Leaky gut is a condition in which heat stress and reduced blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract cause intestinal cell damage that loosens tight junctions between cells, allowing for the absorption of things that are not supposed to pass through the intestinal barrier.

A dysfunctional or leaky gut allows toxins and bacteria to enter the bloodstream. As previously noted, glutamine has been shown to reduce gut permeability. Glutamine supplements may also help reduce instances of GI issues when exercising, especially during the heat.

If you have read almost any of our other blogs, you already know this, but GI issues are one of the main reasons an athlete DNFs during an ultramarathon.

Lastly, Human growth hormone HGH is best known for influencing bone and muscle growth and body composition. Recent research has shown that glutamine can increase hGH. Just another checkbox checked. If you plan to take glutamine, you want to know whether it is safe. Keep in mind that much higher levels have been tested without adverse effects and may be safe, but the data sets are limited.

Therefore, the OSL is set lower by these researchers. Gleeson found no adverse effects of oral glutamine supplementation at 45 grams per day for six weeks. This is where research can divulge.

Additionally, the benefits of glutamine for endurance athletes are reaped at different times of glutamine supplementation. The research on glutamine and hGH shows that these benefits are seen when taking glutamine in a fasted state. For exercise recovery, glutamine is typically taken after a workout.

The same timing applies to muscle soreness and damage prevention. Most research leans toward taking glutamine immediately after exercise for the most benefits. You have probably already guessed it, but here at Ultraverse Supplements, we have something for you!

Our recovery formula, Terminus , contains 4 grams of glutamine per serving, which science says is required to be effective. Terminus was designed to be the ULTIMATE recovery formula! Trust me. You will notice a significant difference!

Before I started taking Terminus, my legs would be so sore after a run I had difficulty going up and down the stairs. Now, I no longer limp and wobble around the house after long runs. Bassini-Cameron, A. Glutamine protects against increases in blood ammonia in football players in an exercise intensity-dependent way.

Br J Sports Med, 42 4 , Bowtell, Joanna L. Castell, L. Can glutamine modify the apparent immunodepression observed after prolonged, exhaustive exercise? Nutrition, 18 5 , Coqueiro, A. Glutamine as an anti-fatigue amino acid in sports nutrition.

Nutrients, 11 4 , Córdova-Martínez, A. Effect of glutamine supplementation on muscular damage biomarkers in professional basketball players. Nutrients, 13 6 , Gleeson, M. Dosing and efficacy of glutamine supplementation in human exercise and sport training.

The Journal of Nutrition, 10 , SS. Legault, Z. The influence of oral L-glutamine supplementation on muscle strength recovery and soreness following unilateral knee extension eccentric exercise.

International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 25 5 , Close, G. Glutamine supplementation reduces markers of intestinal permeability during running in the heat in a dose-dependent manner.

European Journal of Applied Physiology, 12 , Role of glutamine in protection of intestinal epithelial tight junctions. Roth, E. Nonnutritive effects of glutamine. Risk assessment for the amino acids taurine, L-glutamine and L-arginine.

Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology : RTP, 50 3 , Glutamine supplementation in recovery from eccentric exercise attenuates strength loss and muscle soreness. Waldron, M. The effects of acute leucine or leucine-glutamine co-ingestion on recovery from eccentrically biased exercise.

Amino Acids, 50 7 , The effects of acute leucine or leucine—glutamine co-ingestion on recovery from eccentrically biased exercise. Welbourne, T.

Increased plasma bicarbonate and growth hormone after an oral glutamine load. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 61 5 , You can find her bossing around the rest of the crew at all of Chase's ultra-endurance events.

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What is Glutamine? Why Should I Care About Glutamine? The Benefits of Glutamine for Endurance Athletes Glycogen Synthesis Coqueiro et al.

Ammonia Accumulation In the same literature review previously discussed Coqueiro et al. Immune System Stimulation Glutamine supplementation has been shown to decrease the incidence of illness in endurance athletes Castell, Exercise Recovery Legault et al.

