Glutamine - a must for sports freaks

Glutamine is also known as L-Glutamine and it is a so-called a-Amino acid. It is not essential for humans, as it is fundamentally derived from the body itself. BCAA synthetisiert wird. Als zusätzliche Supplementierung ist das Glutamine als Sportnahrung jedoch unglaublich beliebt. Mit etwa 20 % macht Glutamin den hohen Anteil der freien Amino acids in the blood plasma. However, the highest concentration is probably in the muscle cells.

Glutamine

The demand of the proteinogenic amino acid increases especially during heavy exertion and therefore bottlenecks in the supply can occur. High-quality glutamine products support the body in the synthesis. For a functioning body, the areas of muscle cells and blood plasma are particularly important and the necessary substances, such as glutamine should be available as a supply in sufficient quantities.

The functions of glutamine in the body

Glutamine as an amino acid is important for the removal of ammonia into the liver and kidneys. Ammonia is a known neurotoxin and is produced as a waste product especially during athletic stress. Glutamine therefore plays an important and regulating role in the acid-base balance of the organism. In order to ensure a balanced glutamine metabolism, care should always be taken during an intensive training phase to ensure that sufficient glutamine is ingested. Glutamine can be found in animal foods, such as smoked or raw fish, yogurt and milk.

The highest content of glutamine has curd cheese. In addition to animal foods, there are plant products, such as wheat or soy, which contain glutamine. So in principle, a healthy and varied diet can provide sufficient L-glutamine. However, especially in the sports scene, there is an increased need, which partly cannot be covered by the food intake and must be added by dietary supplements.

Natural glutamine and supplements

For the Muscle building strength training is indispensable. The goal of such an athlete is that the anabolic process is strengthened. In parallel, however, there is also a promotion of the catabolic process, i.e. the breakdown. Thus the trained muscle mass can be lost. However, if there is a metabolic balance, a shift can be made in the direction of the anabolic process. L-glutamine is equally important for endurance athletes and strength athletes. Some want to build muscle mass and others want to maintain their muscle stores. Through the supply of glutamine, both benefit from a balanced metabolism. Often, the glutamine products are offered here in capsules.

Nowadays, however, the powder form and the liquid form are also available. Thus, athletes can make an individual dosage. Of course, the consumption recommendations issued by the manufacturers are to be observed.

Basically, glutamine should always be taken in combination with carbohydrate-rich fruit juices. Very popular is the consumption after a workout or also with every meal. Dietary supplements are also offered, which are available as pure L-glutamine. However, most athletes resort to combination products with very special additives such as BCAA.

Another particular advantage is that this can be wonderfully combined with various supplements. Athletes therefore like to resort to products that also contain protein. Again, it should be noted that dietary supplements are not a substitute for a healthy diet. They support the described functions and thus promote a generally better body feeling and effectively support training phases.

Glutamine - important for every athlete

Glutamine is not only a vital amino acid, but indispensable especially for athletes. It is needed in all tissues and is a building block necessary for building the proteins for healthy cells and tissue repair. Glutamine is present in most meats as well as fish and therefore a healthy balance can be made with a balanced diet. Also vegetables and Legumes contain glutamine, but in a rather low concentration. For athletes who want to build tissue on the one hand and need more power on the other, glutamine should be chosen as a dietary supplement to support the body's own processes.

With a sufficient intake of glutamine through the daily diet, rapid success and optimal developments in tissue building can be recognized. With an additional serving, it shows to be effective for endurance athletes such as cyclists or long-distance runners. The risk of cramp formation is minimized.

By taking it with supplements, a preventive effect is achieved and is therefore a perfect alternative to painkillers. Especially older people should not do without sufficient glutamine, because just these often suffer cramps and muscle pain. Glutamine is also indispensable in sports. The glycose consumed during training is replaced with the supplied glutamine.

It provides sufficient energy, supports the recovery and effectively accompanies the building of muscle tissue. But it can do more, such as optimize the digestive process, relieve irritable bowel syndrome and can act positively on some disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.

Relevant for performance - the effect of glutamine

In the whole body, glutamine is the most abundant amino acid and occupies about 60 % of all free amino acids available. However, this concerns only the state of the body without stress. In case of diseases and, of course, during a very intensive training, every body consumes an incredibly large amount of the glutamine. After operations, a considerable lack of glutamine has been found after only a few days. However, the body is prepared for a Regeneration able only when the deficiency is made up.

Only then can the build-up of new muscles take place. Therefore, it is performance-relevant especially in weight training and endurance sports. In the context of muscle building training, glutamine causes an increase in cell hydration or cell volume, in each individual cell. Through the sufficient supply of glutamine, water is stored in the muscle cells and the muscle can be trained much harder.

The other functions of glutamine at a glance

Glutamine also ensures that the growth hormones are released, which can also have a positive effect on protein synthesis. At the same time, the carbohydrate storage in the muscles is positively influenced by the production of muscle glycogen. Therefore, the supply of glutamine after every workout is particularly useful.

Those who do not have fish and meat as a natural glutamine supply in their diet, for example vegetarians or vegans, can also fall back on other sources. Wheat and soy, for example, also contain an increased amount of glutamine. All others can perfectly expand their diet plan with yogurt and milk and thus ensure a healthy glutamine household with the daily diet.

For perfect training results, however, the use of nutritional supplements is not harmful and, depending on the intensity of the training, is even a must in order to avoid an undersupply and negative training results.