Studies Link Compound to Heart Disease Risk
 (Reuters 12/21/01)

Dr. Rainer H. Boeger of University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany and his colleagues found higher death rates from cardiovascular events for dialysis patients who had greater levels of ADMA, asymmetrical dimethylarginine, than for the rest of the group. This research confirms the fact that cholesterol, while important, is not the only significant factor in coronary disease. It also raises the possibility that arginine supplements may reduce cardiovascular risk (but kidney patients on arginine supplementation would have to be monitored for elevated potassium).