Glutamine is an amino acid that is produced by the body and found in food. It is a building block of protein and plays a vital role in the immune system and intestinal health. Glutamine can be obtained from the diet or from supplements. Glutamine may have some health benefits, especially when the body is under stress from injury or illness. However, it may also have some risks and side effects. In this article, you will find out what is glutamine good for, what are the benefits, risks and dosage of glutamine supplements.
What Is Glutamine?
Glutamine is an amino acid that is produced by the body and found in food. Amino acids are molecules that play many roles in the body. Their main purpose is to serve as building blocks for proteins. Proteins are essential for the organs, as well as for other functions such as transporting substances in the blood and fighting off harmful viruses and bacteria.
Glutamine exists in two different forms: L-glutamine and D-glutamine. They are almost identical but have a slightly different molecular arrangement. The form found in foods and supplements is L-glutamine. L-glutamine is used to make proteins and perform other functions, while D-glutamine seems to be relatively unimportant in living organisms.
L-glutamine can be produced naturally by the body. In fact, it is the most abundant amino acid in the blood and other body fluids. However, there are times when the glutamine needs of the body are greater than its ability to produce it. Therefore, it is considered a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning that it must be obtained from the diet under certain conditions, such as injury or illness.
Glutamine also has a special role in intestinal health. It helps maintain the intestinal lining, which ensures that the body absorbs the nutrients it needs and protects against serious problems like leaky gut syndrome.
What Is Glutamine Good For?
Glutamine has many functions in the body. Some of them are:
- Supporting the immune system: Glutamine is required for the white blood cells and some intestinal cells that fight infection and disease. However, the blood levels of glutamine decline when we are sick or injured, reducing these immune cells’ ability to defend the body. While there is conflicting evidence on whether it boosts immunity in healthy people, studies show that it can improve recovery times and reduce complications when we are sick.
- Protecting intestinal health: Glutamine’s immune system support is closely related to its activity in the intestines. Glutamine helps maintain the intestinal lining, which ensures that the body absorbs the nutrients it needs and protects against serious problems like leaky gut syndrome. Glutamine also contributes to the growth of beneficial bacteria and cells in the gut, while preventing harmful bacteria and toxins from spreading from the gut to the body.
- Promoting muscle gain: Glutamine is abundant in muscle tissue. During exercise, the muscle levels of glutamine decrease. Therefore, taking glutamine supplements may help prevent muscle breakdown, increase muscle synthesis and speed up muscle recovery. However, this effect is not very clear, because some studies have found no difference between glutamine and placebo.
What Are The Benefits Of Glutamine Supplements?
Glutamine supplements may offer some health benefits, especially when the body is under stress from injury or illness. These benefits include:
- Strengthening the immune system and preventing infections: Glutamine supplements may help boost the immune system and prevent infections, especially in people who are critically ill or have undergone surgery or trauma. For example, one study found that glutamine supplements reduced the risk of infections by 50% in patients who had abdominal surgery.
- Improving intestinal health and treating gut conditions: Glutamine supplements may help improve intestinal health and treat gut conditions, such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease and intestinal inflammation. For example, one study found that glutamine supplements improved intestinal permeability and reduced inflammation in patients with Crohn’s disease.
- Enhancing exercise performance and recovery: Glutamine supplements may help enhance exercise performance and recovery, by preventing muscle breakdown, increasing muscle synthesis and speeding up muscle recovery. For example, one study found that glutamine supplements reduced muscle soreness and strength loss in athletes after a strenuous exercise.
What Are The Risks And Side Effects Of Glutamine Supplements?
Glutamine is generally safe and has no serious side effects for most people. However, some situations may make glutamine supplements harmful. These include:
- Kidney or liver disease: Glutamine may increase the ammonia levels in people with kidney or liver disease, and cause health problems. Therefore, these people should avoid glutamine supplements or consult their doctors before taking them.
- Manic depression or bipolar disorder: Glutamine may trigger manic episodes in people with manic depression or bipolar disorder. Therefore, these people should avoid glutamine supplements or consult their doctors before taking them.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women: The safety of glutamine supplements for pregnant or breastfeeding women is unknown. Therefore, these women should avoid glutamine supplements or consult their doctors before taking them.
What Foods Contain Glutamine?
Glutamine is naturally found in a variety of foods. It has been estimated that a typical diet contains 3 to 6 grams per day, but this can vary depending on your specific diet. The highest amounts are found in animal products due to their high protein contents. However, some plant-based foods have a greater percentage of glutamine in their protein. One study used advanced lab techniques to determine how much L-glutamine is found in various foods. The following are the percentages of protein made up of L-glutamine in each food:
- Eggs: 4.4% (0.6 g per 100 g of eggs)
- Beef: 4.8% (1.2 g per 100 g of beef)
- Skim milk: 8.1% (0.3 g per 100 g of milk)
- Tofu: 9.1% (0.6 g per 100 g of tofu)
- White rice: 11.1% (0.3 g per 100 g of rice)
- Corn: 16.2% (0.4 g per 100 g of corn)
How And When To Use Glutamine Supplements?
Some tips for using glutamine supplements are:
- The optimal dose of glutamine supplements may vary from person to person. Generally, a dose of 5 to 45 grams per day is recommended. However, it is better to determine this dose by consulting your doctor.
- You can take glutamine supplements in powder, capsule or tablet form. You can mix the powder form with water, juice or protein powder and drink it. You can take the capsule or tablet form before or after meals.
- The most effective times to take glutamine supplements are before exercise, after exercise and before bed. These times may help prevent muscle breakdown, increase muscle synthesis and speed up muscle recovery.
Conclusion
Glutamine is an amino acid that is produced by the body and found in food. It is a building block of protein and plays a vital role in the immune system and intestinal health. Glutamine can be obtained from the diet or from supplements. Glutamine may have some health benefits, especially when the body is under stress from injury or illness. However, it may also have some risks and side effects.
In this article, you found out what is glutamine good for, what are the benefits, risks and dosage of glutamine supplements. The benefits of glutamine include:
- Strengthening the immune system and preventing infections.
- Protecting intestinal health and treating gut conditions.
- Promoting muscle gain and enhancing exercise performance and recovery.
- Contributing to the healing of the body in stress situations such as injury, burn and surgery.
- Playing a role in protein synthesis and other biochemical functions.
The risks of glutamine include:
- Kidney or liver disease patients should avoid glutamine supplements or consult their doctors before taking them.
- Manic depression or bipolar disorder patients should avoid glutamine supplements or consult their doctors before taking them.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid glutamine supplements or consult their doctors before taking them.
The foods that contain glutamine include:
- Eggs
- Beef
- Skim milk
- Tofu
- White rice
- Corn
We hope this article was helpful to you. For more information on glutamine, consult your doctor. Have a healthy day!😊