Glutamines’ Role in Bodybuilding and Exercise

Intensive exercise disrupts your immune function, in-turn increasing your body’s lactic acid and ammonium levels. High levels of ammonia can affect muscle function. Within the first five minutes of exercise glutamine levels will rise and catabolic hormones are released. But, the bad news for exercisers doesn’t stop there, because even at the conclusion of the exercise session the muscles will continue to release glutamine causing a severe depletion situation. And the harder you train the higher the rates of depletion.

Because glutamine increases the hydration state of the muscle cells, it rapidly depletes itself in your body. “Hydration of the muscle cells can change rapidly, and once the cells are dehydrated they enter a catabolic state. During times of catabolic stress research has shown that glutamine levels can drop by as much as 50%.”

High or intense levels of training result in higher stress demands on the body, which leads to a reduction in plasma glutamine levels. Even minor overtraining will result in less gains, but also higher disease rates, infections and a poor immune system, due to the heavy demands place on the energy reserves of the body.

So how much glutamine does a person really need?

Typically an American diet will provide 3.5 to 7 grams of glutamine daily which is found in animal and plant proteins. Many people are choosing to supplement daily due to the long growing list of benefits.

Research shows levels of supplementation from 2 to 40 grams daily. Two to three grams has been found to help symptoms of queasiness. This two to three gram dosage used post workout builds protein, repairs and builds muscle and can induce levels of growth hormone found in the body.

High levels of glutamine supplementation have been used in hospital settings with doses of 20 grams per day to treat colitis, Crohn’s disease and diarrhea. 40 grams per day of glutamine are used with HIV, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and burn victims.