Agmatine is a compound that is naturally produced within our body and plays an important role in various bodily activities.
Stored in neurons, this compound which is also known as “super arginine,” helps with central nervous system functions, mainly as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator.
This critical and useful chemical compound can be traced in plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. It is made from arginine, an amino acid, and is released during neuronal activation. As it is capable of targeting two or more receptors, researchers are looking into it in the context of various complex diseases and how it may be beneficial with anti-aging, stress resistance, and disease treatment and prevention.
In simple terms, they have mainly been used for things such as depression, improving athletic performance, nerve pain, and other various conditions thus far. However, some research suggests that they are effective in helping enhance cognitive functions, learning capacity, memory, and mood, just to name a few.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND AGMATINE?
In the human body, the highest levels of agmatine can be found in the gut. This is where it is produced by the healthy microbes that are living there.
Agmatine can also be found in many dietary foods, such as fermented products. You can also find agmatine in supplement forms such as agmatine sulfate, which is going to be the main focus of this article moving forward.
AGMATINE SULFATE: PUMP-INDUCING SUPPLEMENTATION
Agmatine can be found as an oral supplement in the form of power, which is known and sold as agmatine sulfate. Supplemental agmatine sulfate has been found to be quite effective when it comes to increasing the levels of agmatine in your body. It has also been found through research that direct supplementation of agmatine sulfate is the only way to increase agmatine levels in human bodies.
Research has concluded that agmatine has the potential to improve symptoms related to neuropathic pain, along with the ability to help in the treatment of drug addiction.
Agmatine also helps in nitric oxide synthesis and works well to properly regulate cellular energy by speculating polyamine metabolic function.
This is why agmatine sulfate is a popular pump-inducing supplement and ingredient used in various pre-workouts on the market.
WHAT IS THE DIETARY SOURCE OF AGMATINE SULFATE?
In our body, agmatine is synthesized in the brain and then stored in synaptic vesicles in the neurons. Agmatine is essentially a by-product of bacteria, and therefore, you can find it in fermented foods, which also include beverages like wine, beer, and even some instant coffees.
Note: It is not advised that you consume alcohol for the reason of increasing agmatine levels.
People primarily use agmatine sulfate supplements as a bodybuilding supplement, but it can do more than just help enhance a pump in the muscles during resistance training – even though that’s the main reason it’s included in many pre-workout supplements.
What is quite interesting about agmatine sulfate is its ability to support and improve blood flow, which can produce more blood volume in the muscles – leading to superior gains the muscle strength and size.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF AGMATINE SULFATE?
Every supplement comes with a purpose, and agmatine sulfate has some very effective ones. In the realm of bodybuilding and sports, agmatine helps to provide the following benefits:
- Enhance muscular pumps via inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis
- Promotes healthy insulin sensitivity, focusing on leanness and muscle building
- Increases appetite even when you are full, which makes it simpler for underweight people to take in a caloric surplus to aid in gaining muscle and body weight
- Agmatine sulfate helps with improvements in mental health, clarity, focus, memory, and stress management
- Improves intra-workout energy
This is just a brief overview of what agmatine sulfate, as a supplement, can help improve. We will take a deeper dive into these details a little later in this article.
DOSAGES OF AGMATINE SULFATE
Researchers have found that if you take it twice daily, around 1.6mg to 6.4mg per kg of body weight, it should provide a dosage high enough to be an effective dose and notice some of the benefits mentioned in this article.
For ideal results, do not take the supplement along with a protein shake. Dietary protein tends to slow down the absorption process of agmatine, and it can have an adverse effect on the benefits of agmatine sulfate.
Dosages of agmatine sulfate found in various supplements generally range between 250mg to 1000mg per scoop, and the intake recommendation is around 1g to 2g daily.
It should be kept in mind that these supplements that utilize agmatine sulfate are mainly focused on pump enhancement and the process of muscle building and hypertrophy.
It is also recommended that you take agmatine sulfate with some food, just don’t make it a large meal before you intend on working out. To help achieve the desired results from agmatine sulfate supplementation, take it 30-60 minutes before your workout. You can also take 500mg to 1000mg of agmatine sulfate during training, but that is optional.
During non-training days, you can take agmatine sulfate whenever is convenient for you during the day – the key is to stay consistent and use it daily (similar to how you would take creatine monohydrate).
LET’S DIG DEEP INTO THE BENEFITS OF AGMATINE SULFATE
In this section, we are going to discuss the bodybuilding effects and benefits of agmatine sulfate and how it can benefit your athletic performance as well as overall mental and physical health.
