Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Mice supplemented with L-Arginine had 228% greater increase in a hormone that controls blood sugar level.
When it comes to preventing type 2 diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends a number of nutrition-related goals. These include buying leaner meats and less sweetened soda in the supermarket, eating more fresh food versus canned and packaged foods, and choosing less fried foods and ordering more salad when eating out (1)
Now a new study (2) suggests that the amino acid arginine, may be a simple and effective way to help control blood sugar. In the study, a group of 9 male mice were fed a 60% high-fat diet for 6 weeks to induce obesity before being injected with 1 gram of arginine per kilogram of bodyweight or placebo. The mice were then given 2 grams of dextrose (glucose) per kilogram of bodyweight 15 minutes later to increase their blood sugar levels (called an oral glucose tolerance test). The same arginine, supplementation/oral glucose tolerance test was also done in a group of 17 lean mice. The 1 gram of arginine per kilogram of bodyweight was used because it has been shown to affect insulin levels in previous research (3). One gram per kg in mice is equivalent to 81 mg per kg in humans. For a typical 154 lb ( 70 kg) person this is 5.67 grams. The average intake of arginine in humans is about 3-4 grams per day.
Another blood sample was obtained 15 minutes after the oral glucose tolerance test to measure blood sugar levels but also levels of a hormone called GLP-1 stored in the liver. This hormone helps with insulin release and controlling blood sugar level (4) but has also been known to be affected by single amino acids like glutamine (5).
The researchers found that arginine increased GLP-1 in the lean mice by 227% within 15 minutes (8.0 to 18.2 picograms/milliliter, p < 0.001) and by 281% in the diet-induced obese mice (7.6 to 21.4 pg/mL, p < 0.01), compared with a 52.9% increase from both groups in the control group (8.5 to 13.0 pg/mL). This increase in GLP-1 produced 16.7% lower total blood sugar levels over the next 2 hours in the lean mice group compared to the control group (20,000 versus 24,000 mg/dL/min) and 17.9% lower total blood sugar levels over the next 2 hours in the obesity-induced mice compared to the control group (34,500 vs. 42,000 mg/dL/min).
The researchers then conducted the same experiment in mice genetically bred to not have any GLP-1 in their blood. They found the arginine supplementation failed to produce any significant differences in either blood sugar or insulin levels, further strengthening the association between arginine and GLP-1 in controlling blood sugar levels.
For the researchers, “These findings reveal a novel role for arginine to improve glucose tolerance indirectly, via GLP-1 action, and may have implications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.”
Source: Clemmensen, Christoffer, Sanela Smajilovic, Eric P. Smith, Stephen C. Woods, Hans Bräuner-Osborne, Randy J. Seeley, David A. D’alessio, and Karen K. Ryan. “Oral L-arginine stimulates GLP-1 secretion to improve glucose tolerance in male mice.” Endocrinology 154, no. 11 (2013): 3978-3983.
© 2013 by The Endocrine Society
Posted September 23, 2013.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com
References:
- “Diabetes Basics: Healthy Eating” posted on the American Diabetes Association website
- Clemmensen C. Oral L-Arginine Stimulates GLP-1 Secretion to Improve Glucose Tolerance in Male Mice. Endocrinology 2013 Aug 19. [Epub ahead of print]
- Badole SL, Bagul PP, Mahamuni SP, et al. Oral L-glutamine increases active GLP-1 (7–36) amide secretion and improves glycemic control in stretpozotocin-nicotinamide induced diabetic rats. Chem Biol Interact. 2013;203(2):530–541.
- Holst JJ. The physiology of glucagon-like peptide 1. Physiol Rev. 2007;87(4):1409–1439.
- Greenfield JR, Farooqi IS, Keogh JM, et al. Oral glutamine increases circulating glucagon-like peptide 1, glucagon, and insulin concentrations in lean, obese, and type 2 diabetic subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89(1):106–113.
