Arginine: a clinical perspective.

Dietary arginine is commonly found in both plant and animal products and has also become popular as a dietary supplement over the past 20 years. Arginine has been shown to have a wide variety of effects on the body, including impact on the cardiovascular system, the immune system, and wound healing. Recently it has also been shown to interact with popular pharmaceutical therapies (ie, statin drugs) in a positive way. Research indicates that arginine is safe and has positive effects on the body when used for relatively short periods of time. Data regarding arginine's safety with long-term use in pharmaceutical amounts is still not available for select patient populations (ie, cancer patients).