The combo of L-arginine and sodium butyrate raised the appetite hormone more than L-arginine alone — but we don’t know if that difference was real or just luck.
Scientific Claim
In a small sample of seven non-diabetic adults with obesity, the combination of oral L-arginine and sodium butyrate produced a greater increase in postprandial GLP-1 than L-arginine alone, though the difference between the two active interventions was not statistically tested or reported.
Original Statement
“Oral L-arginine combined with sodium butyrate significantly increased the area under the curve of plasma GLP-1 (AUCGLP−1) compared to no intervention (p = 0.0156). L-arginine alone showed a trend towards increased AUCGLP−1 compared to no intervention (p = 0.031).”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
understated
Study Design Support
Design cannot support claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The study implies a comparison between interventions by reporting relative AUC values, but did not test it. The claim understates the uncertainty by presenting it as a factual observation rather than an untested hypothesis.
More Accurate Statement
“In a small sample of seven non-diabetic adults with obesity, the combination of oral L-arginine and sodium butyrate produced a numerically greater increase in postprandial GLP-1 than L-arginine alone, but no statistical comparison between the two active interventions was performed or reported.”
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 both L-arginine and sodium butyrate together made the body produce more of a hunger-controlling hormone than taking L-arginine alone — even though they didn’t do a formal test to prove it was significantly better.