Gut Permeability Glutamine is vital for maintaining a healthy gut. Human Growth Hormone One of the more recent topics of research with glutamine is its possible effects on Human Growth Hormone HGH.

Increased glycogen synthesis Reduced ammonia accumulation Reduced muscle soreness and damage after exercise Improved recovery after Immune System Stimulation Reduced gut permeability Increased HGH levels How Does All This Relate to Endurance Sports?

As you can tell, the benefits of glutamine for endurance athletes are pretty impressive. Is it Safe to Take glutamine? When Should I Take Glutamine?

These studies included the following: Glutamine and improved immunity - Athletes in hard training are often prone to infections, particularly of the throat and the upper respiratory tract, and some evidence suggested that this lowered immunity is at least aggravated, if not caused by glutamine depletion.

In the same year, Castell and Newsholme demonstrated that giving post-exercise glutamine supplements, not only improved the ratio of immune T-helper cells to T-suppresser cells, but also reduced the level of subsequent infections 7. Their later research also found positive effects of glutamine on immunity 8,9.

Glutamine and improved muscle growth - Many studies have suggested that glutamine stimulates protein synthesis and inhibits protein breakdown in muscles. One of the mechanisms by which glutamine appears to exert its effects is by increasing cell volume.

Glutamine taken up by the muscle cells acts to draw fluid into cells through an increase in intracellular osmolality. This may then promote muscle fiber growth via the stimulation of an enzyme called nitric-oxide synthase in a similar way that a mechanical stretch influences gene expression.

Shabert et al reported that glutamine supplementation was successfully able to reverse muscle mass loss in non-exercising HIV patients 10 , while Rennie et al found evidence that the glutamine pool size may affect an osmotic signalling mechanism that regulates the whole body protein metabolism Glutamine and improved glycogen synthesis - Replenishing muscle glycogen stores after training is another crucial factor in recovery and adaptation to exercise, and glutamine seems enhance this process.

Perriello et al found that not only can glutamine itself be used as a substrate to synthesise glycogen which is normally synthesised from glucose units contained in dietary carbohydrates but also that glutamine can increase the process of gluceogenesis in the body where glucose and therefore glycogen can be made from carbon fragments other than those derived from glucose Put simply, glutamine seems to both provide a source of glycogen and tell other cells in the body to make glycogen from fragments of other molecules — thus adding to the normal glycogen replenishment that occurs when post-exercise carbohydrate is consumed.

Glutamine and brain function —Glutamine may also play a role in brain biochemistry. Glutamine is the precursor of glutamic acid GA and gamma-hydroxybutyrate GABA — see this article both of which are vitally important brain neurotransmitters GA is an important excitatory neurotransmitter while GABA is inhibitory or calming.

GA and GABA have to be synthesised in the brain from glutamine because of the three, only glutamine readily passes through the blood brain barrier. Recent glutamine research On the face of it, these early findings seem promising and suggest that optimizing glutamine intake could play a valuable role into boosting immune function, enhancing recovery and reducing fatigue, all of which should improve exercise performance.

Over the past decade or so however, more studies have been carried out looking into this very question, with a number of interesting findings. Summarized below are some of the key studies, outlining the study protocol and main findings studies that used glutamine in conjunction with other ergogenic nutrients such as creatine are not included here : Study design : Thirteen runners 9 male and 4 female who supplemented 0.

Protocol : Twice-daily interval training for a period of days. Findings: There was an increase in nasal IgA concentrations but no change in other immunological parameters or physical performance.

Protocol : Administered 30 minutes before the exercise, consisting of a protocol that simulates the movements of a soccer match intermittent exercise on the treadmill. Findings: Improvement in the time and distance, and reduced feelings of fatigue after supplementation with glutamine peptide and carbohydrate.

