What is L Glutamine and Do I Need Glutamine Supplements?

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. 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.

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L glutamine was once considered a non-essential amino acid because the body can make its own from the amino acids glutamic acid, isoleucine and valine. Recently, however, is has become known as a conditionally essential amino acid because in times of physical stress, such as intense exercise and surgery, the body requires more of it to maintain its glutamine stores in blood and muscle. When glutamine stores are depleted, you may experience decreases in strength, stamina, and recovery.

In addition to glutamine’s role in muscle maintenance, it is also a key amino acid for intestinal stress and maintaining the immune system. Whenever you are under stress (colds, flu, stress at home or work), you run the risk of your body robbing L glutamine needed for muscle maintenance. Under these circumstances, L glutamine becomes a conditional amino acid, meaning the body can’t make enough on its own to meet the demands of the added stress.

Now, the million dollar question is, do glutamine supplements help restore depleted levels of L glutamine in times of stress? There seems to be some debate on this issue. Guys that take them swear by them, and if you do research on glutamine supplements, you'll find lots of studies that support the theory that they do indeed help restore depleted levels.

If you keep digging, however, you'll find a lot of guys and "experts" who say the jury is still out on how effective they really are. Unfortunately, the bottom line is there seems to be no conclusive evidence that glutamine supplements work to restore depleted levels of L glutamine in times of stress. I know you don't want to hear this, but they may or may not work. The good news is, L glutamine in supplement form is relatively inexpensive and is safe to take so it doesn't hurt to give them a try and see what kind of results you get.

If you want an in-depth, expert opinion on L glutamine supplements, I recommend you get a copy of Will Brink's eBook, Muscle Building Nutrition. Brink is a sports nutrition expert and in his book he covers 29 of the most popular nutritional supplements - glutamine being one of them. He gives unbiased, objective reviews of each supplement and basically tells you which ones really work and which ones are nothing but hype. It was one of the first books I purchased and I refer to it all the time.

You can get more information on his book by reading my Muscle Building Nutrition review.

If you decide to give L glutamine supplements a try, check out my short list of recommended glutamine supplements.

If you're not ready to take glutamine supplements, you can get L glutamine from natural food sources. Those include protein foods such as meats, poultry, fish, dairy products, and beans. Glutamine is also found in some protein supplements.

Recommended Reading:

Glutamine: Can You Give Me Any Practical Advice? - Tom Venuto discusses whether or not glutamine supplements are necessary for building muscle and getting fit.

Other Glutamine Related Pages:

Glutamine Supplements
Benefits of L Glutamine & L Glutamine Side Effects
Glutamine Peptides vs. L Glutamine
Glutamine Dosage Recommendations
Recommended Glutamine Supplements