MRI: NO2 RED
MRI’s NO2 RED has received fairly negative reviews overall as a pre-workout supplement. There have been recent studies that show that short term nitric oxide boosters, like NO2 RED, are useless at producing significant amounts of nitric oxide during, and post workout. Do MRI’s claims of N.O. glory hold any water?
Supplement Profile
This blend claims to use five different forms of arginine, an amino acid that is popularly considered a vassal dilator. This blend is composed of: L-Arginine AKG, L-Arginine HCL, L-Arginine Pyroglutamate, and Arginine Ketoisocaproate. The claim is that when the body breaks these compounds down, the nitric oxide byproduct will cause veins to dilate and swell, allowing them to carry more blood into muscle tissue.
We are impressed with it’s large dose of Vitamin D-3, 5000 IU, and beta alanine, glutamine, and L-histidine. Glutamine helps fuel the muscle through strenuous workouts and helps prevent muscle loss during recovery. Beta alanine and L-histidine are helpful antioxidants that create a healing environment for muscle tissue after difficult “pumps”.
Studies
Studies have shown numerous times, however, that arginine cannot produce nitric oxide in humans short term like NO2 RED is claiming to do.
Example:
Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2009 Aug;19(4):355-65.
Bescós R, Gonzalez-Haro C, Pujol P, Drobnic F, Alonso E, Santolaria ML, Ruiz O, Esteve M, Galilea P.
Effects of dietary L-arginine intake on cardiorespiratory and metabolic adaptation in athletes.
“To assess the effect of diet enrichment with L-arginine or supplementation at high doses on physiological adaptation during exercise, 9 athletes followed 3 different diets, each over 3 consecutive days, with a wash-out period of 4 d between training sessions: control diet (CD), 5.5 +/- 0.3 g/d of L-arginine; Diet 1 (rich in L-arginine food), 9.0 +/- 1.1 g/d of L-arginine; and Diet 2 (the same as CD but including an oral supplement of 15 g/d), 20.5 +/- 0.3 g/d of L-arginine. Plasma nitrate levels of each participant were determined on the day after each treatment. Participants performed a submaximal treadmill test (initial speed 10-11 km/hr, work increments 1 km/hr every 4 min until 85-90% VO2max, and passive recovery periods of 2 min). Oxygen uptake and heart rate were monitored throughout the test. Blood lactate concentration ([La-]b) was determined at the end of each stage. Repeated-measures ANOVA and paired Student’s t tests were used to compare the various physiological parameters between diets. The level of significance was set at p < .05. [La-]b showed a significant effect at the 5-min time point between CD and Diet 2 (CD 3.0 +/- 0.5 mM, Diet 2 2.5 +/- 0.5 mM, p = .03), but this tendency was not found at higher exercise intensities. No significant differences were observed in any of the cardiorespiratory or plasma nitrate levels. In conclusion, dietary L-arginine intake on the days preceding the test does not improve physiological parameters during exercise."
Review
We suggest doing more research on arginine production in humans, at what rates this can occur, etc. before choosing an arginine-rich supplement. There is promise with other products on the market.
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