Study design : Ten physically active males who took L-glutamine in two doses 0. Findings: An increase in the time until exhaustion in the glutamine supplemented group compared to water only group. Protocol : A minute basketball game. Findings: Improvement in basketball shooting performance and visual reaction time with a low dose of L-glutamine compared to water ingestion placebo.

Study design : Twenty eight well-trained men who took one four supplementation types: 1 0. Protocol : Running-based anaerobic sprint test consisting of 6 x 35 metres of discontinuous sprints. Carbohydrate alone did not produce a significant benefit. Study design : Elite rowers who supplemented for 7 days before a rowing test with BCAA 3.

Protocol : metres of rowing at the maximal intensity using an indoor rowing machine Concept II. Findings: Glutamine supplementation reduced the plasma levels of creatine kinase a marker of muscle tissue breakdown 30 minutes after exercise compared to the values measured immediately after training.

Study design : Twelve endurance trained males who undertook three trials: 1 a sports drink containing 4. Findings: Time to exhaustion was longer when supplementing with L-glutamine compared to the no-hydration trial, but there was no difference between L-glutamine supplementation and the sports drink only placebo.

Study design : Eleven physically active men and women who supplemented one hour prior to and immediately post exercise with 0. Findings: Glutamine supplementation reduced subjective fatigue, ratings of perceived exertion and markers of gastrointestinal damage.

Taking the more recent findings on glutamine in the round, they are largely positive, with far more studies finding benefits than no benefits. However, athletes who are looking for a magic bullet to boost performance should be under no illusion that glutamine is a universal panacea.

While most of the studies have found some benefits, caution is required. For example, improved times to exhaustion, less subjective fatigue or higher power outputs do not necessarily equate to improved race or time trial times the gold standard for assessing performance.

Nevertheless, improved reaction times, lower perceived fatigue, less muscle breakdown during exercise, lower levels of fatigue and more stamina during exhausting exercise are not to be sniffed at!

What we can say perhaps is that while extra glutamine in the form of supplementation does not by any means guarantee superior performance in the short term, its actions in the body reduced muscle damage, immune potentiation, reduced mental fatigue etc could be of value for athletes in terms of supporting the body during heavier or more intense periods of training.

Maintaining optimum glutamine status How can athletes ensure an optimum or increased intake of glutamine? Do athletes always need more glutamine compared to their sedentary counterparts?

Is supplementation always necessary? Short-duration intense exercise can also deplete plasma glutamine, and several bouts in close proximity can cause a cumulative depletion. This depletion may last for anything from a few hours to several days in overtrained athletes.

The answer therefore is that athletes may well benefit from higher than standard intakes. The obvious place to start with optimizing glutamine intake is the day-to-day diet. Beans — especially soybeans — are a good source of glutamine but some low-protein vegetable foods are too.

In particular, red cabbage is a surprisingly good source of this amino acid! Of particular interest to athletes in that list perhaps is whey protein a milk protein , which is very rich in glutamine.

Whey is the staple protein used in many recovery drinks, and which for various reasons is particularly suited to athlete recovery see this article on whey.

There is a downside however in that simply eating more protein glutamine rich in the diet does not necessarily seem to increase the rate of glutamine replenishment, and this is where a pure glutamine supplement may help Although more research is needed, many athletes have anecdotally reported substantial benefits by using a 2 to 5-gram dose immediately after training and again and two hours later.

Additional doses on an empty stomach, either last thing at night or first thing in the morning in periods of heavy may also help. Pure L-glutamine is readily soluble in water and compared to many pure amino acids tastes quite pleasant, so you can easily dissolve a few grams of pure L-glutamine into water or your favourite cordial.

As stated above, whey is already a really excellent source of glutamine, but some of the better whey recovery drinks also contain additional glutamine to ensure that a 5-gram intake can easily be achieved without the need to consume large amounts of other proteins.

Be aware however that some manufacturers provide this extra glutamine in the form of hydrolyzed wheat protein. Athletes who are allergic to wheat gluten should stick to pure free-form glutamine instead, adding it to a whey protein recovery drink as required. A final caveat here is to remind athletes that the very best way of enhancing performance through nutrition is to ensure that they build a strong nutritional foundation based on an excellent diet.

