What are the Glutamine Health Benefits?

Amino acids are one of the substances in the body that we can consider our ally. Along with other nutrients, amino acids are capable of keeping the body healthy and preventing it from experiencing different types of diseases. Although there are a number of beneficial amino acids in our system, one of the most common is none other than the glutamine. So what is glutamine and what are the different glutamine health benefits?

What is Glutamine

Glutamine, or otherwise known as the L-glutamine, is a type of amino acid that can be produced naturally by the body. Because of the fact that our body is capable of producing our own glutamine, using any glutamine supplementations is not considered necessary. Nevertheless, our body can still benefit from extra glutamine since this amino acid can be very handy especially in times of severe stress. This is the reason why other people still rely or opt to use glutamine supplementation in order to acquire its various health benefits.

Discovering the Health Advantages of Glutamine

Glutamine is classified as a non-essential amino acid since this can be produced or synthesized by the body without the need of any help from external factors such as our diet. However, in recent findings about glutamine, scientists have already categorized glutamine as a conditionally essential amino acid. This change has been influenced by the discovery of our body’s need for amino acids. Studies have proved that the body requirement of this particular amino acid can still exceed the total amount of it produced by the system. This is why supplements are now considered essential in compensating for the increase in demand for glutamine.

One of the known benefits of glutamine is its benefits in muscle building. Just like what is mentioned earlier, glutamine is essential during times of physical stress. Bodybuilders these days are taking in glutamine supplements since this helps them cope up with the physical stress they’re encountering during workouts. This aids in the fast development of the muscles as well as in the boost of the muscle strength. Nowadays, glutamine is also used not just for muscle building, but as well as in treating cases such as arthritis, immunity disorders and intestinal problems.

Aside from the ones mentioned above, glutamine is also a huge component of the skeletal muscle, which makes up more than 60% of its tissue. In fact, glutamine is recognized as the most abundant amino acid in the body. It is also involved in many other important metabolic processes of our system. This can be converted into glucose and can be used as compensation for energy as well as in maintaining the normal blood sugar levels in the body. It is also essential in the body’s immune function as well as keeping the white blood cells healthy. It is an important protective substance for the liver as well as the intestinal walls and the lining of the stomach.

Most athletes also rely on the use of glutamine supplements since their intense routines and physical workouts can cause a depletion of the said amino acid in the body. With the help of these supplements, the energy as well as the performance level of their body is maintained, which can also protect them from different types of infection. Unfortunately, there are also other factors that can cause the reduction of glutamine levels such as chemotherapy and other autoimmune disease like HIV and the inflammatory liver diseases. This makes dietary sources of glutamine insufficient for the body’s needs, which is why we can rely more on the benefits of supplements.

Other health benefits of glutamine include the treatment of many neurological disorder or problems as well as mental illnesses. One possible explanation of this is because the amino acid glutamine is capable of passing through to the blood brain barrier and can be converted into another amino acid called glutamic acid that can promote or improve the brain function. Other studies have also shown that the intake of glutamine can also reduce the risk of other neurologic problems such as epilepsy, depression and schizophrenia. Senility is also treated with the supplement of glutamine.

Aside from the ones mentioned above, this amino acid is also good in promoting normal cell growth and division throughout the entire body. This can aid the immune defenses against particular infections and diseases such as scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis and HIV. This can also be helpful in the fast recovery of patients after undergoing major operations or surgery. This can increase the blood and nutrient supply of the body to the affected areas up to 30%.

Aside from supplements, glutamine can also be seen in some food sources such as beef, poultry and dairy products. Some plants or vegetables can also provide additional glutamine in the body such as cabbages, parsley, spinach and a lot more. The only problem in getting the required glutamine from food or dietary sources is that most of the glutamine is destroyed during the cooking process. As we all know, most of our foods are cooked and not raw. This is why supplements can also be very handy in providing us the needed glutamine requirement for the body. These are just some of the important facts and details about the amino acid glutamine as well as the different health benefits of it to the body.