Glutamine: The Power to Build and Preserve Muscle Tissue
Glutamine… an amino acid we’ve been familiar with and have used (maybe without even knowing it) that has been around for a very long time. Unfortunately, it is one of the amino acids that seems to have been forgotten about. Why is that? While there’s nothing sexy about it, it’s definitely something we should not neglect as glutamine provides very important benefits when it comes to skeletal muscle and how we not only build it but how we preserve it as well.
In this article, we will take a deeper dive into the subject to help provide you with a little more detail about why you shouldn’t overlook this key amino acid and what exactly it can do for you.
What is Glutamine?
As mentioned above, glutamine is a non-essential amino acid, which means the body can synthesize it on its own. While the body’s ability to synthesize it on its own may not be of great importance to the everyday American, those who exercise regularly will need an increased amount to keep up with the demand and stress put on the body through training.
Being that glutamine plays a vital role in skeletal muscle recovery, it can quickly be used up, and if not enough is present through proper nutrition or supplementation. If depleted, it can hinder your results when it comes to muscle-building and lean tissue preservation.
What is This Amino Acid Responsible For?
To take you on a quick history lesson, back in the early 1990s, Dr. Scott Connelly utilized this non-essential amino acid with burn victims and patients in a catabolic-state in hospitals.
When you ingest glutamine, whether through food sources such as beef, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, tofu, spinach, beans, and carrots, to name a few, or through supplements, the kidneys convert it into what is known as citrulline. If the name rings a bell, it’s because citrulline is found in many pre-workouts to aid in vasodilation, which can increase the pump by helping flood the muscles with blood.
Fast-forward through the process, and citrulline is responsible for elevating nitric oxide in the body, which helps increase blood flow to aid in transporting oxygen-rich blood and nutrients out to the muscles.
The Benefits of Glutamine
Glutamine provides a bunch of benefits to those who exercise regularly and are looking to improve their physique. Below is a list showing some of these benefits.
1. Recovery and Endurance
Whether you take a post-workout shake that includes glutamine, supplement it as a standalone, or consume foods (like what was mentioned above), glutamine can help with the recovery process. It aids in replenishing glycogen that was used during workouts to refill your glycogen stores and prepare you for future workouts.
During workouts, glutamine can also help reduce muscle fatigue and improve endurance by buffering lactic acid and also provides the muscles with a usable energy source when training.
2. Muscle Preservation
Workouts can put a lot of stress on the system and body. This stress can cause a catabolic effect, which is the complete opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish in the gym. You want to help build muscle, not create muscle-wasting. Glutamine can combat this while also helping to promote nitrogen retention and aiding in the release of growth hormone.
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