Key Benefits

• Measure your body's nitric oxide blocker (ADMA) to gauge blood vessel function.
• Spot endothelial stress linked to hypertension and atherosclerosis risk when ADMA runs high.
• Clarify cardio-renal risk; ADMA often rises when kidney function declines.
• Guide treatment priorities; elevated ADMA supports tighter blood pressure, lipid, and smoking control.
• Flag metabolic strain; higher ADMA associates with insulin resistance and diabetes complications.
• Support pregnancy risk awareness; higher early ADMA links to preeclampsia and placental dysfunction.
• Track vascular health over time; falling ADMA can reflect improving endothelial status.
• Best interpreted with kidney function (eGFR), lipids, blood pressure, and traditional risk scores.

What is an ADMA blood test?

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is a small molecule made when the body modifies certain proteins during normal cell activity. Enzymes add methyl groups to arginine side chains in proteins (protein arginine methyltransferases, PRMTs). When those proteins are broken down, free ADMA is released into the bloodstream. The body clears ADMA mainly by enzymatic breakdown (dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase, DDAH) and by the kidneys. An ADMA blood test measures how much of this naturally occurring byproduct is circulating.

ADMA matters because it is an internal “brake” on nitric oxide production. It competes with L-arginine at nitric oxide synthase (especially endothelial NOS, eNOS), lowering nitric oxide (NO) availability. NO is the signal that helps blood vessels relax, supports smooth blood flow, and keeps the vessel lining (endothelium) functioning well. By gauging ADMA, the test reflects the state of the NO pathway and endothelial biology—processes tied to vascular tone, microcirculation, and cardiometabolic and kidney physiology.

Why is an ADMA blood test important?

ADMA (asymmetric dimethylarginine) is the body’s own brake on nitric oxide production—the signal that keeps blood vessels relaxed, blood flowing smoothly, platelets calm, and organs well perfused. When ADMA rises, nitric oxide falls, and the whole vascular network—from heart and brain to kidneys and placenta—works under more strain. Typical adult results land around 0.3–0.7, and cardiovascularly “optimal” tends to sit toward the lower end.

When values are on the lower side, they usually reflect strong endothelial health: arteries that dilate easily, steady blood pressure, and efficient oxygen delivery during activity. Many healthy young adults and endurance‑trained people show lower ADMA. In normal pregnancy, lower levels support the increased blood flow the uterus and placenta require. Symptoms are uncommon; some people simply experience naturally lower blood pressure and good exercise tolerance.

When values trend high, they signal reduced nitric oxide bioavailability and endothelial dysfunction. This can show up as higher blood pressure, reduced exercise capacity, or, in men, erectile difficulties. It often accompanies chronic kidney disease (both cause and consequence), insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis. During pregnancy, elevated ADMA is linked with impaired placental blood flow and preeclampsia risk. Children and teens with obesity can exhibit higher ADMA alongside early arterial stiffness.

Big picture: ADMA sits at the crossroads of the L‑arginine–nitric oxide pathway, kidney clearance, and vascular inflammation. Interpreting it alongside SDMA or creatinine (renal function), lipids, A1c, and hs‑CRP helps map endothelial health and long‑term risks for hypertension, heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

What insights will I get?

An ADMA blood test measures asymmetric dimethylarginine, the body’s natural inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. Since nitric oxide controls vessel tone, blood flow, and immune signaling, ADMA reflects endothelial health and microcirculation across major organs.

Low values usually reflect higher nitric oxide availability from less enzyme inhibition and efficient enzymatic and renal clearance. System effects tend to be easier blood flow and lower vascular resistance; lower values are common in younger adults and during healthy mid‑pregnancy.

Being in range suggests balanced nitric oxide signaling and vascular homeostasis, supporting steady blood pressure and organ perfusion. For long‑term risk, values toward the lower half of normal are generally linked with better endothelial function.

High values usually reflect reduced nitric oxide generation and endothelial dysfunction, with increased vascular tone. Common correlates include higher blood pressure tendency, reduced exercise tolerance, cold extremities, erectile or sexual arousal difficulties, and slower tissue repair. Levels rise with aging and are elevated in chronic kidney disease (reduced clearance), insulin resistance or diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking exposure, and systemic inflammation. In pregnancy, higher ADMA is linked to hypertensive disorders such as preeclampsia.

Notes: Interpretation is influenced by renal function, age, and sex hormones; levels often increase after menopause. Assays differ; chromatographic methods are more specific than immunoassays. Some clinicians also examine the L‑arginine:ADMA ratio as a companion index of nitric oxide bioavailability.