What Is Ornithine?
Ornithine is a special amino acid, one of the many types of amino acids that travels throughout the body with the blood.
It is especially active in the liver. Ornithine is found in all living things in nature, and one of the most famous ornithine-containing foods is whitebait. The reason why whitebait is said to be effective against hangovers is that the ornithine in whitebait inhibits fatigue caused by alcohol.
Ornithine has also been reported to promote the secretion of growth hormones and improve sleep. Ornithine is an amino acid that has a positive effect on the body.
Uses of Ornithine
The primary use of ornithine is as a dietary supplement to maintain the health of the body. It has few uses as an industrial raw material.
Ornithine is found in supplements and sometimes in nutritional drinks. Supplementation of ornithine, which is lacking in the daily diet alone, is expected to improve liver function, physical growth, and sleep.
Besides improving the liver’s ability to detoxify ammonia, which is harmful to the body, ornithine consumption is likely to promote the secretion of growth hormones during sleep. Furthermore, it improves sleep quality by suppressing the secretion of stress hormones, which is expected to be beneficial for both genders.
Properties of Ornithine
Ornithine is a type of “free amino acid” that travels with the blood through the body. While most of the commonly known amino acids make up proteins, ornithine is not a protein-building amino acid. In other words, ornithine is not an amino acid that is present in the body to make protein; it is an amino acid that is free in the body.
Because ornithine is a naturally occurring substance, it is considered safe. However, taking too much ornithine is bad for the liver because it causes the liver to function excessively.
When taken in adequate amounts, ornithine can enhance liver detoxification, promote muscle synthesis, and reduce fatigue after exercise.
Structure of Ornithine
The molecular structure of ornithine is similar to that of citrulline and arginine, which are members of the same amino acid family. Ornithine, citrulline, and arginine are necessary for the reaction in the liver to convert toxic ammonia into urea. The reaction circuit that converts toxic ammonia to urea is called the ornithine circuit or urea cycle.
Toxic ammonia is produced after the breakdown of amino acids or after strenuous exercise. In the ornithine circuit, ammonia is first combined with ornithine to form citrulline. A further enzymatic reaction converts citrulline to arginine, which in turn yields urea. When urea is produced, ornithine is regenerated in the cycle.
Thus, ammonia, which is toxic in the body, reacts with ornithine in the liver and is converted to urea via citrulline and arginine. Therefore, a portion of the ornithine molecule has almost the same structure as a portion of each of the citrulline and arginine molecules. It is believed that ornithine facilitates the reaction of the ornithine circuit and thus enhances the detoxification function of the liver.
Other Information on Ornithine
1. Foods Containing Ornithine
The main food with high ornithine content is shijimi clam, but other food sources include mushrooms such as shimeji mushrooms and eringi mushrooms, yellowfin tuna, flatfish, and cheese. Studies have reported that each ingredient contains about 20 mg of ornithine per 100 g. Shijimi contains about 20 mg, beech mushrooms contain about 140 mg, eringi mushrooms contain about 30 mg, and yellowfin tuna contains 2 to 7 mg.
2. Safety of Ornithine
Ornithine is not believed to have any major side effects, but excessive intake may cause abdominal pain or diarrhea. Do not take excessive amounts just because it seems to be good for you.