L-Glutamine - Wonder Supplement?

Mr Slow

I've just started taking an L-Glutamine supplement and if it does what it says on the tin, it should eliminate a lot of issues I've had of late. I know at least one of you is on this but I wanted to ask if anyone else was and if so, did it help?

Git101

oops ... misread the product name

gerard65

Glutamine Food Sources

Glutamine-rich foods include: beef, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, raw parsley, raw spinach as well as soybeans and other legumes.

Your most likely getting more than enough from your diet. Its the old story of an American coach when asked what benefits American athletes from supplements he answered - 'They've got the most expensive urine in the world'.

Mr Slow

gerard65 wrote: »

Glutamine Food Sources

Glutamine-rich foods include: beef, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, raw parsley, raw spinach as well as soybeans and other legumes.

Your most likely getting more than enough from your diet. Its the old story of an American coach when asked what benefits American athletes from supplements he answered - 'They've got the most expensive urine in the world'.

I'm starting to get colds every 6 weeks or so and have been suffering with my intestines (been to docs, had scopes etc) for a while and I'm just hopeful this is where I've been falling down.

gerard65

Have you looked these issues from a more holistic approach. Sleep, rest, diet, overtraining, stress, etc.?
Most likely your doc would identify if you need supplements, otherwise your wasting your money.
Every month or so you hear of some new wonder stuff, beetroot, cherry, echinacea, etc, but nothings going to solve your issues if their caused by something else.

Mr Slow

gerard65 wrote: »

Have you looked these issues from a more holistic approach. Sleep, rest, diet, overtraining, stress, etc.?
Most likely your doc would identify if you need supplements, otherwise your wasting your money.
Every month or so you hear of some new wonder stuff, beetroot, cherry, echinacea, etc, but nothings going to solve your issues if their caused by something else.

PM'd you there!

metamorphosis

L Glut-amine is an amino acid in protein and does help in terms of recovery from hard sessions. In terms of sickness, don't bet on it. Most good recovery shakes that have protein will have L Glut naturally as it is in the protein.

RayCun

metamorphosis wrote: »

L Glut-amine is an amino acid in protein and does help in terms of recovery from hard sessions.

How do you know it helps in recovery from hard sessions?

Mr Slow

metamorphosis wrote: »

L Glut-amine is an amino acid in protein and does help in terms of recovery from hard sessions. In terms of sickness, don't bet on it. Most good recovery shakes that have protein will have L Glut naturally as it is in the protein.

I'm hoping that the healing attributes with regard to the intestine wall will allow the positive bacteria to recolonize, thus boosting the immune system.

I may be clutching at straws but I'm nothing if not optimistic

Mr Slow

RayCun wrote: »

How do you know it helps in recovery from hard sessions?

Anseo

RayCun

mrslow wrote: »

Anseo

That says that glutamine is depleted after exercise. It doesn't say taking glutamine supplements will improve recovery.
Correlation, causation, and all that jazz

Mr Slow

Why would anyone require more glutamine than the body can produce?

Exercise or lifestyle stress (like almost getting busted with your boss’s spouse...on your boss’s desk - now that’s stressful) can rob glutamine stores. Critically ill patients, burn victims, and people undergoing surgery also require additional glutamine. When the body is exposed to this stress or trauma it draws glutamine from skeletal muscle stores. In an attempt to heal itself, the body sends stored glutamine to damaged tissue. As glutamine stores are depleted, the ability to heal damaged tissue is reduced. Catabolic stress, as associated with stress or trauma, can reduce glutamine levels by more than 50%.1 This makes the category of who requires additional glutamine very broad; anybody who exercises, has lifestyle stress, is injured, or ill will benefit from glutamine supplementation. So if your boss does catch you, you’ll probably need additional glutamine for stress and surgery.

http://www.ironmagazine.com/article38.html

RayCun

This guy did not conduct double-blind experiments

Mr Slow

RayCun wrote: »

This guy did not conduct double-blind experiments

God bless Google, information for every argument, however, we are off topic

metamorphosis

Il post up the razz ma tazz of it all when im on the laptop at home tonight, in an internet cafe at the mo

metamorphosis

and to answer the OPs thread question - no, it's no a wonder supplement

gerard65

I read Mrslow's initial question as would it help him with his running so I may have come across as a bit smart-ass in my answer. I now realise he was asking something different. Sorry about that Mrslow, hope it works out for you.

ger664

I started taking a recovery drink with L-Glutamine in it this year and I did not suffer any colds/sniffles or bugs over the winter compared with the year before. Person who recommended it said that distance runners do not take enough protein in their diets and the body uses up their glutamine stores when recovering this however as the nasty side effect of suppressing your immune system.

