Ingredient 2 of 3
Arginine AKG in BloodPril: L-Arginine Bound to Alpha-Ketoglutarate
Arginine AKG (AAKG) is L-arginine bound to alpha-ketoglutarate, a compound cells use to make energy. It is second in BloodPril's 500 mg blend, with no amount printed. The partner does not change the evidence: it is arginine research, from trials that used 4 to 24 grams a day (Dong et al., Am Heart J 2011). We found no blood pressure trial of AAKG itself.
Written by the BloodPril editorial teamUpdated
The basics
What is arginine AKG?
Arginine AKG, often shortened to AAKG, is a salt made of two parts: the amino acid L-arginine and a partner called alpha-ketoglutarate.
On the BloodPril panel it reads "L-Arginine (Alpha-Ketoglutarate dihydrate)". The word "dihydrate" means each unit of the salt holds two water molecules in its crystal. That water is part of the powder's weight too.
| Label name | L-Arginine (Alpha-Ketoglutarate dihydrate) |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | L-arginine bound to alpha-ketoglutarate |
| What it is | Amino acid salt (AAKG) |
| Position in the list | 2 of 3 (labels list blend ingredients from most to least by weight) |
| Per capsule | Not disclosed (part of the 500 mg blend) |
| Amount used in research | Arginine: 4-24 g a day in blood pressure trials; 2-20 g in exercise studies |
| Strength of evidence | Small effect at gram doses |
| Traditional or marketed use | A form of arginine sold to sports users as a nitric oxide booster |
| Main caution | With nitrates or ED medicines blood pressure can drop too low; not advised after a recent heart attack. |
The table repeats the label facts for this form next to the research behind it. The per-capsule amount is blank because the label groups all three forms into one total.
The partner
What is alpha-ketoglutarate?
Alpha-ketoglutarate is a small acid your cells make every day. It is one of the steps in the cycle cells use to turn food into energy.
It also helps the body move nitrogen from one amino acid to another. That is why it shows up in amino acid products. Some sellers also promote it on its own, for uses unrelated to blood pressure.
None of that is a blood pressure claim, and BloodPril's label does not make one for the partner. In this capsule, alpha-ketoglutarate is best read as a carrier for the arginine. Once the salt dissolves, the two parts go their separate ways.
Between the partner and the bound water, an AAKG powder is only part arginine. So the arginine you get from this line is less than its listed weight, which is itself unknown.
Compared
What is the difference between L-arginine and L-arginine AKG?
The arginine is identical. AAKG simply carries a different partner and is marketed to a different crowd.
| Feature | Plain L-arginine | Arginine AKG | Arginine HCl |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amino acid delivered | L-arginine | L-arginine | L-arginine |
| Partner | None | Alpha-ketoglutarate plus water | Hydrochloride |
| In BloodPril? | No | Yes, 2nd of 3 | Yes, 3rd of 3 |
| Own blood pressure trials | The arginine trials (Dong et al., Am Heart J 2011) | None found | Counted as arginine |
The arginine HCl profile explains the third form and the trial numbers in full.
Marketing
Is AAKG a bodybuilding ingredient?
Mostly, yes. AAKG is best known in sports powders sold as "nitric oxide boosters" for workouts.
How it is sold
Pre-workout products feature AAKG for the nitric oxide story. The label on those tubs is about training, not blood pressure.
What exercise studies show
Arginine studies in athletes used 2 to 20 g a day and found little effect on performance (ODS, Exercise supplements).
How it is used here
BloodPril is labeled for blood pressure support. It is not dosed, tested or sold as a sports product.
Seeing AAKG on a heart-health label does not make the gym marketing apply, and it does not add blood pressure evidence either. If you have used AAKG powders before, remember that those products came with their own directions for training. BloodPril's directions are different: one capsule a day with water, up to two.
Evidence
Does the AKG partner change the blood pressure evidence?
No. The evidence is about arginine, and the partner neither adds to it nor takes it away.
