New research results presented on June  11th at the International Society for Sports Nutrition (ISSN) Annual Conference in Clearwater, Florida, add to the growing body of evidence that a specialty arginine supplement can significantly increase nitric oxide (NO) production. This is good news for sports nutrition consumers, as increased NO improves blood flow, which leads to increased delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles. These benefits make it a candidate for both performance and recovery formulas.

The in vitro study, “Comparison of Cellular Nitric Oxide Production from Various Sports Nutrition Ingredients," showed an inositol-stabilized arginine silicate (as Nitrosigine®, from Nutrition 21) significantly increased NO production, as mucha s five times that of other ingredients tested—agmatine sulfate, arginine AKG, citrulline malate, L-arginine and citrulline. The researchers further reported Nitrosigine was the only ingredient in the study to increase NO significantly compared to control.

Following the conference, the results are expected to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (JISSN).

“The results of this study provide additional information to help us better understand the enhanced effects reported on Nitrosigine," said James Komorowski, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs at Nutrition 21.

While this research was in vitro, prior human studies have demonstrated Nitrosigine supplementation improved blood flow—increased muscle “pump"—and decreased biomarkers of muscle damage in adult males following intense exercise (J Int Soc Sports Nut, 2015; 12(Suppl 1):P14) and enhanced cognitive performance, including focus and mental clarity (J Amer Coll Nutr. 2015;34(6):544).

“This study is another example of how Nutrition 21 demonstrates the efficacy of its products and has created a leading branded ingredient in the sports nutrition category," said Joe Weiss, president of Nutrition 21.