I only take it after hard workouts and also agree with gerard65 that increasing one's protein intake from natural resources is a better way to go long term.

TheRoadRunner

metamorphosis wrote: »

L Glut-amine is an amino acid in protein and does help in terms of recovery from hard sessions. In terms of sickness, don't bet on it. Most good recovery shakes that have protein will have L Glut naturally as it is in the protein.

proteins are ploypeptide chains made up of different combinations of the 20 different amino acids and yes glutamine is one of these. It is also an essential aa meaning humans haven't the metabolic capabilities of producing it from scratch. But I'm sure wikipedia could give you all this info

Is it a miracle supplement? I don't think so. A couple of years back I did some reading on this subject and also looked into Glucosamine and chondroitin combination tablets. The jury was very much out on these supplements and in fact I don't think I found anything conclusive to say if these supplements had any positive effect. I'd go with Gerard65 advice. Getting essential AA and vitamins from food is the way to go, so look at your diet.

A bit OT but a friend of mine did a 4 year research project on how best to deliver minerals and essential AAs to cows. He found (in general terms) that different AAs need to be linked to specific AAs and other molecules to be bioavailable, in other words absorbed properly. Take note if you're a cow

BrokenMan

It's certainly not going to do you any harm. And I'm sure for some peopl eit has provided excellent results. Only way you will really know is in a couple of months if you are feeling any better.

Would be interested to hear your own views on it after a period of time.

Mr Slow

As an aside but also very central to my query, I've been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a diagnosis I disagree with in principle. The benefits of Glutamine are listed on the IBS forum in the UK as being 'miraculous'. Any benefits to my training would be wonderful but my hope is that it will help with my illness. I posted this thread to see if anyone had had a dramatic improvement in their resistance to colds/flus as an indicator of a sudden improvement in their 'intestinal fortitude' for lack of a better expression.

I'll keep ya'll posted.

menoscemo

mrslow wrote: »

As an aside but also very central to my query, I've been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a diagnosis I disagree with in principle. The benefits of Glutamine are listed on the IBS forum in the UK as being 'miraculous'. Any benefits to my training would be wonderful but my hope is that it will help with my illness. I posted this thread to see if anyone had had a dramatic improvement in their resistance to colds/flus as an indicator of a sudden improvement in their 'intestinal fortitude' for lack of a better expression.

I'll keep ya'll posted.

Maybe post this over in the Nutrition and Diet forum. I'd say you'd get better advice over there. There is more to boards than A/R/T you know :eek:

Mr Slow

menoscemo wrote: »

Maybe post this over in the Nutrition and Diet forum. I'd say you'd get better advice over there. There is more to boards than A/R/T you know :eek:

There is only running!

violator13

mrslow wrote: »

As an aside but also very central to my query, I've been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a diagnosis I disagree with in principle. The benefits of Glutamine are listed on the IBS forum in the UK as being 'miraculous'. Any benefits to my training would be wonderful but my hope is that it will help with my illness. I posted this thread to see if anyone had had a dramatic improvement in their resistance to colds/flus as an indicator of a sudden improvement in their 'intestinal fortitude' for lack of a better expression.

I'll keep ya'll posted.

What are your symptoms? Are you sure about that. Glutamine and whey are both great for the stomach lining but there is a great product that might help you.ill pm u.

Mr Slow

Thanks Violator!

Enthony

l-glutamine is good for recovery also helps to grow your muscles nearly 4 times faster then with out glutamine..so glutmine is very important!!!

TheRoadRunner

Enthony wrote: »

l-glutamine is good for recovery also helps to grow your muscles nearly 4 times faster then with out glutamine..so glutmine is very important!!!

Yes it is an essential amino acid. Doesn't mean you can't get all requirements from your diet. Also supplements aren't always absorbed fully so can literally piss straight through you.

Mr Slow

mrslow wrote: »

I've just started taking an L-Glutamine supplement and if it does what it says on the tin, it should eliminate a lot of issues I've had of late. I know at least one of you is on this but I wanted to ask if anyone else was and if so, did it help?

Update:
I got through a pretty tough marathon schedule, survived taper without a sniffle(went a bit loopy though) ran Cork in a pretty good time and I'm feeling great and looking forward to DCM!