Curriculum in CardiologyEffect of oral l-arginine supplementation on blood pressure: A meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials
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Search strategy
We attempted to follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses5 guidelines in the report of this meta-analysis. We searched PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the ClinicalTrials.gov databases through June 2011 for relevant studies, using terms of “arginine” and “l-arginine” in combination with “blood pressure” and “hypertension.” Our search was limited to randomized controlled trials of oral l-arginine supplementation in humans. In
Characteristics of the studies
We identified 11 studies12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 that fully met the inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. A flow chart of literature search and study selection is presented in Figure 1. The characteristics of the selected trials are presented in Table I. The included trials were published between 1996 and 2010. The sample size varied from 12 to 79, reaching a total of 387. All trials were randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled, of which 9 trials were
Discussion
This meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials brought evidence that oral l-arginine supplementation, compared with placebo, significantly lowered systolic BP by 5.39 mm Hg (95% CI −8.54 to −2.25) and diastolic BP by 2.66 mm Hg (95% CI −3.77 to −1.54).
The magnitudes of the BP reductions in response to l-arginine supplementation in this meta-analysis are moderate but detectable. It should be noted that most participants included in these studies were normotensive, a
Disclosures
The authors have no conflicts of interest. The authors are solely responsible for the design and conduct of this study, all study analyses and drafting and editing of the manuscript and its final contents.
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