We need many minerals, vitamins and amino acids for our body to function in a healthy way. While some of them are produced by our own body, we have to get some from outside. Glutamine, one of the amino acid types that are the building blocks of proteins, is both produced by our body and can be taken from the outside as food or supplement.
Glutamine basically strengthens our immune system and keeps our intestines working regularly. Of course, like many amino acids, it also increases our exercise performance and accelerates muscle recovery. For this reason, sometimes the production of our body is not enough and it is necessary to take supplements. Let’s take a closer look at what glutamine is, what it does, its benefits and the harms of using supplements.
Let’s start with a basic definition; What is glutamine?
Glutamine is one of the amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins. Glutamine, which can be produced by our body, is also found in many foods. It is possible to talk about two different forms, L-glutamine and D-glutamine. Of these, L-glutamine is considered more important.
What does glutamine, a type of amino acid, do?
Glutamine, one of the amino acids that are the building blocks of protein, is vital for many of our organs. As it carries substances in the blood, it also fights viruses and bacteria. The L-glutamine form is the form found in foods and supplements. L-glutamine makes protein and is the most abundant form of amino acid in the blood.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of glutamine:
- It strengthens the immune system.
- It regulates our gut health.
- It provides muscle gain.
Strengthens the immune system:
Glutamine is essential for the functioning of white blood cells and some intestinal cells, which form the basis of our immune system. Especially in major injuries, burns and surgeries, the body’s need for glutamine increases. In animal studies, it has also been seen that glutamine fights bacteria and viruses.
Regulates our gut health:
The healthy functioning of the intestines is not only about going to the toilet regularly, there are trillions of bacteria in our intestines and they form the basis of our immune system. Glutamine ensures that these bacteria and cells are healthy. Glutamine, which ensures the healthy growth of beneficial bacteria and cells, prevents the spread of harmful bacteria and toxins from the intestine to the body.
Provides muscle gain:
In fact, this effect is not very clear because in a study, glutamine and placebo showed the same effect. However, since it is one of the amino acid types that are the building blocks of proteins, we can clearly say that it will allow the muscles to recover much faster, especially after intense exercises. Glutamine, which also reduces muscle pain, also makes the feeling of tiredness come later.
Before moving on to supplements, let’s see the foods containing glutamine:
- 0.6 grams of 100 grams of eggs contain 4.4 percent glutamine.
- 1.2 grams of 100 grams of beef contains 4.8 percent glutamine.
- 0.3 grams of 100 grams of skimmed milk contains 8.1 percent glutamine.
- 0.6 grams of 100 grams of tofu contains 9.1 percent glutamine.
- 0.3 grams of 100 grams of white rice contains 11.1 percent glutamine.
- 0.4 grams of 100 grams of corn contains 16.2 percent glutamine.
These are the foods that contain the most glutamine-weighted protein. The easiest way to get glutamine through food is to consume red meat and other animal products. The rates may be low, but if we think that we need to take 3 – 6 grams of glutamine in a healthy diet, we can meet all of our daily glutamine needs with an average meal we will prepare with these foods.
What about glutamine supplementation:
Our body naturally produces glutamine, and we can get plenty of it through food. However, sometimes these are not enough. We may need much more glutamine than normal, especially in those who do intense training, infectious diseases or major surgeries. This is where glutamine supplementation comes into play.
If you have a plant-based, low-protein diet, you may need to take a glutamine supplement. Because daily intake of at least 3 – 6 grams of glutamine is absolutely necessary. If you are new to using glutamine supplements, start with an average dose of 5 grams. You can increase or decrease it according to your body’s needs.
What are the harms of glutamine supplementation?
In a study on the subject, participants were given glutamine supplements at doses ranging from 5 grams to 45 grams per day. Negative effects were seen in short-term use in people who took 14 grams or more of glutamine. Therefore, the dose taken in glutamine supplementation is extremely important.
As for the harms of glutamine supplementation, we currently only know what the short-term effects are, and accordingly high doses are harmful. However, there are not enough studies yet on the long-term effects of regular use. For this reason, we can say that taking a maximum of 10 grams of glutamine supplements per day is harmless in the short term, but we do not know what will happen in the long term.
Does glutamine really work?
Of course it works, after all, our body produces it naturally and we can get it naturally from food in nature. The benefits of protein and building block amino acids to our bodies are indisputable. Since glutamine is a kind of amino acid, it is certain that it has benefits for our body.
But when it comes to glutamine supplements, things get a little messy. Yes, it may be necessary to use glutamine supplements in cases where you cannot produce enough naturally, cannot get enough with food and our body suffers from this deficiency. However, it would be a lie to say that we do not have certain information about its long-term effects.
However, we can say unequivocally that at least dietary glutamine intake really strengthens the immune system, regulates our gut health, and heals muscles much faster after training. As long as you adjust the dose well, glutamine supplementation will maintain these effects.
We answered questions such as what is glutamine necessary for our intestines, immune system and muscles, what is it for, what are the harms. What we describe is for informational purposes only. Do not forget that you should get the most accurate and specific information about the use of glutamine from a specialist physician, as in all health issues.
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