Agmatine is the by-product of the breakdown of the amino acid arginine. As with arginine, agmatine boosts nitric oxide (NO) levels. It also boosts the release of insulin an anabolic hormone that increases muscle growth and dilates blood vessels to further boost blood flow.
Other benefits of agmatine are:
- Increased pain tolerance leading to increased training intensity.
- Support for testosterone and growth hormone (GH) production.
- Antioxidant benefits for recovery.
The suggested dosage is 500 - l,000mg 30-60 minutes before workouts.
Sources:
The Encyclopedia of Supplements A-F Author: Jim Stoppani Source: Flex. 29.10 (Dec. 2011): p196.
Agmatine, Part 1: What Is It, What Can It Do, And Who Needs It? on bodybuilding.com
References:
- Abe K, Abe Y, and Saito H. Agmatine suppresses nitric oxide production in microglia. Brain Res. 872: 141-148, 2000.
- Aricioglu-Kartal F, and Regunathan S. Effect of chronic morphine treatment on the biosynthesis of agmatine in rat brain and other tissues. Life Sci. 71: 1695-1701, 2002.
- Gao, Y., et al. Agmatine: a novel vasodilator substance. Life Sciences. 57(8):PL83-86, 1995.
- Halaris A, Piletz JE. Imidazoline receptors: possible involvement in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression. Hum Psychopharmacol. 16(1):65-69, 2001.
- Kalra, S.P., et al. Agmatine, a novel hypothalamic amine, stimulates pituitary luteinizing hormone release in vivo and hypothalamic luteinizing hormone-releasing in vivo. Neuroscience Letters. 194 (3): July 21, 1995; 165-168.
- Kawabata T, Ohshima H, Ino M. Occurrence of methylguanidine and agmatine in foods. IARC Sci Publ. (19):415-23, 1978.
- Lortie, M.J., et al. Agmatine, a bioactive metabolite of arginine. Production, degradation, and functional effects in the kidney of the rat. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 97(2):413-420, 1996.
- Morgan, N.G., et al. Characterization of the imidazoline binding site in regulation of insulin secretion. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 763:361-373, 1995.
- Nishimura K, Shiina R, Kashiwagi K, and Igarashi K. Decrease in Polyamines with Aging and Their Ingestion from Food and Drink. J of Biochem. 139(1):81-90, 2006.
- Raasch, W. et al. Agmatine, the bacterial amine is widely distributed in mammalian tissues. Life Sciences. 56(26):2319-2330, 1995.
- Raghavan SA, Dikshit M. Vascular regulation by the L-arginine metabolites, nitric oxide and agmatine. Pharmacol Res. 49(5):397-414. Review, 2004.
- Regunathan S, Feinstein DL, and Reis DJ. Anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory actions of imidazoline agents. Are imidazoline receptors involved? Ann NY Acad Sci. 881: 410-419, 1999.
- Regunathan S, and Reis DJ. Characteristics of arginine decarboxylase in rat brain and liver: distinction from ornithine decarboxylase. J Neurochem. 74: 2201-2208, 2000.
- Reis DJ, and Regunathan S. Agmatine a novel neurotransmitter? Advances in Pharmacology. 42:645-649, 1998.
- Schwartz D, Peterson OW, Mendonca M, Satriano J, Lortie M, and Blantz RC. Agmatine effects glomerular filtration rate via a nitric oxide synthase-dependent mechanism. Am J Renal Physiol. 272: F597-F601, 1997.
- Sener A, et al. Stimulus-secretion coupling of arginine-induced insulin release. Insulinotropic action of agmatine. Biochemical Pharmacology. January 15, 1989. 38(2):327-330, 1989.
- Tabor CW, and Tabor H. Polyamines. Ann Rev Biochem. 53: 749-790, 1984.
- Vargiu C, Cabella C, Belliardo S, Cravanzola C, Grillo MA and Colombatto S. Agmatine modulates polyamine content in hepatocytes by inducing spermidine/spermine acetyltransferase. Eur. J Biochem. 259: 933-938, 1999.
- Weitzel G., et al. Insulin-like partial effects of agmatine derivatives in adipocytes. Hoppe-Seylers Zeitschrift fur Physiologische Chemie. 361(1):51-60, 1980.
- Yananli H, Goren MZ, Berkman K, Aricioglu F. Effect of agmatine on brain l-citrulline production during morphine withdrawal in rats: A microdialysis study in nucleus accumbens. Brain Res. 2007 Feb 9;1132(1):51-58, 2006.
- Zarandi M, Serfozo P, Zsigo J, Deutch AH, Janaky T, Olsen DB, Bajusz S, Schally AV. Potent agonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone. II. Pept Res. 5(4):190-3, 1992.
Who's is ready for another week of The Muscle PhD Academy?— Jacob Wilson (@themusclephd) July 25, 2016
This week we are going to disc… https://t.co/A86clCMcZV pic.twitter.com/QSod4cBAPZ