What is Glutamine?
Glutamine is an amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks to protein.
Glutamine is not just any amino acid, it is the most abundant amino acid in our
body - and highly concentrated in our muscles. Glutamine has recently been
re-classified as a conditionally essential amino acid. This means that while the
body can make glutamine, there are times when the body's need for glutamine is
greater than its ability to produce glutamine.
What can Glutamine do for me?
Studies have shown that glutamine supplementation can do the following:
- Increase Protein synthesis (which leads to increased muscle mass)
- Increase nitrogen retention
- Decrease muscle breakdown
- Decrease recovery time needed after a workout
- Enhance immune functions
How does Glutamine produce all these positive
effects?
In order to answer this question we first need to review how our body builds
muscles. The key to building muscle mass is protein metabolism (to learn more
about protein click here). Interestingly, our body
does not make muscles while we workout, it is during the recovery time after we
workout that muscles are made. Our body goes through a constant cycle of
catabolism and anabolism. Or, in simpler terms - we are constantly going through
cycles of protein synthesis and protein breakdown (remember, protein is the
building block for muscles). During the stage of muscle catabolism we lose
nitrogen and glutamine is stripped from our muscles. You see, our body needs
glutamine for many other critical functions such as the immune system, and these
functions take precedence over the building of muscles. Without any glutamine in
the muscles we can not build muscle mass and in fact the muscles can start to
breakdown.
The more stress our body is under the more glutamine that is pulled away from
the muscles. And guess what- working out puts a lot of stress on the muscles.
Ironically, when we work out we are really putting our body into a catabolic
state and losing the glutamine that is essential to protein synthesis (which is
how muscles are built). Now, if we supplement our body with glutamine before an
intense workout we allow our body to keep a high supply of glutamine in the
muscles and stop the muscle catabolism. This means the body can use the
glutamine in the muscles to synthesize protein and build muscle mass. In
addition, because there is enough glutamine for the whole body - the other
critical functions such as the immune system have enough glutamine to perform
their necessary functions.
An interesting side note, for years high levels of glutamine have been used
in Emergency Rooms for patients that have been involved in a high trauma
accident. When a person is in a car accident, their body is put into a stressful
situation and begins to enter a catabolic state. The muscles start to breakdown
as the body quickly starts to pull glutamine from the muscles to deal with other
more serious problems. Doctors have found that giving patients a high dosage of
glutamine is very effective in preventing the muscle breakdown. To a much
smaller scale the same theory holds true when you work out - if you keep a high
level of free glutamine, your body will not need to pull glutamine out of the
muscles when the stress begins.
Who should take glutamine supplements?
If you perform any type of serious workout you should consider taking a
glutamine supplement. In addition, if you are going through any type of
stressful event or just trying to fight off the cold or flu - glutamine can be
very helpful.
The following people should NOT take glutamine:
- People with kidney
problems
- People with cirrhosis of the liver
- People with Reye's
syndrome
- Pregnant women
- Women who are breast feeding
If you are on any medications or have a medical condition, you should always
consult with your Doctor before taking any dietary supplement.
How much glutamine should I take?
The amount of Glutamine you take really depends on the amount you work out
and your diet. Glutamine is found in raw parsley and spinach - so if you eat a
lot of these foods you don't need as much glutamine. We recommend that you take
between 5 - 10 grams per day. Other people say to take 20-25 grams a day, but we
think it makes sense to start with a low amount such as 5 grams and then adjust
higher if you feel it is necessary.
Can I take glutamine with other sports
supplements?
Yes. We recommend taking a combination of glutamine, creatine and whey
protein. These three supplements really work well together to increase muscle
mass and speed recovery time. Think of it this way - creatine gives you the
energy to build muscle mass and glutamine and whey protein give the raw
materials to make the muscles.
Is glutamine a safe supplement?
Yes. Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in our body - so we all live
with a great deal of glutamine already in our system. Unlike other sports
supplements, glutamine does not play with the hormone levels in our body. As
long as you stay within the recommended dosage, there should not be any negative
side effects to glutamine supplementation for body building.
Why do we recommend International Protein and RedBak
Glutamine?
International Protein Glutamine and RedBak L-Glutamine are very high quality
and pure products. In addition, they are both reasonably priced.
