Taking just L-arginine before a meal might slightly raise the appetite-regulating hormone GLP-1 in obese people, but the result was too weak to be sure it wasn’t just random chance.
Scientific Claim
In non-diabetic adults with obesity, a single oral dose of L-arginine alone administered 60 minutes before a meal is associated with a modest, non-significant trend toward increased postprandial GLP-1 secretion compared to no supplement, but the effect does not reach statistical significance after correction for multiple comparisons.
Original Statement
“L-arginine alone showed a trend towards increased AUCGLP−1 compared to no intervention (p = 0.031).”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
overstated
Study Design Support
Design cannot support claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The authors describe this as a 'trend' but imply it is meaningful in the conclusion. The p-value is borderline and uncorrected for multiple testing, so definitive language is inappropriate.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
The effect of oral l-arginine alone or in combination with sodium butyrate on glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion in non-diabetic adults with obesity.
The study found that taking L-arginine before a meal slightly increased a hunger-controlling hormone in obese people, but not enough to be sure it wasn’t just luck — which is exactly what the claim says.