Many athletes never cease to praise glutamine and its benefits to the training athlete. I’m used to making up my mind on a particular issue, based on THEORY + PRACTICE. Because even the most working supplement that has been praised for decades – creatine monohydrate, may simply not work for you, in practice (according to scientific studies and the conclusions of professional athletes, creatine monohydrate has no effect at all on 30% of people!), although it seemed everyone has ATP. Although, this is indeed a rarity. Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid that is part of the protein that makes up 50-60% of our muscles. What does conditionally irreplaceable mean? This means that our body can synthesize it on its own, and quite successfully, since our muscles are half glutamine, but for a long time it was and is considered that an additional intake of glutamine is simply necessary to achieve high results in bodybuilding. Is it so? Effects of glutamine use and research In many sources, you can see the same described effects from taking glutamine: Participates in the synthesis of muscle proteins (although its effect on muscle growth has not been proven); It is a source of energy in the body, along with glucose; Suppresses the secretion of cortisol (anti-catabolic effect); Strengthens immunity; Prevents the development of overtraining; Influences the process of glycogen accumulation; Is an anti-stress factor; Promotes the transmission of impulses to the muscles; Improves brain activity; But should these conclusions be taken at face value? What does scientific research say about this? Here is the conclusion from Wikinson’s research: “According to the experiment in two groups of subjects, the addition of glutamine to food does not affect the rate of muscle protein synthesis after exercise. The mixture of carbohydrates and glutamine did not lead to an acceleration of glycogen resynthesis (recovery) after exercise, but reduced the degree of muscle breakdown (catabolism).” Conclusion: Glutamine supplementation probably does not help protein synthesis, but reduces muscle breakdown (anti-catabolic effect). The following two studies suggest that glutamine has no effect on strength and volume. bodybuilders: “Glutamine supplementation during strength training does not affect physical performance, muscle growth and protein synthesis rate in the body of young healthy athletes” There was no difference in strength between the bench press and the leg press between the control and placebo groups.” Conclusion: Glutamine does not appear to affect strength, muscle growth, or protein synthesis. Here’s another conclusion from another study: “Although glutamine supplementation was directly associated with an increase in this amino acid in the blood, its effect on overtraining and immunity was not found.” Conclusion: The effect of glutamine on increasing the body’s resistance to diseases and improving recovery abilities is ambiguous. So, “in the furnace” glutamine? It would seem that glutamine does not bring any benefit, BUT why then do most professional athletes tend to say that this supplement really works? The second thing that raises doubts is the LIFETIME OF GLUTAMINE IN THE SPORTS NUTRITION MARKET! Glutamine was used in higher dosages by athletes of the 60s and 70s, i.e. it has “passed the test of time”. As a rule, completely non-working supplements or those that work very weakly disappear from the shelves of sports nutrition stores after 1-2 years of their appearance on the market (as an allegedly milder analogue of steroids – Ecdisten or Ecdysteron). But glutamine is still being sold and very successfully! What’s the matter? And the thing, in my opinion, is that theory can be very different from practice. Based on studies at the University of Oxford involving ultra and marathon runners, it was found that: “Glutamine supplementation taken immediately after running and again after 2 hours is likely to reduce the risk of infection and increase immunity. In the week after the marathon, only 19% of the runners who took glutamine got sick, while 51% of those who took the placebo.” What else will be very interesting for runners? And the fact that it was found that IN SLOW MUSCLE FIBERS (MMF) THREE TIMES MORE GLUTAMINE THAN IN FAST (BMW)! Here is my article on muscle fiber types. Based on another study, it was found that glutamine is an additional source of energy during training, because. many amino acids can be converted first to glutamine and then to alanine. Alanine, on the other hand, is first converted to glucose in the liver, and then returned to the muscles! Thus, glutamine can provide up to 10% of energy, depending on glycogen levels, training intensity, and energy intake. Well, here is another very interesting study: “The need for glutamine is greatly increased during stressful conditions, such as injuries, operations, burns and other tissue damage, as well as physical exertion. In these cases, the actual glutamine produced by the body becomes insufficient.” There have been many studies using glutamine in people with burns of varying degrees, as well as in other situations where people have lost a lot of protein, and it has been found that the introduction of this amino acid (usually through an IV) significantly slows down catabolism. As you can see, everything is ambiguous! Some studies say one thing, others another. What should be done in this case? BASED ON PRACTICE!+ Glutamine intake
That is why I decided to experiment on myself. For a month I took glutamine 3 times a day, 1 g at a time. In the morning, before training and at night in the mass-gaining cycle (October-November 2015). I summarize. – Costs: 40 packs of glutamine in a pharmacy, 10 tablets of 0.250 mg each, cost 1240 rubles. — Effects: REALLY BECOME HURT LESS! There was not even a hint of malaise, although before that it happened periodically once every 2-3 weeks; Gained about 3-4 kg of “dirty mass” (muscles + fat); There was an improvement in appetite; The increase in strength indicators WAS NOT DETECTED! Apparently glutamine has an immunostimulating effect on me, because. I started getting sick less. Mass gain could also be associated with reaching the working dosage of creatine monohydrate, as well as with the start of training with microperiodization. Strength has not increased significantly. There were no abnormal jumps in my training diary. Foods Containing Glutamine We can get enough glutamine from food. Animal sources of glutamine: Dairy products, beef, chicken, eggs, fish. Vegetable sources of glutamine: beans, spinach, parsley, beets, cabbage. If you are eating enough of these foods, then additional glutamine intake is likely unnecessary. How to take glutamine There are some average recommendations on taking glutamine, but I will give them from my practical experience. It is often advised to drink 15-20 grams of glutamine daily, but I do not see the point in such a large dosage purely for economic reasons. Firstly, more than 10 g of glutamine in 1 dose is unlikely to be absorbed by a person (the absorption threshold is approximately 8-10 g) Secondly, as you can see above, I consumed 3 g of glutamine per day (1 g, 4 tablets of 0.250 mg). In a month I got 1240 rubles. I honestly don’t see the point in spending 5 times as much money every month. Although, if you buy this supplement in a sports nutrition store, you will get much cheaper. Therefore, I recommend drinking glutamine: 3-8 g of glutamine per day 3 times a day: in the morning, before training and at night. How to combine glutamine with other supplements? The most common recommendation is: CREATINE + GLUTAMINE. Or: CREATINE + GLUTAMINE + AFTER 30 MINUTES PROTEIN. I agree with this, because if you take the protein along with creatine, then the protein will reduce the rate of absorption of glutamine (less will reach the muscles). Creatine and glutamine can be mixed together and drunk with sugary juice in the morning or after a workout. As with protein, the same is true with other sports supplements: DRINK GLUTAMINE FIRST, THEN ANOTHER SPORT PIT (pre-workouts, testosterone boosters, etc.). Conclusions I think it is worth drawing a line under all of the above. Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid that makes up 50-60% of our muscles. The body successfully synthesizes it on its own. Glutamine has some positive effects on the immune system during exercise. Glutamine can be easily obtained from food. In addition, there is often no expediency. Glutamine can be taken alone or with creatine. Protein and the rest of the sports nutrition in 15-30 minutes. I think the main points are clear. Glutamine has some positive effect on the training process, but you don’t have to spend your last money on it (as a supplement you can), because. there are more working sports supplements. CREATINE and BCAAs are prioritized over GLUTAMINE. Here is an article about BCAA and what it is for. You can start taking GLUTAMINE if you have free funds and a desire to experiment. It might work much better for you. If there is a choice between quality nutrition and buying glutamine, then I would chose food (meat, chicken, fish, eggs, etc.).