Role of arginine, taurine and homocysteine in cardiovascular diseases.

Arginine, taurine and homocysteine are amino acids which have been shown to affect the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in humans. Arginine and taurine may protect against cardiovascular diseases while homocysteine may be a risk factor for them. Both arginine and taurine seem to lower blood pressure, arginine may also inhibit atherogenesis, and taurine may have antioxidant properties. However, the evidence of the beneficial effects of arginine and taurine supplementation from human studies is insufficient. Elevated levels of plasma homocysteine may be associated with atherosclerotic and thromboembolic cardiovascular diseases. Supplementation with folic acid seems to be effective in reducing hyperhomocysteinaemia, but there is an insufficient number of studies showing that lowering of homocysteine levels with vitamin supplementation will reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. In conclusion, further research is needed to determine the optimal levels for taurine and arginine in the human diet in order to decrease the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, and to whom supplementation with folic acid should possibly be recommended to reduce hyperhomocysteinaemia. Even though the use of arginine and taurine supplements to reduce cardiovascular risk factors is an interesting possibility, the reported health-promoting effects and the safety of such a supplementation should first be confirmed.