L Glutamine
L Glutamine is an excellent support supplement primarily
used to prevent muscle breakdown, reduce recovery times after
an intensive training session, and boost your immune system.
L Glutamine has also been shown to aid lean muscle mass gain.
Training hard causes muscle fibre to deteriorate and reduces
immune system function, This deterioration is linked to reduced
glutamine levels as a result of exercise, and numerous studies
have shown that taking glutamine to supplement the natural
supplies in your body can go a long way to negating these
undesirable effects and put you back on track to maximum results.
L Glutamine is an amino acid. In fact it is the most abundant
amino acid in the human body and is essential in immune system
function as well as muscle cell growth and recovery. It is
a non-essential amino acid and can be synthesized from glutamic
acid, valine and isoleucine. It can also be found naturally
in protein rich foods such as meat, fish and dairy products.
We know that in order to stimulate the growth of new muscle
mass, you have to train hard and create what is called microtrauma
in the muscles, essentially damaging them slightly and sending
a signal to the body that they need to be stronger. In the
process of creating this microtrauma, unnecessary muscle breakdown
occurs and can continue for some time after a workout. Glutamine
acts as a cell volumizer, drawing water into muscle cells
and helping to prevent tissue breakdown, as well as inhibiting
the action of stress hormones.
Glutamine also acts to refuel the energy stores of your
body, which can be beneficial for endurance athletes as well
as bodybuilders whose goal is to lose body fat while gaining
lean muscle, because they will be restricting their carbohydrate
intake and therefore limiting their potential energy source.
The supplement L Glutamine can go a long way to alleviate
these problems.
Additionally, glutamine powers the lymphocytes that play
a crucial role in your immune system. Gutamine supplementation
can therefore help to counteract the negative effect of stress
hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol release during intensive
exercise, which reduce immune function as well as natural
glutamine levels. In fact studies have shown glutamine supplementation
to produce an eighteen-fold increase in immune cells.
Glutamine supplementation directly following exercise increases
growth hormone levels and also the levels of amino acids Glutamate
and Arginine, which perform the same function. These growth
hormones are potent anabolic agents that improve nitrogen
sparing and protein retention by increasing protein synthesis.
Growth hormone also stimulates the breakdown of fat and spares
carbohydrate stores, making glutamine supplements an excellent
choice for those bodybuilders looking to lose fat as well
as gain lean muscle mass.
Glutamine can be conveniently mixed with water or added
to meal replacement shakes, protein or creatine drinks, and
most experts recommend a serving of around 5g per day taken
during and after exercise in order to maximize the benefit.
If you are in particularly intensive training, are a vegetarian,
or have a tendency to recovery slowly after a hard workout,
you may want to double your dose of glutamine.
There is a rather intimidating range of glutamine supplements
on the market, but many of these are very similar. Glutamine
usually comes in the form of L-glutamine, a white, tasteless
powder with no other additives at all. Glutamine peptides
are also available, which are pre-digested and bonded with
other amino acids in order to improve the rate of absorption
of the glutamine.
L-Glutamine supplementation also produces a positive nitrogen
balance which is important for maintaining an optimal environment
for the creation and maintenance of new muscle tissue.
Meal replacement products such as shakes or bars, and many
protein supplements often contain glutamine for added value,
so look out for these if you think that glutamine could benefit
your training programme.
L Glutamine
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