Do You Need More of the Amino Acid Ornithine?

Amino acids are the building blocks of the enzymes and proteins that help complete almost every major and minor function within the human body. In other words, they are critical to your health. Ornithine is one of twenty amino acids your body uses and is particularly useful for cleansing and detoxification processes.

A Conditionally-Essential Amino Acid

Ornithine is a conditionally-essential amino acid, which means that it is usually synthesized by the human body but may be in limited supply in certain conditions, such as:

• Prematurity in infants
• Severe catabolic distress
• Advanced age
• High stress
• Traumatic injury
• Chronic illness

Individuals who suffer from any of the conditions listed above should take extra care to consume foods and supplements that contain high levels of amino acids like ornithine.

The Urea Cycle

Perhaps the most important role that the amino acid ornithine plays in the human body is to help cleanse the blood and liver of toxic ammonia. Ornithine helps to flush ammonia into the kidneys, where it can be passed into urine and removed from the body. This is called the urea cycle.

Maintaining sufficient levels of ornithine is especially important when performing a digestive or parasitic cleanse, since an excess of ammonia is usually released by microorganisms when they are eliminated from the body.

Another negative side effect of excessive ammonia buildup is insomnia, which is why some doctors recommend ornithine supplements to alleviate insomnia.

Body Building and Fat Burning

Like its fellow amino acids, ornithine has been shown to support body-building and fat-burning exercise. This is true for several reasons:

• Ornithine helps the muscles produce creatine, a compound they need in order to contract.
• Studies show that taking ornithine supplements can decrease exercise-induced fatigue, which in turn improves workout endurance.
• Ornithine initiates the release of growth hormone into the bloodstream, which is integral to the process of fat metabolism or “fat burning.”
• This amino acid supports healing, which is important to post-workout recovery.

How to Boost Your Amino Acid Intake

There are several foods you can eat to boost your intake of amino acids, particularly ornithine:

• Red meat, chicken, fish, and pork
• Dairy products including milk, yogurt, and cheese
• Eggs

Living Clean offers several types of amino acids in the form of all-natural supplements, such as Dr. Clark Research Association’s Ornithine capsules. Shop amino acids in the Living Clean store, or read more about how these protein compounds affect your health:

• Amino Acid Supplements for Healthy Living, Part One
• Amino Acid Supplements for Healthy Living, Part Two
• Amino Acid Supplements for Healthy Living, Part Three

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