Glutamine supplementation is thought to be important especially for overworked, overtrained and overstressed individuals. It supports the immune system, increases glycogen synthesis, and supports the anticatabolic effect. It is also the most abundant free aminoacid in the body. Curtis Koch, expert trainer, wrote an article, “Glutamine Creatine’s Sexy Sister?” in which he suggests that it could be more important than creatine; “Critically ill patients, burn victims, and people undergoing surgery also require additional glutamine. When the body is exposed to this stress or trauma it draws glutamine from skeletal muscle stores. In an attempt to heal itself, the body sends stored glutamine to damaged tissue.”
However, the article Dosing and Efficacy of Glutamine Supplementation in Human Exercise and Sport Training by Michael Gleeson (The Journal of Nutrition. Bethesda: Oct 2008. Vol. 138, Iss. 10; pg. 2045S, 5 pgs) explains that there is little evidence of required glutamine suplementation; “Consuming glutamine supplements is unlikely to be of substantial benefit in terms of fluid balance restoration or preventing immunodepression after exercise, although there are some suggestions of a possible role for glutamine in stimulating anabolic processes, including muscle glycogen and protein synthesis. The available evidence at present is not strong enough to warrant a recommendation for an athlete to use a glutamine supplement.”
Others have stated it’s important role in numerous functions. A precursor for protein synthesis; it provides the nitrogen for synthesis of arginine, purines, pyrimidines, nucleotides, glutathione and taurine (the last two being important antioxidants); and it transports amino-nitrogen to intestine, liver and kidney. With its involvement in renal ammoniagenesis it plays a key role in acid-base homocostasis. Particularly reliant on glutamine as a fuel are the rapidly dividing cells of the gastrointestinal tract (enterocytcs, colonocytes) and the immune system (lymphocytes, macrophages). Glutamine may affect stress-induced accumulation of extracellular fluid by changing the cellular hydration state. An increase in cellular hydration acts as an anabolic proliferative signal, whereas cell shrinkage is catabolic and anti-proliferative(Glutamine supplements in the critically ill; Raymond D’Souza, Jeremy Powell-Tuck. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. London: Sep 2004. Vol. 97, Iss. 9; pg. 425, 3 pgs).
The truth of the matter is you don’t want to be without it. It has been shown that critically ill people should supplement with glutamine. In addition, the general consensus seems to suggest a need to supplement with glutamine for extreme exercise.
Post a Comment