Full Thread

Art (Tustin, Ca. Usa) on 08/08/2012
5 out of 5 stars

My blood pressure has averaged around 130/85 for quite a few years, but in the past two years it has been inching up until it recently started hitting the 160/100 area despite regular use of magnesium, potassium, vitamin d and other supplements and vitamins as well as the apple cider vinegar/bs protocol which seemed to have no effect on my blood pressure. I also tried hibiscus tea as mentioned by others on this site, but that actually caused me to put on weight and worsened my high blood pressure....... I suspect, due to the sugar that I used to sweeten the tea. I've tried other ideas also, but to no avail and I didn't want to go on prescription drugs due to the potential negative side effects.

I recently read a 2008 study about people with diabetes and hypertension who were treated with a combination of arginine and n acetyl cysteine (nac), two commonly available substances at online vitamin sites.

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/31/5/940.long

At the dosages used in this study, arginine and nac have a fairly good safety profile and from the study results, they not only lowered blood pressure, but produced side effects that were also positive such as lowering ldl cholesterol while raising hdl cholesterol (the good one) and lowering levels of adhesion molecules vcam1 and icam1. It also lowered high sensitivity crp, a common marker of inflammation in the body. Add in the antiatherosclerotic effects and it seems like a good combination so I started taking them two weeks ago. One drawback to this study is the small number of participants, but the results were striking enough to make me want to try it.

Nac by itself has hundreds of studies suggesting it has many health benefits in humans, some related to its efficacy as a potent antioxidant.

I just took my blood pressure reading and it was 123/83. I am taking more than what was used in the study, at least initially and plan to go down to the study dose after a month or so.

I take 600mg of nac with 1 gram of arginine, three times per day for a total of 1.8 grams of nac and 3 grams of arginine per day.

Art

Replied By Timh (Louisville, Ky, Usa) on 08/09/2012

Art, thank you very much for this thoroughly informative post, as hypertension is a major health problem. The addition of the NAC with the L-Arginine must be the magic bullet. I don't think the Arginine alone produced near the results as this combination; this is truly good news for those "unresponders" like yourself and others. Did you discontinue the previous natural treatment ingredience and protocols then tried the aminos only?

Lisinipril @ 20mg daily has been very beneficial for me (also an unresponder). I'm not a big proponent of pharms but if the cost is not too high and the negative side effects few, "go-for-it".

Replied By Art (Tustin, Ca. Usa) on 08/09/2012

In reply to, Timh from Louisville, Ky, Usa: You're welcome!

It seems like wherever I go, I run into people with hypertension/high blood pressure, so it must be fairly prevalent. Given that high fructose corn syrup and high levels of table salt in processed foods are the norm in many peoples diets, I can certainly see why high blood pressure would be a common problem. Btw, I read another 2010 rat study that suggested that the nac/arginine combo might also help offset the known hypertensive effects of a high fructose high salt diet. It was only a rat study and those don't always translate directly into human equivalency, but it is promising and worth further study in humans.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19806432

In further reading it seems like citrulline, a precursor of arginine might also be effective with nac or even with nac arginine. The safety profile of these three along with their other health benefits seems like it may be a good first line hypertensive therapy approach before trying the prescription route if people are so inclined.

To answer your question, I continued with what I was already taking as I was taking things like the potassium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin d, multi-vitamin and vitamin b complex for other health benefits other than high blood pressure reduction so I didn't want to lose out on those potential health benefits, plus there is the possibility that those supplements may have been partially controlling my blood pressure already.

I hope others are able to derive benefit from this reasonably priced and readilly available combo(nac/arginine) with the good safety profile! It is amazing to me that there were no direct follow up studies after that promising one in 2008. I guess if it isn't patentable, then funding may be hard to come by.

Art

Replied By Art (Tustin, Ca. Usa) on 08/24/2012

Just thought I would update as I have been taking the nac/arginine combination for almost a month now. I just took my blood pressure and the reading was 117/76 so this combination appears to be working very well for me and the first reading at two weeks of supplementing apparently was not a fluke at 123/83.

I also dropped my dose down to just twice a day instead of three times per day, so I am currently taking 600mg of nac with 1 gram of arginine two times per day for a total of 1, 200mg of nac and 2 grams of arginine per day which is fairly close to the dosage used in that 2008 study.
Art

Replied By Timh (Louisville, Ky, Usa) on 08/25/2012

Art, thanx again for your post as this is very good news for people suffering hypertension. I don't have any numbers to support as I have many issues that overlap and I can't determine exactly hardly anything as a certainty; but I am taking 1000mg daily NAC 500mg Glutamine or Glutamic Acid 2000mg Trimethyleglycine for maximum Glutathione production; plus an Arginine/Ornithine 1000mg daily. I am venturing a guess that the NAC is only for Glutathione boosting and nothing in itself. The Arginine itself is known to produce Nitric Oxide which dilates blood vessels. In short, a Glutathione deficiency could be a major player in many folks hypertension.

