Increase in fasting vascular endothelial function after short-term oral L-arginine is effective when baseline flow-mediated dilation is low: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

What this study found

L-arginine improved fasting endothelial function overall, with the clearest benefit in participants who started with low baseline FMD. The pooled effect on FMD was WMD 1.98% (95% CI 0.47 to 3.48; P = 0.01), and baseline FMD was inversely related to treatment response (regression coefficient -0.55; 95% CI -1.00 to -0.1; P = 0.016). In the low baseline FMD subgroup (<7%), the effect was WMD 2.56% (95% CI 0.87 to 4.25; P = 0.003), whereas in the high baseline FMD subgroup (>=7%) there was no significant benefit (WMD -0.27%; 95% CI -1.52 to 0.97; P = 0.67). The authors concluded that short-term…

Study & population

This was a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials assessing short-term oral L-arginine for effects on fasting flow-mediated dilation (FMD).

Intervention

Oral L-arginine was evaluated as short-term supplementation versus placebo across randomized trials.

Key limitation

Findings were heterogeneous across trials, with wide variation in populations, doses, and treatment durations.

View full study detailsView sourceOpen PDF