What is L-Glutamine: Uses, Effects, Benefits and Dosages

L-Glutamine is perhaps the most versatile nutritional supplement available today.

This natural compound is used as a nootropic for cognitive enhancement, taken by strength training athletes to support building and maintaining muscle mass, and used by individuals healing from surgery or other illnesses.

Evidence suggests that L-Glutamine boosts the immune system, increases energy levels, helps to control blood sugar, and more.

For those interested in taking L-Glutamine in a nootropic stack, this compound is sometimes called “brain fuel” because it is used to make two of the most important neurotransmitters, glutamic acid and GABA. Both of these neurochemicals are involved in neuronal communication related to thinking, memory, and mood.

L-Glutamine

Amino Acid

Endurance

Muscle Growth

Workout Recovery

How It Works:

• Decreases ammonia from exercise
• Promotes endurance, workout recovery & muscle growth
• Improves glycogen replenishment & HGH levels

Dosage:

Between 5 - 20 g per day

Safety:

Rated Possibly Safe

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What is L-Glutamine?

L-Glutamine is one of the 20 amino acids that are the building blocks for all protein in the body.

In human blood, L-Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid. This compound is regarded as a non-essential amino acid, since the body does have the ability to synthesize some L-Glutamine on its own.

However, there are certain situations where it becomes conditionally essential. Good examples of this might be during intensive athletic training or competition, or even in certain gastrointestinal disorders.

When using nootropic supplements that work on your Glutamate or GABA pathways, taking an L-Glutamine supplement may improve your results.

L-Glutamine Effects:

Although the many different mechanisms of activity for this compound are still being investigated, we do know that it delivers Glutamic Acid to the brain. This chemical is one of the chief forms of fuel for your brain cells (the other form is Glucose).

This substance is then able to pick up ammonia molecules throughout the brain and body and convert them into L-Glutamine. If one were to suffer a shortage of Glutamic Acid, this could conceivably lead to brain damage due to an overabundance of ammonia.

Through other processes, this supplement also plays a role in the production of a number of other needed chemicals throughout the body like additional amino acids and even Glucose.

It also helps to regulate the acid-base balance within the kidneys (primarily due to the production of ammonium), transports ammonia throughout the body as needed, and even acts in the roles of carbon and nitrogen donation for a number of anabolic processes such as the citric acid and purines cycles.

L-Glutamine Benefits:

From a cognitive enhancement perspective, L-Glutamine is used in the synthesis of the neurotransmitters Glutamate and GABA. Glutamate is the primary mediator of fast excitatory transmission in the brain and is connected to memory formation, recall and synaptic plasticity.

Increasing Glutamate activity can not only improve memory, but also many fundamental cognitive functions such as reasoning, verbal fluidity, creativity and more. GABA is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter, used to prevent over-excitement of your neurons and over-stimulation of your brain. By increasing GABA activity, you can reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress while improving relaxation, focus and sleep.

As a protein builder, L-Glutamine is important in a number of anabolic processes. In fact, taking this while you are undergoing a period of intense weight training or physical activity will likely result in the more rapid building of new muscle. It does this through increasing nitrogen levels within the cells, helping further protein synthesis. There is also evidence suggesting that L-Glutamine can increase the effectiveness of other supplements you may be taking.

This is also an excellent supplement to use for patients recovering from surgery. This includes traumatic injuries like burns, wounds, and other types of trauma. There is much evidence supporting the healing effects of L-Glutamine.

This supplement does a number of other things as well. For example, it is known to be a general immune booster. This also coincides with the ability to increase energy levels. It also appears to be fairly effective at assisting with blood sugar control.

One of the main reasons for these effects is thought to be the action of L-Glutamine as an anti-oxidant, boosting the production of a number of different anti-oxidants in your cells. In essence it is almost like a ‘master switch’ for controlling the levels and number of these powerful chemicals, helping to rid toxins, poisons, and free radicals from the body.

L-Glutamine may also have potential as a diet aid. It can help block cravings for alcohol as well as sugar. The best way to use the supplement for this purpose is as needed, by taking either a capsule or a ¼ teaspoonful at the onset of both alcohol and sugar cravings has been show to deter these feelings.

L-Glutamine Dosage:

There is a considerable range when we begin to discuss the “proper” dosage of L-Glutamine. In fact, the clinical studies and research tests lead to the conclusion that anything between .5 and 15 grams per day would be safe.

While this is true, it would be irresponsible of anyone to advise such a high dose for someone just starting out. In fact, most experts would suggest staying between the 1 and 5 gram range.

As usual, you always want to start off taking the lowest effective dose of any supplement. This way, you are able to get to know what types of effects and benefits it has for your particular body chemistry. This is very important, especially considering that one of the possible outcomes of this supplement is to help make all (or at least some) of your other supplements become even more effective.

So, start out small, perhaps ½ to 1 gram per day, and then only increase after you become familiar with the effects.

L-Glutamine Side Effects:

While there are not really any known side effects for this supplement, there are a few types of users who might want to avoid L-Glutamine. This includes pregnant and breast feeding women (not enough evidence), those with severe liver disease or difficulty thinking, MSG sensitivity, and those who suffer from mania. Otherwise, this is a supplement that should be very safe and well-tolerated for the majority of healthy adults.

L-Glutamine Review:

L-Glutamine is an excellent all-around supplement that may prove useful as part of a nootropic stack. It is a great source of brain fuel and can ensure your neurotransmitter levels are appropriately balanced. L-Glutamine is highly recommended for those who are engaged in strength training, weight lifting or other similar types of athletic competition.

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