Could a humble stir-fry be your life saver?
When Marla Maples Trump, ex-wife of the U.S. billionaire Donald Trump, goes into the kitchen to whip up a meal for herself and daughter Tiffany, she pours a dash of Bragg Organic Olive Oil into her wok, then tosses in some vegetables and finishes it off with a generous squirt of Bragg Liquid Aminos – an all-purpose seasoning made from 100% certified non-GMO healthy soybeans – which contains 16 amino acids, including the important L–arginine. This American health food has been a staple with the health crowd for over 88 years. Everyone who’s health-conscious – from the rich and powerful, to the Stars of Hollywood and Broadway, to Opera singers at the Met, to Rock and Roll Bands – including the ever-youthful Beach Boys, who often perform here in London – they use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos in their foods.
The Scientists at Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London, now believe that this simple amino acid could be a powerful weapon in the war on arteriosclerosis, a degenerative disease of the arteries, the number one killer in the Western World today. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and L–arginine – which is found naturally in foods such as meat, nuts, eggs and cheese – has long been favored by weightlifters, top bodybuilders and celebrities for its reputedly powerful fat-burning action. The soybean has long been recognized as one of the healthiest sources of amino acids – but the idea that you could use it as part of your everyday life – turning your raw, cooked and stir-fry foods into a health-giving experience – is still quite novel. Remarkably, however, this healthy trend in American cooking is backed up by some extraordinary new research.
L-Arginine Helps Prevent Arteriosclerosis
Preliminary results of trials conducted at Great Ormond Street Hospital suggest that L–arginine has a far loftier mission than mere bodybuilding. It is now beginning to be seen as a powerful tool for saving the lives of heart patients living under a potential death sentence from a variety of risks and triggers of arterial disease including these health robbers: high cholesterol, smoking, alcohol, diabetes, high blood pressure, stress, an unhealthy diet, family history of illness, obesity and lack of exercise.
Dr. John Deanfield, who is a consultant cardiologist heading the research at Great Ormond Street Hospital, says that, “The reason L–arginine is so important is because of its remarkable ability in restoring the function of vessel walls after only a month of treatment. Our past 10 years of research has shown us that the artery is not just a pipe with blood flowing in it, but that the wall of the artery is actively involved in the regulation of the vascular function. If you damage the cells in the lining of the artery – by smoking, or any of the other risk factors – then you are more likely to develop atherosclerotic and heart disease in time.”
It turns out that nitric oxide, which protects the vessel walls from the fatty deposits which cause disease, is naturally produced constantly in a healthy person. It is this same nitric oxide which acts to regulate the vessel walls, expanding them, for example, for increased blood flow when you run for a bus, exercise, etc. Perhaps more importantly, it also works to help prevent platelets and blood cells from sticking to the artery walls. But the ability of the arteries to produce nitric oxide becomes severely impaired when the arteries become corroded and narrow. That is when L–arginine comes into play. What doctors have discovered is that the artery walls absorb L-arginine, allowing an enzyme to break it down into vitally needed nitric oxide.
Recently, the Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital have been using ultrasound to examine the arteries of children as young as 5 for signs of arteriosclerosis. “It has been known for years that the process of damage to the artery walls often occurs in the first decade of life,” says Dr. Deanfield. “Children with high cholesterol in the first ten years of life already have damage to the endothelium (artery lining), much like teenage smokers and even people exposed to passive smoking.”
There are pathological studies of 20-year-olds showing evidence of arterial disease in apparently healthy individuals. Scientists now believe that preventive tactics using L-arginine might offer the chance to nip heart disease in the bud – at the earliest possible stage. The entire test group – young people in their teens, 20s and 30s – selected for the Ormond Street Hospital trial suffered from high cholesterol! After just 1 month of using L–arginine they showed a 50% improvement in artery function! The hospital plans to begin tests on a higher risk group, 40-year-olds with multiple risk factors but no clinical disease, to see whether L–arginine improves the survival rates of potential coronary and angina patients.
“This is a fantastic area of research and we are very excited by it,” says Dr. Deanfield. “In the past we have dealt with arterial disease patients using plumbing treatment. That means either a bypass or angioplasty – which is a balloon blown up in the artery to get rid of the narrowing there. Now we are asking whether we can actually alter and manipulate the function of the artery as a strategy for protecting against the consequences of arterial disease. In other words, you may have arterial disease, but we want to modify its activity to reduce its risk.” The benefits for healthy people with no coronary risk factors taking L–arginine are still unproven.
Also, pharmaceutical companies have yet to determine the adequate therapeutic daily dose for the amino acid, but a recommendation is expected within the next 12 months. Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital say that they picked their dose at random, and note that the dose required to restore proper functioning of the arterial lining might well be half that amount.
The jury is still out on whether this dark, tasty culinary sauce could be the elixir of life. But Dr. Mike Mullen, research fellow in the Vascular Physiology Unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital, believes the Bragg Liquid Aminos used by Marla Maples has potential. Dr. Mullen said, “It is essential that people have a well-balanced diet, and anyone on a low-protein or vegetarian diet may have a shortage of L-arginine – although nuts, such as walnuts and brazilnuts, have high concentrations of it.” Amino acids used to be divided into essential and non-essential amino acids by nutritionists and scientists. Essential amino acids were those that had to be included in the diet since the body might not be able to create or synthesize them. L-arginine was once considered one of the non-essential amino acids, but now it’s regarded as a semi-essential. In other words, the body might be able to manufacture it, but it may not be reaching all the places it’s needed, so it’s wise to supplement your diet with L-arginine.
Bragg Distributors, Panacea Health in England would certainly agree. Bragg Liquid Aminos now comes in handy 6 ounce spray, 16 and 32 ounce and gallon containers. Also available is the delicious Bragg Raw, Organic, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar.
Bragg Books inspired the Tony Quinn Health Centers to start the first health stores in Dublin, Ireland. They are a supplier of Bragg products and books throughout the Emerald Isle. Tony Quinn feels that if your goal is simply to get a concentrated dose of L–arginine, then you can get it in a supplement. He says that Bragg Liquid Aminos offers the best source of balanced amino acids with L-arginine for the majority of people, especially for those on the run who can’t be bothered with supplements. Quinn says his customers say Bragg Liquid Aminos is “just delicious” and is the perfect all purpose seasoning for vegetables, soups, potatoes, meats, poultry, fish, tofu, stir-fries, rice and bean dishes, salads, even great for popcorn. Also makes a delicious broth.
A final word from Marla (marlamaples.com): “Bragg Liquid Aminos has L-arginine in it and is a delicious, healthy alternative to soy sauce. It doesn’t even have any added salt – only a small amount of organic sodium from the soybeans. If you find the taste too strong, you can mix it with distilled water in its spray dispenser, and spray it onto your food. I’m often busy and I feel that adding Bragg Liquid Aminos, a delicious, nutritional seasoning to my food is a simple way of eating in a healthy manner.”
