Arginine is not an essential amino acid. However under conditions of extreme stress, including intensive exercise, the demand for arginine by cells and tissues can outsrip the rates of synthesis and so arginine is considered semi-essential. Arginine is able to cause the release of growth hormone in humans and supplemental ornithine can increase arginine levels because ornithine serves as a precursor to arginine via ornithine a-ketoglutarate formation. In addition, ornithine may also stimulate the pituitary gland to release growth hormone directly. Therefore studies have investigated the effects of arginine and ornithine of growth hormone release in resistance training men. For example, in one study subjects were administered 3000 mg of arginine and 2200 mg of ornithine twice daily for 3 weeks. The results of the study showed significant increases in growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor after exercise in the supplemental group suggesting that the combination of arginine and ornithine is able to stimulate growth hormone release.
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