L-Glutamine

STRENGTH: 2250 mg
FORM: 120 Capsules

Glutamine is truly an amazing nutrient; it has been used for many years to treat certain immune, digestive disorders, behavioral problems, and enhance muscular growth under stress. This one amino acid is one of the most astounding nutrients to be offered to the industry since its inception! L-Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in the body, making up approximately 60% of its total free form amino acids. It is the only amino that contains 2 atoms of nitrogen. The fact that Glutamine contains two atoms of nitrogen is very significant, in that this extra nitrogen is available to promote the increased synthesis of muscle tissue! In essence Glutamine is known as a nitrogen shuttle, as it picks up nitrogen and drops it off at sites around the body wherever it is needed. Glutamine builds muscle in a number of ways; its primary function is to increase nucleic acid and protein synthesis by generating a hydrated state within the cell. When the cells are hydrated protein synthesis increases, this hydrating mechanism also has the effect of preventing protein breakdown. When levels of Glutamine are high in the cells this also directly affects the entry of other aminos acids and sodium into the cell. When there is an abundance of sodium in the cell, it helps to maintain this swollen hydrated state that also inhibits the breakdown of glycogen (stored sugars) and that hard gained muscle tissue. Even branch chained amino acids don’t work a well as Glutamine when taken alone to increase muscle tissue and prevent muscle breakdown!

Glutamine has been shown to feed the cells that line the intestinal tract. This is very important in that this is where the assimilation process of food begins, this is where we breakdown and absorb the fuel to make muscles grow! It is also the first line of defense against microbes that could invade our bodies and make us sick. Glutamine has been shown to increase the amount of friendly bifido and lacto-bacillus acidophilus bacteria in the gut. This is significant because it prevents a pathology called ‘leaky gut syndrome’, which is one of the leading causes of many types of allergies. Stressful conditions (like working out) will deplete the efficiency with which the digestive system works, and this can greatly affect your training and recuperation. Glutamine does even more; it gets better!

Studies have shown that as little as two grams of Glutamine can stimulate the production of human growth hormone (HGH). HGH is a powerful hormone that is depleted in the body over time as we age. Production of this youthful hormone is also depleted as the body goes into a state of overtraining and depletion. HGH is known to be the most powerful stimulator of muscle mass in the body; it also provides us with the added benefit of helping the body to burn fat. HGH is processed in the liver where it then stimulates the production of insulin-like growth factors (Somatomedins). These Somatomedins are made in the liver and control steady production of muscle and protein synthesis while we sleep. Keep in mind that the rest state is part of your growth cycle (this is when the most HGH is released) and is needed to grow to your full potential!

And so how will taking Glutamine affect your training? The harder you train, the bigger you get… right? This same mentality is what gets athletes into big trouble! The problem is that the more you train when you are in an over trained state the more severe the depletion of your glutamine stores. When the body is stressed, it goes into a catabolic (break down) state, which causes muscle and other tissues to breakdown. This stressed out state, or catabolic state can be caused by your emotions, illness, injury, infection, over training, starvation and other negative stressful situations. It is very important that in times of stress that blood levels of Glutamine remain constant. If blood levels of glutamine drop then the body draws Glutamine from the areas in the system that it is most abundant, the muscles and other tissues! This is a very large part of why the muscle in the body wastes away while it’s under stress, if it does not get enough Glutamine from foods then it gets it from where ever it can… your muscles! This single amino acid does more to prevent the ‘over trained’ state than almost any other amino acid known.

Studies have shown that administration of Glutamine prior to exercise increased plasma bicarbonate levels significantly. Increasing the bodies alkaline reserves will help to increase performance and the body’s ability to grow! Glutamine status in the body is important on so many levels, because low levels of glutamine may be associated with increased acidity and increased mineral loss from the body to include calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. Blood acid levels determine how fast you lose bone mass and cramp up during intense exercise. Increased levels of blood acid can slow down and prevent many systemic chemical reactions from occurring as they should. When the body is put under stress, there is a tremendous release of catabolic hormones that flood the body; and forces it to get ready to do battle, the stress can be physical or mental it does not matter, stress is stress no matter what the source. When stress hits, the release of these catabolic hormones cause the muscles to breakdown and liberate Glutamine. This release of Glutamine helps stabilize the body’s pH, and feeds other systems in the body that require glutamine as a source of fuel and for growth. Taking a Glutamine supplement will help to prevent the body from wanting to take glutamine from your hard earned muscle tissue!

The immune system is so important to athletes, because when you train hard the production of white blood cells has been shown to decrease. When the immune system is impaired the likelihood that you will become ill is increased many times over. This is also true for just regular folks also! A strong immune system helps the body stay strong and prevents any down time; and the drain that pathogenic microorganisms place on it. Glutamine also combines with several other nutrients in the system to form a very powerful antioxidant call Glutathione. This one antioxidant works in conjunction with the standard antioxidants like Vitamins C & E to help protect the body against the damage that exercise and environment free radical production can cause! This is extremely important for long term health and performance.

Supplementation with Glutamine (up to 20 grams per day) by individuals, whose systems are under extreme stress, has been shown to prevent muscular breakdown and sustain muscular growth. A sustained dose of 10 grams or more is well tolerated in a glass of cool water in divided doses over the period of a day on an empty stomach. It cannot be emphasized enough, that products like Glutamine are dose dependent, which means that they need to be taken in the types of dosages that the research has shown them to be efficient at! †

REFERENCES:

1. Dudrick, S. J., D.W. Wilmore, H.M. Vars, J.E. Rhoads. “Long-Term Total Parenteral Nutrition with Growth, Development, and Positive Nitrogen Balance. Surgery 64(1968):134-142.
2. Muhlbacher, F., et al. “Effects of Glucocorticoids on glutamine Metabolism in skeletal Muscle.” Am J Physiol. 247 (1984):E75-E83.
3. Rennie, M. J., et al. “Skeletal Muscle Glutamine Transport, Intramuscular Glutamine Concentration, and Muscle Protein Turnover. Metabolism 38 (1989):47-51