Glutamine

What does l-glutamine do? how does it help in bodybuilding. here in this article we will cover it all.read on to know more.

L-Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid that is present in the body in large amounts. At some times it forms 60 percent of your total amino acid pool. Because it passes through the blood-brain barrier rather easily it's often called brain-food.

It may aid memory recall and concentration. In the brain it converts to glutamic acid, which is essential for brain functioning and increase GABA (gamma-amino-butyric-acid, another popular supplemented amino) needed or mental activities. It is used in synthesis of muscle-tissue.

We all know we need nitrogen to get big, but too much nitrogen in the body could cause ammonia in the brain. Glutamine helps to get rid of it by attaching itself to the nitrogen and forming glutamic acid, then escorts it out of the body. Glutamine is also one of the main building blocks in the genetic coding.

It is found in several strands of DNA and RNA, more than other amino's. And most important perhaps is that it balances the acid/alkaline level, so it reduces lactic acid.

It decreases the cravings for sweets which can be of use on a diet, and a metabolite of glutamine called Monosodium Glutamine (MSG), a salt, is used as a flavor enhancer. It has no real flavor of its own, but it can enhance the flavor of other products such as meat, fish and vegetables.

Glutamine has the downside of being more readily used as fuel for energy than some simple carbs. It is one of the preferred fuels of the intestines for example and a good source of energy throughout the body. So chances are more glutamine will not even be used for what you supplement it for. The body just doesn't use what it already has.

So, is glutamine a bad supplement? No. It's one of the best supplements currently on the market, but there is no way in hell you need to supplement with L-glutamine in a bulking phase. You should have plenty.

I asked some sources who could know (and don't have a vested interest in the stuff) and they said, and I quote: "In the presence of good health, supplementation is not necessary." That, my friends, is fact.

No company, other than commercial supplement companies, carry a glutamine product. But we all know they'll produce anything if they smell money, just look at vanadyl.

So, why bother? Well, In a dieting phase you will be lowering your carbs, and if you are cutting up for competition your carb intake will be so low you are in danger of using hard earned muscle-protein as fuel for your body. And what did I say is the preferred fuel of most tissues: glutamine.

So supplementing with extra Glutamine makes sense if you want to spare that hard-earned muscle. In fact in this instance it becomes necessary. I use the stuff myself. 15-25 grams can be supplemented and burned without touching the rest of the body's amino acid supply.

Some people suggest using 2 doses, but I can tell you as a competitor that you will get more benefit by using more. I prefer 5 doses of 5-7 grams, but that is a personal opinion, not a guideline. Keep in mind that it is expensive.

This is a supplement paradox: it is absolutely useless and a waste of money one moment, but a critical tool in success the next. Never dismiss the power of glutamine, despite the bad wrap I gave it. It can be worth your buck.

I just think it's more important to convince you of its overuse than of its merits, there are enough companies that will sell you on that.

© Rohan Bhardwaj