Hey everyone! This post just came out in the New Living Magazine today – My first ever printed article! It is awesome to see your name in print for the first time. Read on, enjoy!
One of the most frequent questions I get as a strength coach and fitness writer is whether or not the amino acid glutamine should be used for either performance enhancement or size gains. Glutamine is the most abundant non-essential amino acid in the human body. By non-essential, I mean that we do not have to consume this supplement from outside sources because our bodies naturally make it. This amino acid is proven to help with overall cellular function and can possibly assist keeping human cells in an anti-catabolic state according to some studies. Supplementation of glutamine is beneficial during times of extreme physical stress such as illness or extreme training; this is when the need for glutamine can become so great that our bodies’ production of it is not enough to meet our physical needs.
Research has shown that glutamine plays an important role in a variety of biochemical functions. Due to its properties as an amino acid, it aids in protein synthesis. Glutamine has been shown to regulate the acid balance in the kidney by producing ammonium, as well as increase cellular energy through being utilized as a source similar to glucose. Finally, it is a non-toxic transporter of ammonia in blood circulation. What this means for you is that supplementing with glutamine can have a variety of benefits operating at a cellular level. This in turn can lead to an increase lean mass simply through having the processes of the human body work more thoroughly.
Knowing this information causes a couple of questions to come to mind, first by how much does glutamine make the bodies processes work better? And secondly, how much to take? Let’s take a look at the research. According to a 2009 study by the University of Maryland, Glutamine has been shown to be useful for the treatment of serious illnesses, trauma, injury, and cancer healing for post-operative patients. Since most of the conclusive studies have been done on hospitalized patients, it has been tough to get evidence that the use of glutamine will work the same on general fitness enthusiasts, and to what degree. Not only are the studies done on severely ill patients, the dosages range from 5g – 80gs per day. Though there are many coaches and athletes who swear by this supplement, there is no purely conclusive scientific evidence that these claims are true. However experience speaks for itself. After having talks with several professional coaches on the topic although the research is unclear, there are some that have had positive experiences and results using the supplement with their athletes. Therefore, there is some benefit, and it does work for some people.
The research on glutamine has shown conclusive evidence that it works well in aiding with digestive issues in people who have been severely sick, especially because it has been proven in multiple studies to stimulate intestinal cell growth and can help the intestines recover from any digestive distress. The better digestive health will lead to increased performance and muscle mass alone.
In sports performance there have been accounts of noticeable size increases on NHL players over a 12-week period by adding in 80g of glutamine a day broken up into 10g x 8 times a day taken every 2 hours. This is an extreme situation and an extreme dosage, the results are not indicative of a general population person training in a commercial gym. Glutamine loading might help an advanced athlete run .5 seconds faster, or add one more pound to their lift, and maybe even help an elite bodybuilder get a little extra size. For the average fitness enthusiast however the results might not show as much. At the very least it has some chance of helping with digestive issues and energy levels due to increasing overall physiological cellular function.
Even though the research has been mostly done on critically ill patients and not so much on the healthy individual, and because there is evidence to support that glutamine might help clear up digestive issues, I believe it is worth trying. I suggest trying 5-10gs a day over an 8 week period and monitor any differences. For the general fitness enthusiast, glutamine can help some with digestive issues or discomfort feel better, the improved cellular function might help others feel more energetic and perform better. For the advanced athletes, glutamine has a much better chance of improving their performance overall.
Though glutamine is not one of my top 5 supplements and is not a major player in the supplement game it is proven to have some benefit and it is worth finding out how your body responds. Since it has been proven to be non-toxic, it is a safe bet.
Stay Strong,
Joey
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