Glutamine is a proteinogenic amino acid that can be produced by the body itself, so it is not essential. Glutamine is produced in the human organism in various organs, mainly in the liver, kidneys, brain, lungs and muscles. However, the body needs other essential amino acids to produce glutamine.
Free amino acids are present in the blood plasma, and glutamine is the largest component of the total number. Glutamine is also the amino acid with the highest concentration in the muscles. This suggests that it is involved in the metabolism of the muscles.
In fact, glutamine causes increased water retention in the myocytes (muscle cells). During sports or other muscular activities, an increase in cell volume is achieved through water retention. According to current knowledge, the increase in muscle cell volume is absorbed by the body as an anabolic signal.
Subsequently, the protein formation and the build-up of glycogen are enhanced. Through the build-up of muscle proteins, the muscles become more efficient. In addition, the increased build-up of glycogen makes the energy supply of the muscles more favorable, which also increases the performance.
If one is persistently active in sports over a long period of time, a lack of glutamine can occur. The body compensates for this by producing glutamine from other amino acids. To prevent glutamine deficiency, you can adjust your diet accordingly or take glutamine supplements. Glutamine is found in certain foods, especially in dairy products, wheat, corn, lentils and soya. Furthermore, the concentration of glutamine in muscle can be increased by eating foods containing amino acids (valine and isoleucine) that can be converted to glutamine.
Role in muscle building
Enduring, intensive muscle training leads to anabolic, i.e. constructive, processes in the musculature. At the same time, however, tissue is also increasingly broken down. Net muscle growth only occurs when the reduction is less than the build-up.
Glutamine does just this, namely that the protein synthesis is increased and the degradation is inhibited. How this happens will now be described. Glutamine is present in the muscle in high concentration, it is essential for a normal metabolism.
Glutamine is particularly important for the anabolic processes. As described above, glutamine causes an increase in cell volume. This is achieved by glutamine increasing cell hydration.
According to studies this is more important for the cells than the nitrogen balance. In contrast, a lack of glutamine leads to a reduction in water retention in the cells, i.e. cell shrinkage, which has a catabolic effect. A lack of glutamine therefore tends to reduce muscle mass.
There are considerations which assume that the natural aging process of humans is also promoted by a lack of hydration. Against this background, glutamine could also be effective against aging. If one suffers from an imbalance of sodium and potassium, this also has a water-retaining effect.
However, the water is stored in the fatty tissue under the skin, which of course has no anabolic effect. Between training sessions, the body is in a recovery phase. During this state, the liver is working at full speed, one of the countless tasks here is the production of glutamine.
It is extremely important for the liver to produce enough glutamine as it is needed for the production of many antioxidants. The antioxidants are in turn important for the regulated detoxification of the liver and the entire body. Glutamine protects the human organism from toxic substances and stress, which inevitably occurs during intensive muscle training.
Another interesting factor in the process of muscle building is hormonal regulation. Muscle growth is regulated by growth hormones of the pituitary gland. When sufficient growth hormones are released, the muscle tissue grows.
At the same time, fatty tissue is reduced. According to some studies, glutamine increases the level of growth hormone in the blood, which means that the pituitary gland releases more growth hormone. This increases muscle growth and increases fat burning.
It has been found in studies that the pituitary gland prefers to secrete growth hormone when there are changes in the usual routine.So if you start muscle training or change your training plan, it means stress. The body wants to reduce this stress by releasing growth hormone. The aim of the release is to increase muscle growth so that the muscles become stronger and can therefore cope better with the new situation.
If you do not change your training for a long time, the reaction of the pituitary gland will decrease. In addition to the substitution of glutamine, you should change your training plan at certain intervals for sustained muscle growth. As already mentioned, glutamine promotes the growth of muscles and the breakdown of fatty tissue.
However, there is no definitive proof of this. These manifold effects of glutamine athletes naturally wanted to use for themselves. In the medical field, glutamine is used for example in cancer.
For sportsmen numerous preparations in different dosage forms are available in the trade. Glutamine can be taken as capsules, tablets, powder or as a drink. One should not exceed a daily dose of about five milligrams when taking glutamine to increase muscle growth.
In addition, glutamine should not be combined with the consumption of dairy products, as the glutamine cannot be optimally absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. If glutamine is taken in too high a concentration, side effects may occur. On the one hand, gastrointestinal complaints can occur after taking glutamine-containing preparations; stomach pain and nausea as well as diarrhoea are possible. In addition, the substitution of glutamine can cause headaches.
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