Glutamine is traditionally considered a nonessential amino acid but may be conditionally essential in patients with catabolic (loss of muscle tissue due to disease) conditions. Glutamine-supplemented foods in these patients have been shown to prevent deterioration of gut permeability, protect against the development of intestinal mucosal atrophy, and improve nitrogen balance.

L Glutamine 1,000 mg, 90 Capsules

L-Glutamine has recently been the focus of much scientific interest. A growing body of evidence suggests that during certain stressful times, the body may require more glutamine than it can produce. Under these circumstances Glutamine may be considered a "conditionally essential" amino acid.  Glutamine is involved in maintaining a positive nitrogen balance (an anabolic state) and also aids rapidly growing cells (immune system lymphocytes and intestinal cell enterocytes).  In addition, Glutamine is a regulator of acid-base balance and a nitrogen transporter.

More glutamine information and if you wish to purchase Glutamine.
Glutamine Serving Size: 1 capsule

Suggested Use: As a dietary supplement, take 1 glutamine capsule 1-3 times daily, preferably with meals, or as directed by your health care provider.

   Glutamine levels in plasma and skeletal muscle are decreased in those with cancer. Glutamine supplementation can attenuate loss of protein in the muscle and protect immune and gut-barrier function during radiochemotherapy in patients with advanced cancer.

Memory
Effects of an oral mixture containing glycine, glutamine and niacin on memory, GH and IGF-I secretion in middle-aged and elderly subjects.
Arwert LI. VU University Medical Center, de Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HVAmsterdam, The Netherlands.
Nutr Neurosci. 2003 Oct;6(5):269-75.
Aging is associated with declining activity of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-I (GH-IGF-I) axis and with a decrease in cognitive function. The stimulatory effect of an orally administered nutritional supplement, mainly containing glycine, glutamine and niacin on the GH-IGF-I axis and on mood and cognition was investigated. Forty-two healthy subjects (14 men and 28 women, aged 40-76 years) were enrolled in a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial. They received 5 g of a nutritional supplement or placebo, twice daily orally for a period of 3 weeks. At baseline and after 3 weeks, blood was collected for measurement of serum GH and IGF-I levels and mood and cognitive function were tested. The nutritional supplement ingestion for 3 weeks was found to increase serum GH levels with 70% relatively to placebo, whereas circulating IGF-I levels did not change. Mean GH increased in this group. GH increase was not associated with improvement in mood or memory. Correlation analyses, however, revealed that individual increases in IGF-I, but not GH, were associated with improved memory and vigour. It is concluded that an oral mixture of glycine, glutamine and niacin can enhance GH secretion in healthy middle-aged and elderly subjects.
       
Glutamine in Sports
Short-term ingestion of glutamine does not enhance weightlifting performance in resistance-trained men.
   Heavy exercise induces impairment of lymphocyte function. Ten male athletes participated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study. Each athlete performed bicycle exercise for 2 h at 75% of maximum O(2) consumption on 2 separate days. Glutamine or placebo supplements were given orally during and up to 2 hours post-exercise. Most lymphocyte subpopulations decreased 2 h after exercise. Glutamine supplementation abolished the post-exercise decline in plasma glutamine concentration but had no effect on lymphocyte trafficking, Natural killer cell activities, T cell proliferation, catecholamines, growth hormone, insulin, or glucose. This study does not support the idea that glutamine plays a mechanistic role in exercise-induced immune changes.
   The combination of glutamine and Creatine increases muscle mass and power.

Glutamine and HIV
Glutamine-antioxidant nutrient supplementation can increase body weight, body cell mass, and intracellular water when compared with placebo in HIV patients.
   Glutamine is helpful in HIV patients who are receiving certain types of anti-viral medicines.

Glutamine Summary
Glutamine appears be helpful in those with cancer, HIV, or other medical conditions that lead to a catabolic state, but does not seem to play a significant role (by itself) in those who are healthy or provide any significant enhancement in athletic performance.

L-Glutamine 1,000 mg per capsule
Glutamine has recently been the focus of much scientific interest. A growing body of evidence suggests that during certain stressful times, the body may require more glutamine than it can produce. Under these circumstances Glutamine may be considered a "conditionally essential" amino acid.  Glutamine is involved in maintaining a positive nitrogen balance (an anabolic state) and also aids rapidly growing cells (immune system lymphocytes and intestinal cell enterocytes).  In addition, Glutamine is a regulator of acid-base balance and a nitrogen transporter.

Glutamine for low birth weight babies
Very low-birth-weight infants given glutamine supplements have a reduced likelihood of developing eczema during the first year of life. However, glutamine enriched feeds don't prevent wheezing or infectious diseases. Dr. Anemone van den Berg, of VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam evaluated babies born before 32 weeks gestation or with a birth weight less than 1500 grams. Infants in the glutamine supplemented group were 87 percent less likely to have eczema than those in the control group. Dr. Anemone van den Berg believes glutamine supplementation may lead to long-term health benefits in very low birth weight infants. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, November 2007.

