L-Glutamine

[sheparay]

OK I have heard this stuff is good to take. Can someone explain what L-Glutamine is and what exactly it does AND if it is worth taking... I have some 500mg tabs... THanks

[Holto]

Can someone explain what L-Glutamine is

it's an amino acid


Can someone explain what L-Glutamine does

it has many roles in the body your muscle protein is 66% glutamine



AND if it is worth taking... I have some 500mg tabs... THanks

no

the reason for this is you have millions of glutamine factories in your body (each muscle cell)

if you take enough protein your body can easily make enough glutamine

[Shao-LiN]

OK I have heard this stuff is good to take. Can someone explain what L-Glutamine is and what exactly it does AND if it is worth taking... I have some 500mg tabs... THanks

Did you get them for free? Glutamine may have some minor benefit while cutting, but it's not worthwhile for the money you spend on it. If you bought it, I suggest you research future supplements before you waste your money.

[waynis]

if you take a protein powder. More then likely they will have over 3,000 mg of L-glutamine per serving in them. Along with regular dietary protein from meats or whatever you will be getting plenty of it. There's no need to supplement it on the side.

[Vapour Trails]

it's an amino acid



it has many roles in the body your muscle protein is 66% glutamine



That's incorrect. I just checked the amino acid sequence for Human Actin (skeletal muscle protein) and only 12 of 377 aminos were glutamine (3.2%). Any protein that is made almost entirely from one amino acid would have no useful activity.

I also check the primary sequence of myosin (1939AAs). I didn't bother to count the glutamines, but it wasn't even 10% of total.

[TTT]

I'd have to agree with V.T. on that one.

[sheparay]

Did you get them for free? Glutamine may have some minor benefit while cutting, but it's not worthwhile for the money you spend on it. If you bought it, I suggest you research future supplements before you waste your money.


I get them really really cheap... So yes and no...

[Holto]

That's incorrect. I just checked the amino acid sequence for Human Actin (skeletal muscle protein) and only 12 of 377 aminos were glutamine (3.2%). Any protein that is made almost entirely from one amino acid would have no useful activity.

I also check the primary sequence of myosin (1939AAs). I didn't bother to count the glutamines, but it wasn't even 10% of total.

thanks

I'm thinking of labile amino's

or I could be mistakenly parroting the million glutamine ads I read in my earlier days of muscle comic books

[Lexxi]

I thought L-Glutamine was an anti-catabolic substance usually taken in the morning with some water?

[firemedic]

Glutamine is very benifical, yes it helps prevent catablisim, it also helps boost the immune system and its functions as well when taken at higher doses such as 20g+(on average). It allows the body to utlize all incoming nutrients for protein synthisis as well as helping in the function of making ATP which inturn involves the creb cycle. It helps with the proper digestion, distribution, and absorption of protiens. Glutamine is probally one of the most underrated suppliments you can buy. It is well worth the money.

[TheGimp]

Glutamine's great, if you're a burn trauma victim.

[Optimum08]

haha Gimp...i personally have done research on this myself...and concluded that the benefits took such high dosages to achieve (20g+ as stated above) that L-Glutamine really wasn't worth the money...that the money was better spent buying a very high quality protein supplement in which sufficient L-Glutamine would be contained...

[firemedic]

Glutamine does work at high doses and is worth the money. I can tell a diffrence when taking it and not taking it. If you buy a quality protien then you still do not get a high enough dose of glutamine in the body. Unlike creatine and protein what your body does not use it tends to keep stored and not urinate it out. I guess that there are those who dont agree but at some point in the future when their bodies start to get used to what is in their system ad platue, then a change in diet and supplements will be a good rest button.

[galileo]

Please search, there are ample discussions on the efficacy of l-glutamine.

[firemedic]

Please search, there are ample discussions on the efficacy of l-glutamine.
Then what is your take on it? Do you belive it is worth it? Remember what waht works for one may not work as well for another it depends on what your body may be defficent or efficent on at the time.
like I say it tends to work for me and I dont get the crud as much when I am taking it, of course I work ain EMS and Hospitals, so I am subject to a lot of crud.