This should consist of a whole unprocessed diet rich in complex unrefined carbohydrates, fresh fruits and vegetables and high-quality, lean proteins such as lean meats, fish, dairy products and nuts and seeds.

References Nutr Clin Pract. Front Biosci. Jul-Aug ;13 Can J Physiol Pharmacol. Biochem J. doi: Sports Nutr. Sports Med. Read More Amino acid supplements: should you branch out for performance? Amino acids and performance: brain vs. L-carnitine: back on the block.

Which whey to go? Choosing the right protein. Andrew Hamilton Andrew Hamilton BSc Hons, MRSC, ACSM, is the editor of Sports Performance Bulletin and a member of the American College of Sports Medicine.

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Thank you for all the work that goes into supplying this CPD resource - great stuff". Further reading Amino acid supplements: should you branch out for performance? Andrew Hamilton looks at recent research on the performance benefits of pre-exercise amino-acid supplementation.

Endogenous glutamine production in critically ill patients: the effect of exogenous glutamine supplementation. Crit Care. Murray SM, Pindoria S.

Nutrition support for bone marrow transplant patients. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Neu J, DeMarco V, Li N.

Glutamine: clinical applications and mechanism of action. Oudemans-van Straaten HM, Van Zanten AR. Glutamine supplementation in the critically ill: friend or foe? Perez-Barcena J, Marse P, Zabalegui-Perez A, et al.

A randomized trial of intravenous glutamine supplementation in trauma ICU patients. Intensive Care Med. Tao KM, Li XQ, Yang LQ, et al. Glutamine supplementation for critically ill adults.

Cochrane Database Sys Rev. Vahdat L, Papadopoulos K, Lange D, et al. Reduction of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy with glutamine. Clin Cancer Res. van Stijn MF, Ligthart-Melis GC, Boelens PG, Scheffer PG, Teerlink T, et al.

Antioxidant enriched enteral nutrition and oxidative stress after major gastrointestinal tract surgery. World J Gastroenterol. Vidal-Casariego A, Calleja-Fernandez A, de Urbina-Gonzalez JJ, Cano-Rodriguez I, Cordido F, Ballesteros-Pomar MD. Efficacy of glutamine in the prevention of acute radiation enteritis: a randomized controlled trial.

JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. Weitzel L, Wischmeyer P. Glutamine in Critical Illness: The Time Has Come, The Time Is Now. Critical Care Clinics.

Wilmore DW. The effect of glutamine supplementation in patients following elective surgery and accidental injury. Yang L, Moss T, Mangala LS, et al. Metabolic shifts toward glutamine regulate tumor growth, invasion and bioenergetics in ovarian cancer. Mol Syst Biol.

Ziegler TR. Glutamine supplementation in cancer patients receiving bone marrow transplantation and high dose chemotherapy. Share Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Home Health Library.

Glutamine L-glutamine. Uses Wound healing and recovery from illness When the body is stressed from injuries, infections, burns, trauma, or surgical procedures , it releases the hormone cortisol into the bloodstream.

Inflammatory bowel disease IBD Glutamine helps protect the lining of the gastrointestinal tract known as the mucosa. Athletes Athletes who train for endurance events like marathons may reduce the amount of glutamine in their bodies. Cancer Many people with cancer have low levels of glutamine.

Dietary Sources Dietary sources of glutamine include plant and animal proteins such as beef, pork, poultry, milk, yogurt, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, raw spinach, raw parsley, and cabbage.

Available Forms Glutamine, usually in the form of L-glutamine, is available by itself, or as part of a protein supplement. Standard preparations are typically available in mg tablets or capsules. How to Take It Take glutamine with cold or room temperature foods or liquids.

