For decades, researchers have been amazed at the diversity of functions and possible applications of various amino acid preparations. Since the early 1980s, fitness enthusiasts have also been playing with these building blocks in an effort to gain a certain amount of muscle mass. Over time, the rating of some amino acid drugs soared up, while others, on the contrary, fell into oblivion. Recently, glutamine has become especially popular, and this is no coincidence. Glutamine, so to speak, is the backbone of the amino acid kingdom.
To be precise, glutamine is not one of the “essential” amino acids. It can be synthesized in the body from some other amino acids – glutamic acid, valine and isoleucine. But during times of illness and stress (weight training is also stressful), some parts of the body need so much glutamine that the body can’t stand it. In such cases, glutamine preparations come to the rescue. In fact, in many European clinics, glutamine is prescribed in addition to the treatment of patients suffering from stress or trauma (post-surgery, burns, various diseases, and so on). Studies show that this use of glutamine helps reduce muscle loss in humans, as glutamine has a strong anti-catabolic effect.
Our body uses a huge amount of glutamine throughout the day. Especially a lot of glutamine is required to maintain the proper functioning of the immune system, kidneys, pancreas, gallbladder and liver. Glutamine also has an important nitrogen transport function, it removes ammonia from certain parts of the body (brain and lungs, for example) and transports it to others (kidneys and intestines). In addition, glutamine is used as a raw material for the powerful natural antioxidant glutathione (which is synthesized from glutamine, cysteine, and glycine). It is also believed that glutamine is important for the proper absorption of muscle glycogen; although, in fact, it is not entirely clear how this happens. I don’t believe this is because glutamine improves insulin release, nor is it likely to be converted to an amino acid that can bind glucose like alanine.
In addition to all of the above, glutamine is one of the few amino acids that cause additional production of growth hormone: two grams of glutamine taken orally leads to, in fact, a four-fold increase in growth hormone levels. Whether this is good or bad, it is still not known for sure, but it is absolutely certain that it has not hurt anyone yet. I could go on and on, but to summarize, I can only say that this amino acid is needed by the body in large quantities for a number of important functions, including proper muscle metabolism. Where does all this glutamine come from? Usually the body concentrates a fairly large supply of glutamine in muscle tissues. Muscles are actually the storage sites for this amino acid; in fact, 60% of the free amino acids found in muscle cells are synthesized from glutamine.
When the gut, immune system, and other “glutamine scavengers” can’t get enough of this amino acid from food, and the body for some reason can’t produce it, they begin to “plunder” muscle stores of glutamine, and when this happens, we get into a state of catabolism, or the breakdown of muscle tissue. The reason this happens is because glutamine keeps the water supply to the cells at the right level. As a result, when the level of glutamine in muscle cells drops, the volume of the latter decreases – catabolism is evident.
As a rule, we do everything possible to protect ourselves from this condition, so taking glutamine seems to be very appropriate and useful. But consuming glutamine in huge amounts, with the dream that it will somehow get to the skeletal muscles, is far from the best idea. Studies show that 50 to 85% of a large oral dose of glutamine simply does not enter the bloodstream, having had time to be digested before.
So what is the best way to take glutamine (and I’m sure no fitness athlete doubts the need for this)? Personally, I believe that it is quite enough to consume two to three grams of the drug per day. Many of you are already doing this intuitively. Did you know that most meal replacement and multi-ingredient foods contain about two grams of glutamine per serving? Many protein supplements are also fortified with glutamine. So every time you use one of these products, you get what you need. the amount of glutamine. And this is good. Research scientist Anthony Almada is confident that at the right time (immediately after a hard workout or just before bedtime) you can meet your gut and immune system’s need for plenty of glutamine through the precise dosage to maintain proper levels of glutamine in your muscle cells. If you provide these major organs with glutamine, they will not deplete muscle stores, and muscle cell volume and protein metabolism in the muscles will remain at the proper level.
This theory is the basis of a product developed by Anthony Almada in 1993 called GKG, the Glutamine Preservation System. In fact, GKG was the first sports drug to be marketed as “cell bulking” (a term widely used in the fitness supplement world these days). The basis of the theory of glutamine storage in reserve lies in its name itself: the formation and maintenance of glutamine reserves in muscle tissues. The drug contains not only a gram of glutamine itself, but also a certain amount of its precursors, substances that are involved in the synthesis of glutamine in the body, such as alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG), and important participants in the synthesis process, such as manganese and RNA.
Since then, Almada has developed a drug called CytoVol that expands the spectrum of the GKG formula; it contains other substances that support the hydration of muscle cells, such as alanine (necessary for muscles during intense work), glycine and inositol. Recent studies have shown that glycine, when combined with glutamine, has a greater muscle cell volumizing effect than glutamine alone. During hunger strikes (when we sleep, for example) and after meals, glutamine is released from the muscles to maintain proper blood sugar levels. Alanine can maintain muscle glutamine levels by converting to glucose in the blood when you are restricting your calorie intake, such as when you are on a strict diet or simply when the gaps between meals are too long. How Much Glutamine Does Your Body Need? Although it is still not scientifically established what exactly this number should be, there is no doubt among fitness and scientific experts that glutamine is important. Most of the information about the required the amount of glutamine at the moment comes only from clinics, and sick people act as experimental subjects. How much glutamine a healthy fitness athlete needs for optimal muscle metabolism, improved muscle cell size, and immune system health remains to be seen. However, my personal opinion is that if glutamine is taken in addition to a diet rich in protein and carbohydrates, then a tangible effect from taking it will be observed at a dosage of ten grams per day. As I said, some of this amount may come from food replacement products and protein mixtures. You can also go to a sports nutrition store and buy pure glutamine, then consume it in two or three grams along with protein shakes or simply dilute it in water and wash it down with regular food. Personally, I take a serving immediately after a workout and one more before going to bed.
Another interesting detail is that some researchers believe that “loading” drugs like glutamine in combination with carbohydrates that increase insulin release for five to seven days can help increase muscle cell size (by supersaturating glutamine stores in cells). Thus, if you are just starting out on glutamine supplements, I would recommend taking four equal servings per day. And make sure you have one serving at the end of your workout and another one before bed.
If you haven’t tried glutamine yet, you should. Expert opinion, scientific data and the experience of many people speak in favor of this drug.