Glutamine is arguably one of the most important supplements for muscle building. Most power lifters and bodybuilders would place glutamine right at the top of their supplement diet, and there are good reasons why…
What is Glutamine?
Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. The proteins that are found in different food sources will break down into different amino acids. Glutamine is found in beans, poultry, fish and dairy products.
There are far too many amino acids to include in the list below. In fact there are hundreds of naturally occurring amino acids.
Amino Acids
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Essential Amino Acids
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Non-essential Amino Acids
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Histidine
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Alanine
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Isoleucine
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Arginine
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Leucine
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Aspartic Acid
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Lysine
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Cysteine
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Methionine
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Glutamic Acid
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Phenylalaine
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Gluatamine
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Trytophan
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Glycine
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Valine
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Hydroxyproline
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Proline
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Serine
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Tyrosine
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The classification of amino acids as “essential” and non-essential” can give the wrong impression. Many amino acids that are classed as “non-essential” are in fact essential for healthy bodily function. The classification only specifies whether the amino acid can be made by your body (non-essential) or must be taken through diet (essential).
Glutamine is one of the most abundant amino acids in the human body with up to four times more than any other amino acid. It is primarily found in the small intestine but can also be found in skin, organs and of course, muscles. Because exercising results in micro tears in muscles and levels of glutamine are in the body are reduced after exercise, the importance of supplementing glutamine is revealed.
Glutamine is arguably one of the most important supplements for muscle building. Most power lifters and bodybuilders would place glutamine right at the top of their supplement diet, and there are good reasons why…
The Benefits
Glutamine is best known for its anti-catabolic properties. Rather than directly helping your body build new muscle it works by preserving the muscle that you already have. It is unavoidable for your body to enter catabolic (muscle breakdown) states. Catabolic states will occur during exercise, when the body have not been given enough nutrients and during sleep. Glutamine will minimise the duration and intensity of muscle breakdown during these catabolic periods.
Glutamine is particularly useful when trying to strip fat and increase muscle definition. During these periods you will have to drop your food intake which can result in muscle loss at the same time as fat loss. Glutamine will help to preserve muscle tissues during these periods of reduced food intake.
Glutamine is also supplemented to improve the functioning of the immune system. This is because much of the human bodies immune functioning originates in the small intestines.
What to Expect
Most of your results will be noticed in your post workout recovery. It will decrease the time of muscle soreness after exercise and delay the onset of muscular soreness.
Furthermore supplementing glutamine can help repair long-time damaged muscle tissues resulting from over training.
There have been no incidences of toxicity from supplementing glutamine. Overconsumption will simply result in an upset stomach.
Glutamine has become one of the most popular sport supplements on the market today.
Make glutamine a staple in your supplement diet.
