Can Arginine Save Your Toes?

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Some claims for the health benefits of the amino acid arginine sound as if they belong in late-night infomercials (more on that later), but all of them stress one physiological fact that is beyond dispute: proper blood flow is critical to the human body. Sadly, poor circulation in the feet of diabetics leads to 87,000 amputations each year. Little has been available in the way of preventive care beyond special socks and shoes.

Now a study reported in Diabetes Care has found that a topical preparation of arginine improves blood flow in the feet and toes of diabetics, which could translate into fewer amputations. Yet that doesn't necessarily mean arginine can deliver on its proponents' more provocative claims, which include reversing baldness, lifting sagging breasts and, of course, enhancing the sex lives of men and women.