Ideal amount of glutamine

[Mr.X]

Well we're all entitled to our point of view, but there is no doubt that enough L-glutamine gets orally absorbed in normal folks (without buffering agents) to increase the blood glutamine levels by up to 20% (at 0.3g/kg).

I think the only disagreement is whether this has any advantages for otherwise healthy BBs who are already on a high protein diet. Given that glutamine supps also dramatically increase glutamate levels while decreasing glutathione levels, I would be cautious about taking lots of the stuff all the time. Too much glutamine may also be a risk factor for development of schizophrenia.

The jury may never agree if it's worth taking "just in case" or for any true anticatabolic properties outside of a disease state. Even in a disease state, recent research has shown that not only does increasing blood glutamine levels NOT prevent catabolism in ill folks, but it appears to REDUCE markers of protein synthesis in normal people. We can only speculate that maybe too much glutamine causes feedback inhibition of protein synthesis in some form.

I've never seen the proof of proper oral absorption that brings about any positive effects to the bodybuilder. The only science I have ever seen had to do with chronically ill patients, and IV infusion. That does not prove anything in my view.

I have seen some literature about glutamine decreasing glutathione levels, but I would second guess that glutahione's function as an essential cofactor for antioxidant enzymes could be replaced with Alpha Lipoic Acid, that was my first outlook on the subject. My guess would be that the propertie glutahione has to electron-donating capacity is linked to its sulfhydryl (-SH) group. I do have to add that if we can can see that glutamine is directly linked to the decrease in glutahione levels then it's time to consider the negative vs. positive of glutamine, for, although gutahione can be substituted in my view, it is still an important water-phase antioxidant that we need.

Again, the same issue comes up, do we really know the anti-catabolic properties through scientific studies done on healthy bodybuilders/athletes. That is the big question, which we all know the answer to: No. When the day comes and I see a study that shows oral ingestion of glutamine is a wide pool of group subjects, from young to old - bodybuilder and not. Then I shall be able to talk about the realistic properties of glutamine, but, for now, the "just in case" theory is just not feasible.

Mr.X