Pediatric For children 10 years and younger: DO NOT give glutamine to a child unless your pediatrician recommends it as part of a complete amino acid supplement. Adult Speak with your health care provider regarding dosing instructions.

Precautions Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, you should take dietary supplements only under the supervision of a knowledgeable health care provider.

Possible Interactions Lactulose: Glutamine supplementation can increase ammonia in th body, so taking glutamine may make lactulose less effective. Supporting Research Abcouwer SF. Decker GM. Glutamine: indicated in cancer care? Clin J Oncol Nurs. Rakel D. Integrative Medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; Reeds PJ, Burrin DG.

Glutamine and the bowel. One extremely essential amino acid that gets depleted with hard training is glutamine. The depletion is said to likely be from the demand for glutamine from different organs exceeding the supply in the body after exercise.

The role of this essential amino acid in the body is to assist with protein synthesis to build stronger muscles, support the immune system, and for the enhancement of hydration in the body. After strenuous exercise, the depletion of glutamine can last up to six days, which can greatly affect the recovery process of muscle damage.

The low state of this essential amino acid is also what causes athletes to be more susceptible to illness, such as colds and the flu, following hard training.

Glutamine may also be depleted with other conditions such as trauma, burns, muscular dystrophy, and any other conditions causing stress in the body. Muscle tissue damage is almost inevitable in athletes. The breakdown of muscle, causing tiny tears, is what builds strength. But this strength is only built during the recovery and healing process.

Of course, nutrition will also play an important role in these strength gains. It is always a good idea to eat after a workout, especially after a strenuous run.

A carbohydrate and protein-rich meal or snack is ideal, since this will help speed up the recovery process. As mentioned above, choosing a protein powder that includes the essential amino acids as part of a recovery shake is a good option to replenish the possibly lost glutamine.

Glutamine alone also comes in the form of capsules, so this may be a quicker option for some athletes. Glutamine is essential to immune function as it assists with lymphocyte proliferation and the production of cytokines.

What does this mean? Well, lymphocyte proliferation is basically cell production and cytokines are molecules the immune system needs in order to communicate when there is infection, inflammation, or trauma.

Without these processes, immunity is weak and cannot properly fight against bacteria. Studies have shown that the inclusion of glutamine following surgery, medical procedures, and trauma, especially in patients with a compromised immune system, resulted in lower levels of infection and shorter hospital stays.

Because of this relationship, all athletes should be encouraged to eat a diet with balanced and adequate! amounts of the macronutrients carbohydrate, protein and fat , as well as the essential micronutrients vitamins and minerals , at the very minimum. I would also add glutamine supplementation to this list because of its relationship to immune, gut and muscle health.

The richest dietary sources of glutamine include fish, meats, beets, raw cabbage and legumes. Unfortunately, glutamine is easily destroyed by heat, and the aforementioned foods are best consumed after some degree of cooking, which may negate their use a direct supply of glutamine.

Despite this, consuming protein and more specifically proteins that contain branched chain amino acids leucine, valine and isoleucine is the most ideal way to augment glutamine stores. I recommend supplementing with glutamine if any of the above situations pertain to you.

This benefit is quite important for endurance athletes. Pugh et al. Glutamine has also been shown to reduce exercise-induced intestinal permeability leaky gut syndrome. This may further prevent GI distress, which is commonly associated with ultra-endurance exercise.

GI distress is one of the most common issues that can lead to a DNF for endurance athletes. Research shows that short-term and long-term glutamine supplementation in healthy athletes does not have significant adverse effects Davani-Davari et al.

Studies have found that participants tolerated acute glutamine intake of g without ill effects. Furthermore, researchers found no harmful effects in a study where athletes consumed 28g of glutamine daily for 14 consecutive days Gleeson, Additionally, doses of up to.

Here at Ultraverse Supplements, we strive to make the most complete and beneficial supplements on the market. In our recovery formula, Terminus , we have included 4 grams of glutamine. Glutamine was added to our recovery drink to take it to the next level in endurance recovery formulas.