[Scott S]

Then what is your take on it? Do you belive it is worth it? Remember what waht works for one may not work as well for another it depends on what your body may be defficent or efficent on at the time.
like I say it tends to work for me and I dont get the crud as much when I am taking it, of course I work ain EMS and Hospitals, so I am subject to a lot of crud.

Do you eat lots of protein?

If so, you're getting all the glutamine your body needs.

[firemedic]

about 200-300gA DAY BUT I CAN STILL TELL A DIFFRENCE

[galileo]

Then what is your take on it? Do you belive it is worth it? Remember what waht works for one may not work as well for another it depends on what your body may be defficent or efficent on at the time.
like I say it tends to work for me and I dont get the crud as much when I am taking it, of course I work ain EMS and Hospitals, so I am subject to a lot of crud.

My take is that it is not worth it. Getting sufficient protein throughout the day is far more important.

[Optimum08]

so what differences do u feel on it firemedic? have u ever gone long enough to tell how u felt without the glutamine then on? and never did i say L-Glutamine DID NOT work i just stated that it took very high dosages to work with any efficiency at all...and at the price that glutamine is at it was not WORTH the money spent vs. the difference felt...high quality protein consumption yields sufficient amounts of glutamine in and of itself...

[firemedic]

Yah after not taking it for about a week or two I can tell a diffrence, I dont get full, my workouts seem to suffer as in I dont feel as energetic and strong. and I dont digest my shakes as well. Weird huah, but thats me. I realize that you did not mean that it does not work but you can find it and other suppliments at any decent online supplement company for a great price. I get optomim nutritions pro complex for 34.00 for 4.4lbs and 6bucks shipping. I think I paid something like 40.bucks for 1000g of metrex l-glutamine w/No2. I found muscle milk or pro complex to work the best for me. I have not used creatine in the past cause it kills my gut, but my brother sent me some Kre-Alklen and it seems fine. back to the subject though,for me its worth it sorry if there was any confusion.

[Vapour Trails]

Here's some info I found that pertains to this subject that brings up the important issue of bioavailability

"Perhaps more importantly to bodybuilders, the concentrations of certain AAs in the free pool, notably glutamine, are directly correlated with muscle protein synthesis. Glutamine is the most abundant AA found in the free pool, comprising approximately 60% of the pool and variations in glutamine may have an impact on protein synthesis and breakdown (13,14).

In two similar studies, researchers removed a piece of muscle tissue from a rat and perfused (soaked) it in various nutrients including varying concentrations of glutamine and insulin. They found that the higher the levels of glutamine concentration, the higher the rate of protein synthesis and vice versa (13,14). This result is often cited as evidence for the benefit of glutamine supplementation. Similar arguments have been made for the use of supplemental taurine as a cell-volumizer.

Unfortunately (both for supplement manufacturers and bodybuilders), oral consumption of a nutrient is far different than adding it to a perfused cell. Recall from Part 3 that the profile of amino acids ingested has only a small impact on what amino acids are released into the bloodstream. By the same token, the type and/or amount of protein consumed affects the free pool only slightly.

As a prime example, subjects in one early study were given a huge amount of protein, 3 g protein/kg, sufficient to double normal AA intake. However, blood concentrations of most AAs rose only 30% above normal levels, with concentrations of BCAAs doubling over normal levels (15). This demonstrates how tightly regulated the free pool is, and how ineffective the simple addition of one or another AAs to a supplement will most likely be. Additionally, the concentration of amino acids in the bloodstream differs from that seen within the muscle (16) so even changes in blood AA levels may have no impact on intramuscular AA concentrations."

So in short, just because you a taking mega doses of glutamine does not mean that you blood conc. or muscle conc. of glutamine will increase much. Secondly, glutamine oxidation is not a major source of energy as firemedic claims, and it is certainly not during anaerobic excercise, as it requires oxygen to happen. Thirdly, excess glutamine is not stored, it's deaminated and the NH3 is secreted in the urine.

[firemedic]

Then help me understand why I tell the before mentioned results on and off of glutamine.

[Vapour Trails]

Then help me understand why I tell the before mentioned results on and off of glutamine.

Probably because you believe it works and so it does. It's certainly not going to do you any harm and may provide some benefit.