Glutamine Research - growth hormone release
Effects of an oral mixture containing glycine, glutamine and niacin on memory, GH and IGF-I secretion in middle-aged and elderly subjects.
Arwert LI. VU University Medical Center, de Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HVAmsterdam, The Netherlands.
Nutr Neurosci. 2003 Oct;6(5):269-75.
Aging is associated with declining activity of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-I (GH-IGF-I) axis and with a decrease in cognitive function. The stimulatory effect of an orally administered nutritional supplement, mainly containing glycine, glutamine and niacin on the GH-IGF-I axis and on mood and cognition was investigated. Forty-two healthy subjects (14 men and 28 women, aged 40-76 years) were enrolled in a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial. They received 5 g of a nutritional supplement or placebo, twice daily orally for a period of 3 weeks. At baseline and after 3 weeks, blood was collected for measurement of serum GH and IGF-I levels and mood and cognitive function were tested. The nutritional supplement ingestion for 3 weeks was found to increase serum GH levels with 70% relatively to placebo, whereas circulating IGF-I levels did not change. It is concluded that an oral mixture of glycine, glutamine and niacin can enhance growth hormone secretion in healthy middle-aged and elderly subjects.

L Glutamine for diarrhea in HIV patients
L-glutamine supplementation improves nelfinavir-associated diarrhea in HIV-infected individuals.
HIV Clin Trials. 2003 Sep-Oct;4(5):324-9. Huffman FG, Walgren ME. Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33172, USA.
To determine whether L-glutamine decreases the severity of nelfinavir -associated diarrhea in HIV-infected individuals. Other endpoints include the effect on quality of life, muscle-wasting syndrome, CD4 counts, and viral load. HIV-infected patients with nelfinavir -associated diarrhea for >1 month were randomized to receive L-glutamine 30 g/day or placebo for 10 days in a prospective, double-blind, crossover study. Twenty-five participants completed the study. There was a significant difference between the L-glutamine and placebo arms on the mean grade of diarrhea when placebo was administered first. When L-glutamine was administered first, there was a significant crossover effect, with similar mean grades of diarrhea in the two groups. In this population of HIV-positive participants, L-glutamine 30 g/day significantly reduced the severity of nelfinavir associated diarrhea and produced improved quality of life compared with placebo.

Glutamine for athletic performance
The effects of 8 weeks of creatine monohydrate and glutamine supplementation on body composition and performance measures.
Lehmkuhl M, Malone M. Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.
J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Aug;17(3):425-38.
Twenty-nine (17 men, 12 women) collegiate track and field athletes were randomly divided into a creatine monohydrate (CM, n = 10) group, creatine monohydrate and glutamine (CG, n = 10) group, or placebo group. The CM group received 0.3 g creatine.kg body mass per day for 1 week, followed by 0.03 g creatine.kg body mass per day for 7 weeks. The CG group received the same creatine dosage scheme as the CM group plus 4 g glutamine /day (-1). All 3 treatment groups participated in an identical periodized strength and conditioning program during preseason training. Body composition, vertical jump, and cycle performances were tested before (T1) and after (T2) the 8-week supplementation period. Body mass and lean body mass increased at a greater rate for the CM and Creatine-Glutamine groups, compared with the P treatment. Additionally, the CM and glutamine groups exhibited significantly greater improvement in initial rate of power production, compared with the placebo treatment. These results suggest CM and creatine glutamine significantly increase body mass, lean body mass, and initial rate of power production during multiple cycle ergometer bouts.

Glutamine supplement questions
Q. i have recently started a weight training programme. i currently take 3.3 grams of L-Glutamine powder and 500mg of L-tyrosine an hour before my workout. i know that individual amino acids should be taken on an empty  stomach to avoid competition from other amino acids and to aid absorption, my question is: is it okay to take L glutamine and tyrosine amino acids together at exactly the same time, or should i leave a half hour gap between each? i'm thinking
its okay as L-glutamine isn't one of the five amino acids that compete with L-tyrosine for transport over the blood brain barrier (L-phennylaline, L-tryptophan, and the branched chain amino acids being the five), but can you correct me on that at all? what is the most effective way of taking them in your opinion?
   A. We don't see the need to take tyrosine. L Glutamine and creatine are the most effective for muscle building, along with whey and soy protein supplements.

Q. Can I take Tryptophan and Glutamine together, or will they compete for absorption? What about with the herb tongkat ali?
   A. We have not had any feedback from anyone regarding the combination of tryptophan and glutamine, as a rule it is preferable for amino acids to be taken singly. Glutamine could be taken in the morning while tryptophan may be used in the evening. The libido herb should not interact.

Q. Clinical studies seem to indicate that L-Glutamine may have therapeutic benefits in the treatment of various psychiatric disorders. However, someone recently mentioned to me that amino acids typically compete for entry across the blood-brain barrier. Assuming this to be the case, is it probable that oral supplementation with L-Glutamine could exacerbate brain chemistry imbalances by impeding the allocation of other precursors (i.e., amino acids) which are also essential for the synthesis of various neurotransmitters?
   A. We have not seen any research that indicates the use of L glutamine has negative psychiatric consequences when used in moderate or proper dosages. Large doses of glutamine should not be used for an prolonged period unless there is clear indication and physician agreement that this form of treatment is necessary.

Q. I would like to know if a Glutamine amino acid supplement product converts in any way in the body into anything similar to or the same as Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)? I do not use MSG due to ill effects I receive from it and health research (excitotoxin) on the same.
   A. Glutamine and MSG do not convert into each other.

Glutamine amino acid supplier - press release received August 2008, accuracy of these statements have not been evaluated.
Glutasol L-Glutamine – by fermentation.  Most L-Glutamine on the market has traditionally been produced synthetically through the use of chemicals. Glutasol L-Glutamine is produced by a specific fermentation process which uses only high quality germ and fresh air. The end result is the highest quality glutamine. Combined with the fact that it is micronized to 200 mesh for easy formulating, Glutasol is a good choice for companies wanting to give their customers a safe and excellent glutamine supplement product.