We created Terminus to be the most comprehensive plant-based recovery supplement on the market. We guarantee you will notice a difference. Look at the reviews , read about our ingredients, and try some for yourself. Castell, L. Can glutamine modify the apparent immunodepression observed after prolonged, exhaustive exercise?

Nutrition, 18 5 , Glutamine and the effects of exhaustive exercise upon the immune response. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 76 5 , Coqueiro, A. Glutamine as an anti-fatigue amino acid in sports nutrition. Nutrients, 11 4 , Córdova-Martínez, A.

Effect of glutamine supplementation on muscular damage biomarkers in professional basketball players. Nutrients, 13 6 , Davani-Davari, D. The renal safety of L-carnitine, L-arginine, and glutamine in athletes and bodybuilders.

Journal of Renal Nutrition, 29 3 , DuBourdieu, D. Chapter 61 — glutamine supplementation: Hope, hype, or stay tuned? Gupta, R. Srivastava Eds. Gleeson, M. Dosing and efficacy of glutamine supplementation in human exercise and sport training.

The Journal of Nutrition, 10 , SS. Kreider, R. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15 1 , McCormack, W. Fukuda, D. Effects of l-alanyl-l-glutamine ingestion on one-hour run performance. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 34 6 , Oral glutamine supplement reduces subjective fatigue ratings during repeated bouts of firefighting simulations doi Pruna, G.

Effect of acute L-alanyl-L-glutamine and electrolyte ingestion on cognitive function and reaction time following endurance exercise. European Journal of Sport Science, 16 1 , Close, G.

Glutamine supplementation reduces markers of intestinal permeability during running in the heat in a dose-dependent manner. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 12 , Waldron, M. Glutamine for endurance athletes is getting a lot of hype lately. But should it be, or is it just another way for supplement companies to make a buck?

Keep reading to learn more about glutamine and its relation to endurance sports. Glutamine is an amino acid and happens to be the most abundant one found in your body. As the body is able to synthesize it, glutamine is not considered an essential amino acid. Thus, glutamine is considered a conditionally essential amino acid.

Glutamine plays several roles in our bodies. It is involved in cell proliferation a fancy way to say the growth and division of cells , energy production, glycogen synthesis, ammonia buffering, and maintenance of the acid-base balance. Glutamine is found in meat and eggs, and whey and casein proteins contain large amounts of glutamines.

Vegans and vegetarians with low dairy intake may require glutamine supplementation, as foods in these diets are poor sources of glutamine. Fun fact about glutamine: there have been reports that those taking glutamine supplements have also experienced a reduction in sugar cravings!

Also, though many believe the opposite, glutamine supplementation does not affect overall body composition. Partly due to its immunomodulatory ability to stimulate the immune system — fancy, I know role, glutamine supplementation continues to become more popular in sports nutrition Coqueiro et al.

Glutamine is especially popular in recovery supplements. Glutamine has also been investigated for its anti-fatigue role. If you are an endurance athlete, glutamine could be an excellent supplement for you.

This is especially true if you are a vegan endurance athlete. The following section will detail the benefits of glutamine for endurance athletes.

As always, folks, these benefits are based on current research! If research bores you, skip this part and jump down to the list of benefits!

Coqueiro et al. This review included fifty-five relevant studies. According to Coqueiro et al. Additionally, Gleeson found evidence that ingesting glutamine within the first few hours of recovery after exercise promoted glycogen synthesis.

In the same literature review previously discussed Coqueiro et al. In another study, Bassini-Cameron et al. Street et al. Glutamine or placebo was ingested at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours post-exercise. Perceived muscle soreness was measured at 0,1,24,48,72,96 hours post-exercise. Reported muscle soreness was significantly lower over the 96 hours with glutamine supplementation than placebo.

The second study in my research was conducted on both males and females. These participants took glutamine or placebo over a hour recovery period. The results showed that those taking glutamine had reduced muscle soreness Legault et al.