The best-known pooled analysis covered 11 small trials of oral L-arginine at 4 to 24 grams a day (Dong et al., Am Heart J 2011). That work measured arginine. We found no blood pressure trial that tested arginine AKG on its own, so there is no separate AAKG figure to report.
- The amino acid you absorb is the same as in the trials.
- The trial doses were grams; BloodPril's whole blend is 500 mg.
- Arginine AKG is only one of three forms sharing that 500 mg.
- None of the trials tested BloodPril.
Read the L-arginine research summary for what those trials can and cannot tell you.
Label order
How much arginine AKG is in BloodPril?
No figure is printed. AAKG is second of three in a 500 mg blend, so it is smaller than the citrulline and larger than the arginine HCl.
Labels list blend ingredients from heaviest to lightest (FDA, Labeling guide). That pins AAKG in the middle but sets no number on it. Ask the order desk at +1 (302) 200-3480 if you want the maker's own figure; it is not on the bottle.
| Printed name | L-Arginine (Alpha-Ketoglutarate dihydrate) |
|---|---|
| Position | 2nd of 3, by weight |
| Amount per capsule | Not published |
| Blend it sits in | 500 mg proprietary blend |
Safety
Who should avoid arginine AKG?
Anyone who has had a recent heart attack, and anyone on nitrates, ED medicine or blood pressure drugs should ask a doctor first.
Mayo Clinic's L-arginine cautions apply to every form: not advised after a recent heart attack, a risk of too-low blood pressure with nitrates or sildenafil, and an added effect with blood pressure medicines (Mayo Clinic, L-arginine).
Keep taking your prescribed medicine as directed. The who BloodPril is for page has a short checklist to go through with your doctor.
Keep reading
Compare arginine AKG with the other BloodPril ingredients
Citrulline comes before it on the label; arginine HCl comes after.
Read the three profiles in order to see how one amino acid, in two forms, sits beside its own precursor.
FAQ
Arginine AKG in BloodPril: FAQ
What does AAKG stand for?
AAKG stands for arginine alpha-ketoglutarate. It is L-arginine bound to alpha-ketoglutarate, and BloodPril's label adds the word dihydrate, meaning the salt holds water in its crystal.
Is arginine AKG better than regular L-arginine?
Not for blood pressure, as far as the evidence goes. Both supply the same amino acid. We found no trial showing AAKG beats plain arginine for blood pressure, and the trials we cite measured arginine itself.
What are alpha-ketoglutarate's main benefits?
In the body it is part of the energy cycle and helps move nitrogen between amino acids. Sellers promote it for other benefits, but BloodPril makes no claim for it, and in this capsule it mainly carries the arginine.
Does the dihydrate in arginine AKG matter?
Only for weight. Dihydrate means two water molecules are bound in each unit of the crystal. The water does nothing in the body, but it counts toward the ingredient's weight, so the real arginine content is a little lower.
Is AAKG the same as L-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate?
Yes. AAKG and arginine AKG are short names for the same salt. BloodPril prints the long form, "L-Arginine (Alpha-Ketoglutarate dihydrate)", as the second line of its proprietary blend.
Does AAKG raise nitric oxide?
Arginine is the raw material cells use to make nitric oxide. No one has measured nitric oxide in people taking BloodPril, so the "booster" label on sports products is a sales term, not a result.
Why would a blood pressure supplement use a gym ingredient?
The label does not explain it. AAKG is a widely sold form of arginine. What counts for you is the arginine, and the total blend is far below the doses used in arginine trials.
Who wrote this
Written and reviewed by
Plain-language pages built from the label, the sales page and linked public health sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by a U.S. shop that sells BloodPril, not by the manufacturer. We earn money when you buy through our order links.
Keep reading
More about BloodPril
L-citrulline
What citrulline DL-malate is, how it becomes arginine, and why its cautions match arginine's.
Read moreL-arginine and blood pressure
What the main L-arginine blood pressure meta-analysis found, the gram doses it used, and why BloodPril's blend is far smaller.
Read more
Who it's for
A 5-question check, plus who might consider BloodPril, who should ask a doctor first and who should skip it.
Read moreBloodPril U.S. shop
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