High-arginine diet curbs colon tumors and boosts viral defense in mouse study
Researchers discovered that mice fed extra arginine developed fewer colon cancers and showed stronger resistance to flu and COVID-19.
In research published in Cell, Sohail Tavazoie and his team showed that mice receiving a high-arginine diet developed fewer colon tumors and mounted more effective defenses against influenza and COVID-19 than mice on low-arginine diets. The amino acid appears to increase the expression of MHC class I proteins, which present viral and tumor fragments to immune cells, thereby improving detection and clearance. Laboratory experiments revealed that limiting arginine lowered MHC-I levels and slowed protein synthesis, while supplementation restored them.
Supplementing arginine after flu infection also raised mouse survival rates. Independent experts such as Costas Lyssiotis and Pierre Close consider the findings a strong rationale for clinical testing, though translation to humans remains uncertain.
Why it matters
If confirmed in humans, arginine could become a simple dietary strategy to bolster cancer and infection defenses.
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