A cup of coffee helps you gain an instant energy boost to get you through the day. And the taste of coffee depends on a few factors, such as what it contains.
Ever wonder what coffee contains? What about arginine levels in coffee?
Naturally, raw coffee beans contain arginine, but when roasted for coffee, the arginine is diminished. So, coffee is not high in arginine at all.
A cup of instant coffee contains 44 milligrams of arginine, and a cup of brewed coffee contains 200 milligrams of arginine.
An ideal situation is to keep your daily dose of arginine below 9 grams to avoid any negative reactions in your body.
What Does Arginine Do?
Arginine is an amino acid responsible for building proteins in our body. Another essential function of arginine is facilitating blood flow circulation by inflating the blood vessels.
Like many other acids and chemicals in our body, arginine is important for our body to function properly.
Arginine turns into nitric acid. This nitric acid then helps the body’s blood circulation.
Our body produces arginine naturally at safe levels. However, people may also consume it additionally in their diet.
A healthy adult can produce enough arginine for their body. However, teenagers and fast-growing adults require additional arginine through their diets.
Is Arginine Good For Health?
Consuming arginine is safe and good for your health as well. Arginine helps in promoting a few primary functions of your body.
The two primary functions of arginine include
- Protein build-up
- Circulation of blood flow
Both factors are essential for our body’s functioning.
Health benefits of arginine:
- Reduces symptoms of Angina and plays a great role in improving the quality of life.
- Regulates blood pressure. It also lowers blood pressure to reduce hypertension in pregnant women who develop high blood pressure.
- Helps to treat preeclampsia in pregnant women.
- Treats erectile dysfunction in men and helps improve the sexual functioning of men.
- Arginine improves symptoms of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
- Manages illnesses such as necrotizing enterocolitis in infant’s wounds and also helps treat post-surgical trauma patients.
Functions of Arginine
- Heals wounds faster
- Improves blood flow
- Improves immune system functioning
- Excretes waste from the kidney and improves the functioning
- Treats burns
- Regulates hormones
- Reduces anxiety
Side effects of Arginine
Our body is capable of producing arginine in adequate amounts, but if excessive doses are taken, then the body can react adversely. Such side effects may occur by excessive levels of arginine:
- Low blood pressure
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Inflammations
- Abdominal pain
- Allergies
- Asthma
Does Drinking Coffee Increase Arginine in Your Body?
The caffeine in coffee makes you more alert and boosts your energy levels.
Caffeine affects our nervous system directly, and it’s also known to increase arginine levels. Caffeine thus affects arginine positively in our body as it is used to improve blood circulation.
Coffee is also known to increase the production of nitric acid by metabolizing arginine.
How To Increase Arginine Levels
Sometimes, our body may not produce enough arginine that is required. So, we need additional doses to fulfill the deficiency of arginine.
The deficiency of arginine in our body is caused by either dietary deficiencies or increased catabolism of arginine.
In order to increase arginine in our body, we should add supplements or high arginine diets.
Foods with High Arginine
If our body lacks the arginine we need, it can be compensated through various foods. Our body requires 2 to 3 grams of arginine a day. Foods that are high in arginine mainly include meats and nuts.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds have significant quantities of arginine.
These mainly include:
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Dried walnuts
- Almonds
- Pine nuts
Meat
Red meat has considerable amounts of arginine among the various meats since meat is an essential source of protein. Beef is a good option to include in your diet if you lack arginine.
Other meats with arginine include
- Turkey breast contains 16 grams of arginine
- Chicken contains 2.79 grams of arginine (per cup)
- Beef contains 4.131 grams of arginine ( per cooked pound of meat)
- Pork Loin contains 2.661 grams of arginine (chops)
Legumes
Legumes are known to be another source of proteins through a plant-based diet. These include beans, pulses, peas, etc.
- Soybeans
- Raw peanuts
- Chickpeas
Seaweed
Seaweed is another good source of arginine. A cup of seaweed includes 4.65 grams of arginine.
Takeaway
Coffee is not a source of high arginine. The coffee beans do contain arginine, but when they are roasted, the arginine is diminished.
Arginine is a medically proven essential amino acid. It is required for the protein build-up; the arginine then turns into nitric acid, which is responsible for blood flow circulation.
Arginine is produced by our body naturally and can be absorbed from various food items. These mainly include red meat, nuts, seeds, seaweed, and legumes for a plant-based protein diet.
