Nitric oxide is sweeping the supplement industry as MMA’s new secret weapon for cage domination, but does it really work?

We training junkies are always on the lookout for the next big thing that’s designed to take our MMA game to new levels. Step forth nitric oxide (NO). Not to be confused with nitrous oxide (NO2, or laughing gas), there has been a recent explosion within the use of NO in bodybuilding circles and it’s rapidly seeping into the MMA forum. So what’s all the fuss about? 

WHAT IS NITRIC OXIDE?

Nitric oxide is a gas that’s naturally found in the human body. It expands the blood vessels thus increasing the amount of blood flow to our muscles. This means an increase in the amount of oxygen carried in the blood towards our muscles. The more oxygen our muscles are provided with, the better they function. Simple.

In the pursuit of being pumped to the max and topping out their maximum bench press, some extreme bodybuilders are taking NO in its pure gas form before their workouts; a bad move. Scientists state this, in fact, can be dangerous, and instead some advocate the consumption of L-arginine – a natural amino acid that is said to help your body naturally create more NO. 

Now you can find a myriad of supplements packed with L-arginine and it’s got the MMA community all excited. And why not? If warriors are provided with an extra weapon in their arsenal then it could just give them the edge to finish their opponent. The problem is, as it’s a relatively new addition to the supplement industry, no one knows if it truly works. So will l-arginine provide you with the extra fuel needed to fire through your opponent, or will your gas tank be left running on empty?

WHAT THE LABCOATS SAY

Research in The Journal of Nutrition found that when healthy young men with normal levels of NO in their system were given 10g of l-argine (the recommended pill dosage), it didn’t increase their NO levels any further, therefore failing to increase their blood flow. So that’s it, throw away your l-arginine supplements and give up now. But wait, there’s more. Many scientists disagree.

Irma Botes is a leading scientist in the study of L-arginine and researches how it can be used in the MMA supplement industry. She’s adamant that it does charge up your performance. “Many of the athletes we work with do have positive reactions to the nitric oxide boosters. We know it does show an improvement,” says Botes. “Initially, there was a lot of studies saying it had to be given intravenously [through the veins]. Oral supplements were seen as a no-no and wasn’t seen as effective, but in the last few years there has been positive studies for oral intake. 

“From our research there’s been studies that have shown that if a person’s nitric oxide levels are below the normal level then taking l-arginine will actually increase their nitric oxide levels back up to normal, meaning an increase in blood flow and performance.”

Research in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology supports this notion, stating that l-arginine can boost your NO levels, providing you already have what is considered below-normal amounts in your body. Yet how likely are you to have low levels of NO? “It’s an individualized response depending on your metabolism and physiological composition,” says Botes. “So it can depend widely on your age.”

Unfortunately, there hasn’t yet been any official studies on the amount of people who have low levels of NO, so the likelihood of you not having enough in your system is unknown. Fortunately, there is a saving grace. Further studies in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggest that L-arginine can increase people’s NO – even in individuals with normal levels of the gas – providing they take up to three or four times the normal recommended pill dosage.

“That would be around 40g, which would be a small fistful of pills,” laughs Gareth Zeal, a leading nutritionist who has worked with a number of professional MMA athletes. “Although you’d probably need a tablespoon, I recommend buying it in powdered form as it’s easier to ingest than a load of pills.”

So if people are taking L-arginine but not in the required dosage for it to have a huge effect, how come they’re still reporting on the wonderful affects it has on their training? “Obviously it affects people differently,” says Zeal. “It may work for some more than others but for some people it may be a case of the other ingredients found in supplements, like caffeine, that makes the subject feel more energized.”

Getting to grips with your game is essential, and supplements containing L-arginine may be labeled with the claim that it can turn you into the ultimate powerhouse – yet it’s not necessarily an empty promise.

Research that looked at exercise performance of L-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate in trained adult men discovered L-arginine can actually increase a healthy man’s one-repetition maximum bench press by 8.82kg over an eight-week period, in comparison to just 2.67kg for those who hadn’t taken the supplement. Yet results vary wildly from individual to individual. 

L-arginine is likely to boost your performance providing you already have low levels of NO. If your levels are normal, it can still charge you up, but we recommend buying it in powdered form and taking large doses (40g) to ensure its maximum potential. While we can’t definitively say whether it will or won’t turn you personally into a formidable beast (and neither can scientists at this stage), we can advise to give it a shot and see if it works for you. 

If you decide to jump on the L-arginine bandwagon and in two month’s time you’re running through your opponents, tossing them around like rag-dolls, then you don’t need a scientist to tell you you’re onto a winner.