Supplementing with L-glutamine

What is it?
L-glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body, making up approximately 60% of free-form amino acids. Glutamine is highly in demand throughout the body. It is used in the gut and immune system extensively to maintain optimal performance.

When the body is under stress from heavy training, the level of glutamine in the muscles and blood decreases dramatically (up to 50%) as the body produces more white blood cells to fight infection and repair damaged muscle tissue. If the body’s stores of glutamine and capacity to produce it are inadequate to meet the demand, the risk of over-training, illness and injury increases.

Who needs it?
Glutamine has been studied since the 1960’s in the treatment of those suffering from trauma (such as burn, surgery, and disease victims).

To a lesser extent, research has been done on its benefits for athletes. Since athletes use a lot of their glutamine during intense training sessions and competitive events, they are more susceptible to illness, as the immune system relies heavily on this amino acid.

Becoming ill or losing lean muscle mass are signs of a deficiency.

Benefits of taking L-glutamine
Here are some of the ways that glutamine supplementation can boost performance and assist in overall health:

• Glutamine has been linked to protein synthesis. It prevents your muscle from being eating itself;
• Glutamine may serve to boost your immune system. For athletes, this is important since intense workouts tend to greatly deplete glutamine levels;
• Helps maintain cell volume and hydration, speeding up wound and burn healing and recovery;
• Increases growth hormone production and release;
• Glutamine is a precursor to Glutathione (an important antioxidant);
• Decreases recovery time from intense training sessions or competitive events;
• Glutamine is one of the most important nutrients for your intestines. It has the ability to ‘repair a leaky gut’ by maintaining the structural integrity of the bowels; and
• Glutamine can cure ulcers! Studies have found that 1.6 grams of glutamine per day had a 92% cure rate in 4 weeks.

How much should be supplemented?
The dosage relative to the volume of intensity and duration hasn’t been well established, but it appears that supplementing with 5-10 grams on the days of very hard workouts and competitive events may be beneficial. The is no known downside from taking in L-glutamine at these levels, and any excess will be excreted in the urine.

When to supplement?
Take L-glutamine in the evening before bed or in the morning upon waking, when your muscles have been without significant nutrition for up to 8 hours. Research shows that L-glutamine can raise growth hormone levels significantly by taking 5-10 grams before bed.

Another good time for L-glutamine is within an hour post workout. This helps in the recovery process from demanding workouts.

Final Thoughts
Whether you’re looking at increasing your athletic performance, build muscle or improve a health condition such as leaky gut or diabetes, L-glutamine should be a part of your daily diet.