Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid that is part of the protein and is important for maintaining immunity. Glutamine circulates in large volumes in the blood and also accumulates in the muscles. Like any other amino acid, glutamine is found in food, animal or plant origin. Among the main sources of glutamine in animal products are: meat, fish, dairy products and eggs. Among the main sources of glutamine in food of plant origin can be identified: legumes, beets, cabbage and carrots.
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L-glutamine as a sports supplement. Release forms
Human muscles are 60% consisted of this amino acid. In addition, glutamine has a number of benefits (which are discussed below), which explains its widespread use in bodybuilding as a sports supplement.
L-glutamine is available in 3 different forms: powder, capsules or tablets. Like any other sports supplement available in these forms, the powder is the most advantageous in terms of price/volume ratio. In addition, powdered l-glutamine can be flavored.
“Did you know about the existence of some cheap analogue of l-glutamine called glutamic acid? What is this amino acid and can it really replace l-glutamine, I wrote in this article.”
Benefits and side effects of l-glutamine
The benefits of l-glutamine include:
1) Participation in protein synthesis. Glutamine is involved in cell growth and inhibits catabolism, and also promotes the production of growth hormone.
2) Strengthening the immune system. Glutamine serves as fuel for your immune system.
3) Energy function. Glutamine is a source of energy, it is broken down in the liver and converted into glucose, increasing muscle glycogen stores.
4) Accelerated recovery after training. In addition, glutamine prevents overtraining.
5) Cleansing and saturating functions. Glutamine neutralizes ammonia, which is a protein breakdown product and is highly toxic to muscle tissue. In addition, most of the nitrogen (about 40%) that is directly involved in pumping comes to the muscles thanks to glutamine.
6) Maintaining the level of Ph. Glutamine promotes the excretion of lactic acid from the body and helps maintain the necessary Ph-balance.
Some of the positive effects described above are controversial. Scientists are still arguing about them, I have written about it in more details in this article.
Talking about the side effects, I can say that l-glutamine is absolutely harmless. Extremely rarely, such a side effect as intestinal irritation can be observed. But it happens only when you highly exceed with the recommended single dosage (over 15 grams).
How much l-glutamine do you need to take?
The recommended single dosage of l-glutamine is 5 – 10 grams. Everything above this range are poorly absorbed by the body. Therefore, if you need a higher dosage per day, it is recommended to divide the intake into two or three portions.
The best time to take l-glutamine is in the morning, right after a workout, and at the bedtime.
Combining L-glutamine with other sports supplements
L-glutamine can be combined with any other sports nutrition. However, it is not recommended to mix l-glutamine and other sports supplements together as this reduces the rate at which l-glutamine is absorbed. If you are taking the supplements together, it is recommended that you separate your doses by at least 30 minutes for maximum effectiveness.
