L-Arginine vs AAKG: Benefits, Effectiveness, and How to Choose the Right Supplement

There is a small bonus to taking arginine: it can stimulate blood flow in the pelvic area, which can help with erection problems, if you have them.

I repeat: arginine is not always effective and not for everyone. Nevertheless, it is worth trying arginine at least once, and then decide whether you will take it or not.

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Arginine or AAKG

But what exactly to choose: pure arginine or the heavily promoted AAKG? To answer this question, we need to understand the fundamental difference between these two forms.

Arginine is an amino acid in its purest form. In contrast, AAKG – arginine alpha-ketoglutarate – is an arginine salt of alpha-ketoglutaric acid. Why was this form chosen?

Simply put, a certain David Barr – a strength coach by profession – decided that arginine in the form of a salt is better absorbed and has a longer-lasting effect.

Mr. Barr's assumption has not been confirmed by any research, but some training specialists still consider arginine alpha-ketoglutarate to be a more "advanced" supplement compared to regular arginine.

In reality, this is simply not true: AAKG is inferior to regular arginine in several ways. For example, L-arginine is more effective in treating cardiovascular diseases, it helps with hypertension, while AAKG is practically useless in this case.

Arginine partially helps in the treatment of diabetes and overcoming colds. Again, AAKG does not help at all in these cases. In general, if you choose between the two forms, the choice is obvious – only regular arginine.

And one small "lifehack": the effectiveness of arginine is increased by simultaneous intake of another amino acid – citrulline. On average, for every three grams of arginine, one gram of citrulline is needed.