Effects of arginine/lysine supplementation and resistance training on glucose tolerance.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of arginine/lysine supplementation (AL) and resistance training (RT) on changes in glucose tolerance and to determine whether alterations were associated with changes in selected hormonal parameters. The study involved 30 physically active college males, ages 20-30 yr, randomly assigned to one of four groups: placebo/control (P/C, n = 7), P/RT (n = 8), AL/C (n = 7), or AL/RT (n = 8). An AL supplement at a daily morning dose of 132 mg/kg fat-free body mass or placebo was administered orally to controls and training groups. During the 10-wk program, exercise subjects participated in a progressive resistance training program stressing all major muscle groups. Three-hour oral glucose tolerance (OGT) tests were performed on each subject before and after the 10-wk intervention to evaluate resting levels and responses of glucose, insulin, and glucagon. OGT parameters did not significantly change after intervention. It was concluded that neither AL supplementation nor RT had a significant effect on OGT.