Improved endurance is a function of three critical processes: 1)
the speed in which carbohydrate is absorbed in the stomach, 2) how fast the
blood delivers carbohydrate from the GI tract to muscles, and 3) the speed at
which carbohydrate is transported from the blood into the muscle cell where it
can metabolized into energy. The amino acid, arginine, plays an important
role in two of these processes.
Studies have shown that arginine improves nutrient and oxygen
delivery because it is a precursor for nitrous oxide, an essential compound
shown to increase blood flow. Arginine also stimulates specific agents
responsible for the transport of carbohydrate from the blood into the muscle
cell. Finally, arginine is a potent stimulator of insulin release.
Confirmation of arginine’s role in improving muscle performance
has been shown in a recent study conducted by Australian researchers. The
researchers found that arginine increased glucose uptake into muscles when
administered during exercise. What this study suggests is that consuming
a protein that contains a higher percentage of arginine will improve exercise
performance. Because pea protein contains almost four times the arginine
levels of whey protein, combining pea and whey protein may product a positive
synergistic effect on exercise performance.
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