Health and Fitness Oasis

Glutamine occurs naturally in your body. It is an amino acid which your body produces in abundance. It can be found circulating in the blood stream and it is stored in the skeletal muscles. However, if your body is not getting enough glutamine to supply the rest of your body, it will steal it from the muscles’ supply. 

We don’t want this situation because glutamine then becomes what is considered as ‘conditionally essential’. Simply stated, even though your body can make glutamine, there are times when your body’s need for glutamine is greater than its ability to produce glutamine.

During periods of stress, including extreme exercise, glutamine is literally torn away from the muscles. This weakening can cause muscle wasting while also lowering your immune function. This results in the need to replenish the depleted amounts following exercise, as well as prior to bedtime.

There are many positive uses for glutamine. Not only is it used by athletes and body builders after intense training sessions, but there are several medical uses as well. Over the past fifteen years or so there has been extensive study on the usefulness of glutamine in the treatment of serious illnesses, burns, trauma, wound healing in post-operative patients, as well as cancer and the side-effects of its treatment.

Glutamine can be abundantly found in the proteins of both animals and plants. Some of the dietary sources of glutamine include poultry, beef and pork, cottage and ricotta cheeses, milk and yogurt. The vegetables with fairly high levels of glutamine are raw spinach, parsley and cabbage. If you eat a lot of these foods you will not need as much glutamine.

The higher the amount of protein found in the foods you consume, the more glutamine you are consuming. If you are concerned about not consuming enough glutamine, most quality whey-protein supplements or shakes include supplemental glutamine. The same goes for many of the quality meal-replacement products. They contain on average two grams of glutamine in every serving.

Any athletes participating in sports requiring strength, speed, and endurance (hockey players, football players, bike racers, and skiers), normally use glutamine to assist them in increasing or maintaining muscle mass, especially during periods of intense training. Any extreme-endurance athletes like marathon runners also benefit from glutamine supplements, since it has the potential to prevent muscle-tissue breakdown while supporting the immune system during potential periods of trauma or stress.

Research has shown that supplementing with glutamine — a white, chalky, odorless, slightly sweet powder — could help us maximize muscle growth while increasing fat loss. Glutamine could in fact increase levels of growth hormone, which could lead to a greater level of muscle gain or fat loss. In one particular study it has been shown how just two grams of glutamine can cause a significant increase in the levels of the growth-hormone. 

Unlike other sports supplements, you won’t have to worry about glutamine having any effect on your hormone levels. There should not be any negative side effects to glutamine supplementation for body building as long as you stay within the recommended dosage.

 The amount of Glutamine you take really depends on the amount you work out and your diet. I recommend that you take between 5 – 10 grams per day. Other people say to take 20-25 grams a day, but it makes sense to start with a low amount such as 5 grams and then adjust higher if you feel it is necessary.

 If you’re doing any type of serious workout definitely think about taking a glutamine supplement. Also, if you’re experiencing any type of stressful situation or if you’re fighting off a cold or flu – glutamine can be very effective. 

The right amount of glutamine in your diet can protect your muscles from breakdown and keep your immune system functioning well. If you’re the type of person that tends to be extremely involved in various sports and activities, or is under frequent stress, like many of us these days, taking glutamine is a relatively simple way to keep your health in check.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 10th, 2009 at 1:06 pm and is filed under Fitness Tips, Health Tips, alternative, remedies, vitamins and herbs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.