L-Glutamine is also one of Secratatropin's ingredients.
L glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in human muscle and plasma. Over 60% of the free-floating amino acid pool in skeletal muscle cells is made up of L glutamine. Glutamine is unique in that like glucose it is one of the preferred energy sources utilized by rapidly proliferating cells. It is a major fuel source for the brain and together with its relatives the stimulant neurotransmitter Glutamic acid and the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA they form the most abundant amino group in the human brain.
It is also a primary nitrogen donor, meaning that it moves the nitrogen around in the body to where it is needed. Maintaining a positive nitrogen balance is absolutely necessary for muscle building.
It is released from the muscle during times of stress (such as hard weight training workouts) and dieting. This amino acid not only has been shown to be a great anti-catabolic agent (protects the muscle from the catabolic activities of the hormone cortisol), to be a contributor to muscle cell volume, and to have immune system enhancing properties but also to help in the following ways:
- Regulation of protein synthesis (this is one of the ways in which steroids exert their muscle building effects).
- Accelerating glycogen synthesis after a workout.
- Sparing the use of the glycogen stored in the muscle cell (recall that the glycogen stored in the muscle cell is what gives the cell the healthy volume and firmness that you seek).
- Faster recuperation from weight training workouts.
Natural sources of L-glutamine include beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, dairy products, wheat, cabbage, beets, beans, spinach, and parsley. Small amounts of free L-glutamine are also found in vegetable juices.
Glutamine is also an important fuel source for enterocytes and supports intestinal maintenance and normal function. It has been used clinically to improve nitrogen balance and minimize protein loss in those suffering with catabolic states caused by surgical stress and critical gastrointestinal illness. In combination with N-Acetyl Cysteine Glutamine promotes the production of a powerful cellular antioxidant called Glutathione that plays a critical role in the defense against free radical damage.
Some of the areas you'll see glutamine support include:
* Muscle growth rates
* Minimized muscle catabolism (breakdown)
* A healthy immune system
* Growth hormone levels
Possibly Effective for:
- Soreness and swelling inside the mouth, caused by chemotherapy treatments for cancer. Glutamine doesn’t seem to reduce pain and swelling for all chemotherapy patients, and it’s not clear which patients are likely to benefit. Some researchers suspect that patients who don’t have enough glutamine to start with are most likely to be helped. Some studies are being planned to test this idea.
- Improving well-being in people with traumatic injuries, when included in a formula used for nutrition. There is some evidence that glutamine keeps bacteria from moving out of the intestine and infecting other parts of the body after major injuries.
- Treating weight loss and intestinal problems in people with HIV disease (AIDS). Taking glutamine by mouth seems to help HIV/AIDS patients absorb food better and gain weight. Doses of 40 grams per day seem to produce the best effect.
Side Effects:
Glutamine is POSSIBLY SAFE for most adults and children when taken by mouth, but the potential side effects of glutamine are not known.
Adults should avoid using more than 40 grams of glutamine daily. Children, age 3 to 18, should not be given doses that are larger than 0.65 grams per kg of weight per day. Not enough is known about the safety of higher doses in children.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
- Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of glutamine during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
- Severe liver disease with difficulty thinking or confusion (hepatic encephalopathy): Glutamine could make this condition worse. Don’t use it.
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG) sensitivity (also known as "Chinese restaurant syndrome"): If you are sensitive to MSG, you might also be sensitive to glutamine, because the body converts glutamine to glutamate.
- Mania, a mental disorder: Glutamine might cause some mental changes in people with mania. Avoid use.
- Seizures: There is some concern that glutamine might increase the likelihood of seizures in some people. Avoid use.
Benefits:
- Supports The Immune System
Glutamine can help maintain a healthy immune system by providing a source of energy for immune system cells known as lymphocytes.
- Maintains A Healthy Gut
A further benefit of L-glutamine is that it can aid and help maintain a healthy gut. L-glutamine can improve the barrier function of the gut and help prevent leaky gut syndrome.
Leaky gut syndrome is a condition in which there is increased permeability of the gut wall. In such circumstances contaminants such as toxins, undigested food and waste can pass through the wall of the intestine and affect other parts of the body.
Glutamine is sometimes taken by AIDS/HIV patients who experience weight loss associated with their condition and its treatment. By supplementing with glutamine, the intestines are able to absorb more nutrients.
- Improves Mental Function
L-glutamine crosses the brain-blood barrier and transports nitrogen to the brain. Benefits include an improvement in mental function such as memory, alertness and concentration.
- Helps Control Blood Sugar Levels
L-glutamine helps regulate the level of blood sugar in the body. When blood sugar levels are low, insulin is suppressed. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas which removes sugar from the blood.
When blood sugar levels are low, glutamine also stimulates the release of glycogen, a form of stored sugar (glucose) which increases blood sugar levels so they can be restored.
- Help Restore Low Levels of Glutamine
Although l-glutamine is synthesized in the body, the introduction of external sources of l-glutamine can brings its own benefits. During times of stress, glutamine levels in the body can become low as more demands are made upon this amino acid.
Factors such as stress, aging and serious illness can cause glutamine to be drawn away from muscles, where the majority of it is stored, to help the immune system or to regulate blood sugar.
Under these circumstances, where glutamine levels are low, glutamine can be a conditionally essential nutrient . Although the body produces glutamine, glutamine supplements can used to restore glutamine levels.
Supplementation of glutamine can help combat the effects from various stress factors associated with high cortisol levels, restoring glutamine and strengthening the immune system.
Stress factors which can deplete levels of L-glutamine include:
* burns
* post surgery wound healing
* infections
* injury
* trauma
- Post Operative Wound Healing
Low levels of glutamine often arise following surgery where the body has been under stress and is in a state of repair. Glutamine can reduce post operative healing time. For example, one study looked at glutamine as a recovery aid for patients following abdominal surgery [4].
The study found that patients given glutamine supplementation had a post operative hospital stay 6 days shorter than the group which were not given glutamine. Also, there were no reported side effects of glutamine from these patients.
- Help Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment
Glutamine may be of benefit to people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Within the body, glutamine is used to form the mucosa, a protective lining in some organs and cavities Glutamine is also used to form the mucosa in the digestive tract.
Glutamine supplements may help conditions associated with problems of the digestive tract. However at present, there is no strong evidence to suggest that glutamine can help with conditions of the digestive tract such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Help Cancer Treatment
Low levels of glutamine are often found in cancer patients who are malnourished following cancer treatment. Glutamine supplements can help restore these levels. Glutamine supplements may also help with the side effects of cancer treatments.
For example, chemotherapy, a treatment for cancer, has many possible side effects including diarrhea and stomatitis / oral muscositis.
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