l-Arginine and Alkaline Body Chemistry Question

[laners298k4]

I have started supplementing with l-Arginine powder in water. It tastes terrible, apparently because it is so alkaline pH.

I have read some forums that say that I could add acid, such as lemon juice, to change the pH and make it taste better. According to these forums, adding acid to a base makes it into a salt.

But here is my question, if you are adding acid to the l-Arginine and changing the chemical structure are you changing it into a form that is no longer beneficial to your body? In other words are you changing the l-Arginine into something else entirely or are you just changing the l-Arginine into some sort of Arginine Salt which is still giving you the benefits of the supplement?

I am hoping that someone can answer this who is a chemist with some knowledge of body chemistry and nutrition, or a nutritionist with some knowledge of chemistry. There are a lot of smart people on these forums, but in this case I am hoping for a scientific answer, rather than just a smart answer.

Thanks!

[powercage]

There is no reason to attempt to modulate body pH.

Exogenous oral Arginine will not increase blood levels as it is quantitatively extracted from the GI (enterocytes) and liver.

[AfroPope]

The acids in, say, lemon juice do not bond with the arginine in a way that would change the chemical makeup of the arginine itself. My understanding is that the compounds that give lemon juice its flavor will bind to the compounds that give the arginine its flavor, masking or neutralizing the extremely bad flavor, but the arginine itself will not be impacted.

If you want to read a whole bunch about masking bitter tastes, here you go: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4898047/

[laners298k4]

Thanks!

[Natty1980]

Anyway once you drink it, it ends up in the most acidic place of your body... your stomach.