1. ENHANCE MUSCULAR PUMPS DURING WORKOUTS
Agmatine has been noted to play a vital role when it comes to the positive regulation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), the enzyme that causes the production of nitric oxide.
This boost in nitric oxide improves vasodilation which in turn helps provide your muscles with a skin-tightening pump during resistance training.
Muscle pumps are not only beneficial for increasing nutrient delivery to the muscle tissues, but it also impacts the rate of protein synthesis that allows for a potential increase in the rate of muscle tissue growth.
2. IT REGULATES BLOOD SUGAR AND INSULIN RESPONSE
In various studies, agmatine sulfate seems to play a role in improving insulin sensitivity in rodent subjects that are insulin resistant. It has been shown to activate imidazole receptors. This helps in the decrease of blood sugar levels, which appears to be linked with an increase in endorphins.
Endorphins can help increase glucose uptake into the muscle tissues, even when you are inactive. Other studies have also found that endorphins can help the pancreas to secrete insulin.
3. ROLE OF AGMATINE SULFATE IN MENTAL HEALTH AND CLARITY
There are a few studies that look into the effect of agmatine sulfate on mental health, mostly related to depression and anxiety.
It is said that in our body, agmatine can act as a neurotransmitter and respond to receptors that are linked with depression.
Agmatine plays a critical role in the brain’s function of coping with stress and helps to reduce anxiety.
Agmatine is also said to have natural anti-depressant qualities. It has the potential to improve overall well-being and reduce anxiety. This, in turn, can help you focus on motivating yourself to improve your overall health and fitness.
4. PAIN REDUCTION FUNCTION
Agmatine Sulfate has the potential to help in short-term pain relief in relation to thermal hyperalgesia. Additionally, studies have shown that agmatine supplementation has the potential to reduce perceived pain.
It can be said that agmatine sulfate improves the quality of training with better focus and a decrease in perceived pain as well as inflammation.
5. ROLE OF AGMATINE IN BLOOD PRESSURE
A healthy blood pressure level allows better nutrient delivery, which improves overall health and is quite beneficial for optimal muscle building and the recovery process. Agmatine supplementation is said to create an anti-hypertensive environment, which helps the body to keep a healthy blood pressure level.
6. IMPROVED APPETITE
Agmatine has been proven to help increase appetite and make it easier to put yourself in a caloric surplus. While this may not be ideal for those who are on a strict diet and trying to lose weight, if you are a hard gainer or someone who finds it difficult to put on any type of size, agmatine sulfate is going to be very beneficial for you.
SIDE EFFECTS OF AGMATINE SULFATE
Now that you are aware of the benefits of agmatine sulfate, let’s take a look at some of the common side effects that may occur.
- Lowers blood pressure: Agmatine can cause the widening of blood vessels (vasodilation), which can be a benefit for many, but the minor blood pressure drop can be undesirable for someone who is being treated for hypotension (low blood pressure).
- Less testing at high dosage: There is very little research when it comes to agmatine dosage above 2600mg per day. Although most of the studies say that agmatine is non-toxic, there are little to no studies that examined agmatine at a high dosage.
- Gastrointestinal discomfort: Although agmatine sulfate has been shown to improve gastrointestinal health, a small percentage of individuals have reported that they experienced minor gastrointestinal issues such as nausea and diarrhea.
- Bloating: The benefit of improved appetite may lead to bloating issues for some individuals.
IS AGMATINE SULFATE THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION TO VARIOUS MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS?
Recent studies have suggested that agmatine may have a positive response when it comes to increasing nitric oxide production, as well as many other health benefits.
According to many pieces of published research, agmatine sulfate has the potential to improve athletic performance by assisting muscle synthesis and reducing recovery time.
Manufacturers have been using agmatine sulfate supplementation as an ingredient in many dietary and sports nutrition supplements. Because of its powerful benefits, people from around the world are adding agmatine sulfate to their supplement regimen (or supplement formulation).
It would also be an excellent choice to stack agmatine sulfate with a natural supplement that helps improve growth hormone to provide an ergogenic improvement in the form of fast and better recovery, stamina, and performance. It can also be taken along with carbs to achieve a glycogen resynthesis boost.
About The Author:
Matt Mosman (MS, CISSN, CSCS) is a research scientist, endurance athlete, and the founder of EndurElite. Matt holds his B.S. in Exercise Science from Creighton University and his M.S. in Exercise Physiology from the University of California. Matt and his family reside in Spearfish South Dakota, where they enjoy running, mountain biking, camping, and all the outdoor adventures Spearfish has to offer.