Replied By Art (Tustin, Ca. Usa) on 08/26/2012

Timh, I agree, glutathione deficiency may be a major contributing factor for some peoples hypertension issues as well as many other health issues that have excess oxidation and inflammation as major components and that would be a fairly long list!

NAC is noted for its glutathione increasing potential and is itself a free radical scavenger as well as an anti-inflammatory, capable of inhibiting inflammatory cytokines and mediators like, il-1, il-6, and tnf-alpha so it maybe more than just helping to increase glutathione levels.

NAC is fairly impressive as is its safety profile. The combination with arginine seems to be very impressive. I hope it continues to work!

Art

Replied By Timh (Louisville, Ky, Usa) on 08/27/2012

This would put Walnuts at the top of the food group in this case as they are high in Arginine, pre-formed Glutathione, and anti-inflammatory Omega 3 EFA's.

Evidently the human body or at least a compromised body cannot properly make the conversion of sulphur containing foods to the acetylated form of Cysteine, making this supplement quite important. I have read that NAC is first line defense in emergency care for many cases of overdose or poisonings. There are more and more studies proving many benefits of Arginine.

Replied By Rebel (Somewhere Usa) on 05/09/2015

Hey Art. Just checking to see if you have any updates on this. Are you still taking NAC and L- Arginine and if so, are your readings still good on your blood pressure?

Replied By Artworks (California) on 05/09/2015

Rebel, I'm not sure why, but my blood pressure stabilized in the normal range and I slowly withdrew from taking NAC, arginine and lysine everyday. My blood pressure has stayed normal after removal of the three. I don't think that happens with the prescription BP meds......I've always heard that you have to take those for life. If you do much research on NAC, it has many potential health benefits when taken at proper dosing consistently all by itself.

This more recent rodent study may give a clue why:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3877599/

Apparently NAC may help prevent high blood pressure from getting started in the first place. It's only a rodent study and that does not mean it will be the same for humans, but NAC and arginine have very good safety profiles with generally positive side effects as compared to the negatives of many BP prescriptions. There are many studies on the benefits of NAC.

It's actually pretty sad that after the original study from May of 2008

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/31/5/940.long

that produced such impressive results and led me to try arginine / NAC in the first place, there were no follow on studies to help confirm the efficacy of this cheap and safe combination in larger groups. If it was patentable, I'm sure it would have been a different story though.

Obviously people should not attempt this combination without their doctor's approval and supervision as high blood pressure can be dangerous and sometimes deadly.

I still use all three for different things, but not everyday anymore . The lysine was needed at the time to keep my arginine / lysine ratio in balance as I felt I was getting more frequent colds than what is normal for me when using just the arginine and NAC. Overall I would rate this combination of natural supplements very high at a level somewhat similar to the borax remedy that is frequently discussed here.

Art

Replied By Tony (Windsor, Ontario) on 05/13/2015

Hello Art, I wonder what brand you are taking ?

Replied By Art (California ) on 05/13/2015

Tony, I don't think that you can post brands here, but if it is allowed, I just use Swanson brand, but there are plenty of online supplement suppliers who carry these same type supplements in similar sizes as used in that study. Art

Replied By Rebel (Somewhere Usa) on 05/13/2015

Thank you Art! I take nothing at this time for blood pressure, but I am considering going to get a CDL truck drivers license and I will have to be 120 over 80 or they will make me get on meds. I normally run around 140 over 90 ish. I have been able to get in control in the past, but it never lasts. So I will give this a shot. I don't know if I missed it, but do you take the pill or loose powder of the L-Arginine and L- Lysine?

Replied By Art (California ) on 05/14/2015

I use both of them in capsule form.

Replied By Em (Minnesota) on 05/18/2017

How does Lysine fit into this equation? And what dose? Thanks. I am ordering NAC and L-Arginine now!

Replied By Jon (Tulsa, Oklahoma) on 10/24/2017

Art & Rebel,

I have been taking NAC for over 2 years and noticed my blood pressure had decreased (120/76). Prior, my pressure was 140/80 even on medication. I started taking meds for Hypertension when I was 35 years old. I am now 61 and have the best blood/lipid profile ive ever had in my life. My blood pressure is the lowest I've ever had with or without meds.

I attribute this to my experimentation with NAC, Turmeric etc. My doctor did not have a clue

Entire Thread

You must be logged in to love this post! Please sign in:

You must be logged in to follow this post! Please sign in: