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What Is Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AAKG)?
What is arginine alpha-ketoglutarate? It is a salt that pairs the amino acid arginine with alpha-ketoglutarate, and it is the second line of the Melonex blend. That line can weigh at most 250 mg per capsule. The two AAKG studies we read found no gain in strength or blood flow.
Written by the Melonex numbers deskUpdated · 4 min read
01Plain definition
What is AAKG on the Melonex label?
On the label, AAKG appears as L-Arginine (Alpha-Ketoglutarate dihydrate), the second ingredient in the blend.
AAKG bonds arginine to alpha-ketoglutarate, a compound from the same cell-energy chemistry as malate. The word "dihydrate" means water molecules ride along in the crystal and add weight.
The blend is listed by weight, heaviest first (21 CFR 101.36 (proprietary blends)). AAKG is second, so it cannot weigh more than the first line and cannot top 250 mg. Half of 500 mg is the limit for place two.
The label prints no single amount, so the real figure may sit well under 250 mg.
02By the capsule
How much AAKG is in 1 or 2 capsules?
One capsule holds at most 250 mg of AAKG, and two capsules at most 500 mg.
The label allows one capsule a day and up to two. The ceilings double with the dose.
These numbers count the whole salt, including the alpha-ketoglutarate and the water. The pure arginine is less.
A worked example shows how loose a ceiling is. Say line one weighs 400 mg. Only 100 mg is left for lines two and three together, so AAKG could hold no more than 100 mg. The heavier line one is, the smaller line two must be.
1 capsule a day
- L-Citrulline DL-Malate≤500 mg
- L-Arginine (Alpha-Ketoglutarate dihydrate)≤250 mg
- L-Arginine HCL≤167 mg
- Whole blend500 mg
- Water
- 8 oz with the capsule
- One bottle lasts
- 60 days
- Label
- The suggested use
2 capsules a day
- L-Citrulline DL-Malate≤1,000 mg
- L-Arginine (Alpha-Ketoglutarate dihydrate)≤500 mg
- L-Arginine HCL≤333 mg
- Whole blend1,000 mg
- Water
- 16 oz with the capsules
- One bottle lasts
- 30 days
- Label
- The most the label allows
Ceilings from the label order (place k holds at most 500/k mg) (21 CFR 101.36 (proprietary blends)). The label: "As a dietary supplement, take one (1) capsule daily with an 8 oz. glass of water. May take up to two (2) capsules daily."
03The studies
What have AAKG studies found?
The two AAKG studies we read found no extra strength and no extra blood flow compared with placebo.
Both were small and both were about exercise, not blood pressure. Neither tested Melonex.
| Study | People | Dose | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 crossover (J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2012, AAKG) | 16 men | 3,000 mg, 45 min before lifting | No difference in one-rep max or total load |
| Baylor study (Baylor University, AAKG and blood flow) | 24 men | An AAKG product for 7 days | No effect on arm blood flow versus placebo |
The first study did not measure nitric oxide or blood flow. The second found that exercise itself raised both.
Sixteen and twenty-four men, one session and one week. That cannot speak for older adults, for women or for people with high blood pressure, and it says nothing about months of daily use.
04Scale check
Is a capsule near the AAKG study dose?
A capsule's AAKG ceiling is 250 mg, or 8% of the 3,000 mg used in the strength study.
Two capsules reach 500 mg, which is 17% of that dose. The ratio would be lower if the true line weight is under its ceiling.
Studies of a different dose do not carry over to a capsule. Even at 3,000 mg, the strength study found nothing to report.
- Do not read an AAKG gym claim as a heart claim.
- Check any blood pressure drug or nitrate with your doctor first.
- The general arginine cautions live in the AAKG ingredient page.
Keep taking prescribed medicine and tell your doctor about any supplement.
05Should you care
Does AAKG change whether to buy Melonex?
AAKG is a small part of a short label, so judge the whole blend, not this one line.
Nothing about AAKG sets Melonex apart or rules it out. Judge the blend, the guarantee and the seller. Compare the arginine grams used in trials in our arginine dose post, and see the claims versus evidence page for what the label wording can mean.
The 3- and 6-bottle packs ship free per the seller's order page. Confirm prices at checkout.
Prices listed on the seller's order page; confirm at checkout. The 2-bottle kit costs $158, with $9.99 shipping. Ask your doctor about your medicines first. 60-day money-back guarantee per the seller.
Melonex is not a treatment; it is a dietary supplement. Ask your doctor or pharmacist first if you take blood-pressure medicine, nitrates for chest pain, an erectile-dysfunction drug such as sildenafil or tadalafil, a potassium-sparing diuretic (amiloride, spironolactone, triamterene), a blood thinner, or diabetes medicine, or if you have had a recent heart attack. Arginine and citrulline can add to these. Keep taking prescribed medicine. See side effects and interactions.
06FAQ
Melonex questions people ask
Is AAKG the same as L-arginine?
No. AAKG is arginine bonded to alpha-ketoglutarate, so a given weight holds less arginine than the pure amino acid. The label's L-arginine HCL line is a different salt. Neither tells you the pure arginine amount.
Does AAKG build muscle?
A crossover study of 16 men found no difference in strength after 3,000 mg of AAKG (J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2012, AAKG). That is one small study. Melonex makes no muscle claim on its label.
Does AAKG raise blood flow?
Not in the study we read. A Baylor trial of 24 men found a week of an AAKG product gave no extra arm blood flow after lifting versus placebo (Baylor University, AAKG and blood flow). Exercise itself raised blood flow in that study.
Is AAKG safe with blood pressure pills?
Ask your doctor or pharmacist, because arginine can add to blood pressure medicines and nitrates (Mayo Clinic, L-arginine). Keep taking prescribed medicine and share your supplement list with your care team.
07Who wrote this
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the label, the seller's materials and linked NIH, FDA, CDC, AHA, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read how we write and how we check reviews. This website is run by Melonexheart, which describes itself as a U.S. authorized Melonex merchant. It is not the manufacturer or the label's distributor, and we cannot independently verify the 'authorized' status. We are paid when you buy through our order links.
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