arginine supplementation is safe for children. Varying watchdog websites list arginine as possibly safe and possibly unsafe for children.
There was a study with children showed that Arginine supplementation of 2 grams per day, in 40 children that were prone to get colds, reduced the number of colds experienced by these children dramatically while the number of colds in children not supplementing with arginine was not changed.
So, for those young people that are wanting to build muscle, endurance etc., get into the habit now of eating well and being patient. Ahhh – the P word for young people these days.
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