Glutamine: Essential Part of Athletes Nutritional Program

What is Glutamine?

Glutamine is considered by most athletes to be an essential part of their nutritional program;. While not an essential amino acid, Glutamine is considered "conditionally essentials." This means that additional Glutamine is necessary during periods of stress (such as intense weight training); Glutamine comprises 61 % of the free intracellular amino acid pool, while BCAA's comprise 8.4% of the pool., In the catabolic state, glutamine is the first amino acid used to correct that deficiency. BCAA's (comprising 37% of total muscle) are de-branched from skeletal. muscle, and the resulting molecules are used to synthesis glutamine.


What is Glutamine supposed to do?

Glutamine regulates protein synthesis, along with inhibiting protein degradation and stimulating glycogen synthesis. Due to these effects, Glutamine plays an important part in your body by aiding recovery of muscle cells. Intense weight training (inducing a catabolic state) has been shown to uniformly decrease Glutamine levels by 50%, taking several hours to return to normal levels. In athletes, glutamine has been used as a marker to indicate overtraining. In this condition research shows glutamine levels are significantly reduced, taking up to one month to return to baseline. These athletes have increased susceptibility to infection, resulting from impaired immune functions. For these reasons, athletes have been supplementing their diet with significant amounts of Glutamine. In addition, Glutamine has an important cell volumizing effect, which is believed to trigger a growth promoting effect. Glutamine is also a nitrogen transporter, helps in the correction of acidosis, preserves blood pH, and stimulates the immune system.


What makes Glutamine Complex better than other brands of Glutamine?

Studies show that between 50% and 85% of large Glutamine doses never reach the bloodstream. The problem with traditional glutamine supplements is that when the glutamine reaches the intestines (as the primary intestinal cell fuel) the majority of the Glutamine is used as energy by the intestinal mucosa. OSMO has added Plasmologen Lysophosphatidyl Choline (LPC) to their Glutamine Complex to greatly enhance the uptake of glutamine through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. When more glutamine is absorbed through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, a larger portion,. If glutamine will reach the blood stream, causing a greater positive effect. An additional benefit of 'LPC is its activity as a"membrane fluidizer," leading to increased cellular immunity.


What is the recommended dosage?

Studies show that a dose of 16 grams of gluatmine is needed to raise blood levels optimal 70% and above normal range. However, due to OSMO adding LPC to their gluatmine, athletes are finding the same benefical effects from much lower dosages. The recommended use of Glutamine Complex is to take 1tsp (4.6gr) or 2tsp ( 9.2gr) one hour before a workout on an empty stomach, or directly after a workout to aid in recovery or take it prior to going to bed.