Arginine
Arginine is an essential amino acid for cats and dogs. Newborn puppies fed with mothers’ milk with an arginine deficiency soon develop cataracts that lead to blindness.Arginine is also a nitric oxide (NO) precursor, which relaxes the smooth fibers of the blood vessels. Arginine supplementation may accordingly have beneficial effects in case of heart or kidney disease.
A little background information
Arginine plays a part in the synthesis of urea from ammoniac. In the absence of arginine in the diet, in a few hours cats develop clinical signs of ammoniac intoxication (hyperammoniemia), with vomiting, hypersalivation and nerve problems. This deficiency may lead to death if it is not corrected rapidly.
Its role in the body
It has been shown that arginine reduces the respiratory problems caused by the increased production of CO2 during effort in humans suffering from severe chronic heart failure. Arginine also plays a role in the immune mechanisms.
Natural sources
Arginine is abundant in animal tissue, such as muscle,skin and hair. Gelatine is fairly rich in arginine.
