Premium
Effect of L‐arginine dietary supplementation on salivary urea concentration and pH in physically active individuals
Author(s) -
Vuletic L,
Spalj S,
Rogic D,
Ruzic L,
Alajbeg I
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
australian dental journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.701
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1834-7819
pISSN - 0045-0421
DOI - 10.1111/adj.12114
Subject(s) - saliva , urea , arginine , placebo , medicine , body mass index , chemistry , zoology , endocrinology , food science , biochemistry , biology , amino acid , alternative medicine , pathology
Background The aim of this study was to assess if the consumption of 3 g of a commercially available L‐arginine dietary supplement causes a postabsorptive rise in urea concentration or pH of unstimulated saliva in a group of physically active individuals. Methods Salivary urea and pH were determined for 117 participants in a randomized double‐blinded placebo‐controlled study. Samples were collected by ‘spitting’ method in fasting conditions. One hour prior to their second visit, participants consumed three tablets of L‐arginine or placebo. Results Urea concentration was significantly lower at second measurement for both the study and control group. The magnitude of the change was not significant between the groups. pH was higher for both groups at second measurement, but only significant for the study group. The magnitude of the change was significant between the groups. Participants who intermittently ingested protein dietary supplements and those with a Body Mass Index (BMI) higher than 25 had significantly higher basal urea concentration. Conclusions The results of this study did not confirm the hypothesis. Further studies are needed to determine the effects of different doses of L‐arginine supplements on the biochemical composition of saliva and the influence of their long‐term consumption on the risk of developing dental diseases.