Glutamine: The Basics

Glutamine is 1 of 11 nonessential amino acids. Just because it's nonessential doesn't mean it's not necessary. Simply put, the body can produce what it needs. 60% of all free form amino acids come in the form of glutamine. During times of stress (stress not defined), glutamine reserves are depleted.

Glutamine: The Benefits

* Boosts immune system functions * Maintain muscle mass (preservation) * Prevents muscle breakdown (catabolism) * Enhances glycogen storage * Aids recovery from exercise * Promotes healing * Increases growth hormone levels

Many studies have already proven that despite all the hype about how glutamine supplementation might help increase muscle mass, strength and prevent the dreaded OT (overtraining) syndrome, research articles that can be found today (2006) that examine glutamine supplementation benefits on performance, body composition and protein degradation have shown that it offers no noticeable, scientifically proven benefit to the weight lifter.

[There goes that popular theory that glutamine helps preserver your precious muscle after workouts or in general.]

Face it... nobody makes any money proving a supplement doesn't work.

Obviously when I received the original article about glutamine's super muscle building benefits, I was curious myself. After finding the research done by David Barr, I was so excited I couldn't wait to tell you. I'm not going to provide a full reference list - they're all right at the end of David Barr's article which will be included here for your reference.

[Thank you, David Barr, for doing all the leg work so I can pass along your research.]

To summarize some of the key points that David Barr found in his original research:

* A high protein diet or that of a well-fed bodybuilder who is following the standards for protein consumption, will be adequately supplied with all the dietary glutamine they need. About 10% of your total dietary protein intake is comprised of glutamine (3-10% from milk proteins; 15% from mean sources). In my case, given my stats and dietary intake, I'm getting around 29g of glutamine a day from my diet. More than most supplement companies would ever recommend I supplement with anyway.

* A lot of theories hold onto the belief that because glutamine helps with clinical stress, it will help with exercise induced stress. But keep in mind that exercise has nothing on real clinical stress. Nitrogen loss in real clinical stress is vastly more prevalent than the leg workout you just did.

* In a 2001 study by Candow et al, they concluded that 0.9g of supplemental glutamine/kg/day during resistance training had no significant effect on muscle performance, body composition or muscle protein degradation in healthy adults. At my current weight, that is 75g of glutamine a day!

[Re-read this: Candow et al (2001) just blows the presumption that glutamine is somehow an anti-catabolic agent for the bodybuilder and going to preserve all that muscle you are working so hard to keep.]

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