Interestingly, the effect was more significant in males for reduction of muscle soreness than in females. Research has also been done on the relationship between muscle damage and glutamine for endurance athletes.

Cordova-Martinez et al. According to blood samples taken, glutamine did reduce the amount of muscle damage in the athletes compared to placebo. Subjects in another examination maintained better muscle mass when taking glutamine compared to placebo Bowtell et al. Glutamine supplementation has been shown to decrease the incidence of illness in endurance athletes Castell, This study found that glutamine for endurance athletes had a beneficial effect on the level of infections after exercise.

T-helper and T-suppressor cells are involved in the stimulation and regulation of the immune system. Legault et al. Other researchers tested the effects of acute glutamine supplementation for endurance athletes relating to recovery after exercise. Supplementing with glutamine showed better recovery at 24, 48, and 72 hours after exercise Waldron et al.

Glutamine is vital for maintaining a healthy gut. Rao and Samak found that low levels of glutamine concentration correlated with leaky gut and inflammation of the intestines.

A recent study on the effects of glutamine supplementation and gut permeability showed promising results. Pugh et al. Glutamine supplementation is also correlated with a reduction in inflammatory markers in the gut. One of the more recent topics of research with glutamine is its possible effects on Human Growth Hormone HGH.

A recent study investigated whether an acute dose of glutamine impacted hGH levels in healthy adults, both male and female. The results showed that a single dose of glutamine was sufficient to significantly increase HGH levels compared to a placebo Tam et al.

While this topic is gaining popularity in current research, there is also a precedent from a ways back. Welbourne found that blood samples of participants taking an oral glutamine supplement had increased blood plasma levels of HGH.

Here is a list of the significant benefits of glutamine for endurance athletes. Glutamine levels are reduced after exhaustive, prolonged exercise. Much research shows that plasma glutamine concentrations are reduced in endurance athletes and athletes under chronic fatigue and overtraining syndrome.

Studies have also found that, in endurance athletes, glutamine deficiency is correlated with increased inflammation, oxidative stress, and impaired immune system function. Evidence also shows a reduction in stamina and overall performance.

This study included questionnaires that the participants filled out. Notably, the incidence of illness for seven days after strenuous exercise was the highest in marathon and ultra-marathon runners.

Glutamine may help reduce the incidence of illness in hard-training endurance athletes. It is crucial to replenish muscle glycogen stores and initiate muscle tissue repair and adaptation for rapid recovery from prolonged exercise.

High-intensity and prolonged exercise significantly enhance the levels of plasma ammonia, a metabolite with toxic effects on the central nervous system Bassini-Cameron et al. Muscle fatigue is a side-effect of the accumulation of ammonia in the blood tissues.

Furthermore, exercise-induced muscle damage is associated with impaired muscle function and delayed-onset muscle soreness. As I discussed earlier, glutamine is an ammonia buffer, meaning that it helps maintain appropriate ammonia levels.

By taking glutamine, you take a supplement that can help your muscles recover faster and reduce muscle soreness and damage. Prolonged endurance exercise is well-known to cause a leaky gut.

Leaky gut is a condition in which heat stress and reduced blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract cause intestinal cell damage that loosens tight junctions between cells, allowing for the absorption of things that are not supposed to pass through the intestinal barrier.

A dysfunctional or leaky gut allows toxins and bacteria to enter the bloodstream. As previously noted, glutamine has been shown to reduce gut permeability.

Glutamine supplements may also help reduce instances of GI issues when exercising, especially during the heat. If you have read almost any of our other blogs, you already know this, but GI issues are one of the main reasons an athlete DNFs during an ultramarathon. Lastly, Human growth hormone HGH is best known for influencing bone and muscle growth and body composition.

Recent research has shown that glutamine can increase hGH. Just another checkbox checked. If you plan to take glutamine, you want to know whether it is safe.

Keep in mind that much higher levels have been tested without adverse effects and may be safe, but the data sets are limited.