Glutamine is another popular supplement advocated by so many athletes and general fitness people alike all throughout the industry. Unfortunately, we have all been heavily misled about this supplement, and here is the evidence as to why.

Glutamine Research Lacking

The truth is that the research is definitively lacking for Glutamine. Studies assessing power output, lean body mass (LBM), strength levels, and exercise function did not score well for glutamine and found no real detectable benefits. 2 Glutamine is also highly regarded for improving immune status but one study said otherwise.2 However if there is one area where Glutamine can shine it’s for boosting an athlete”s immune system during periods of heavy stress.

Abundance of Glutamine

Lastly, in theory, glutamine sounds great since it’s the most abundant and depleted amino acid that occurs in skeletal muscle during exercise, but it doesn’t mean much if you are getting an adequate supply of the protein you are eating daily.1

“It is the most abundant amino acid found in blood plasma and skeletal muscle and accounts for over 60% of the total intramuscular free amino acid pool.”1, 3 Glutamine has been another frequently hyped-up supplement over the years but shows little promise throughout the scientific community in an attempt to enhance athletic performance.

In one study, daily glutamine supplementation over the course of 6 weeks while practicing in a resistance training protocol did not affect body composition, muscular performance, or protein degradation compared to a placebo.4 The most notable study on glutamine for athletic performance came back in 2001.

The Reality

The reality is that Glutamine sounds great on paper as it serves a number of biological roles, but according to Kevin Kuhn, a large number of studies were performed in vitro, rather than in vivo dealing with an actual living body.5

In 2001, Candow performed an enlightening study on 31 individuals who were either male or female between the ages of 18-24. They were randomly assigned to two groups. One group utilized glutamine while the other group was administered a placebo of maltodextrin. Each group performed an approximate microcycle (6 weeks) of resistance training in classic hypertrophy training zones.

After completion of the program, subjects were tested on various measures including 1rm Bench Press, 1rm Squat, peak knee torque, body composition utilizing a dexa scan, and muscle protein breakdown via 3-methylhistidine levels in the urine, a marker of breakdown. Contrary to the in vitro studies, there were no significant differences between each group, strongly indicating that you should save your money and ditch glutamine if you are an athlete. 6,7

SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES:

#1- Fink, Heather Hedrick., et al. Practical Applications in Sports Nutrition. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2006.

#2-Examine.com. Supplement-Goals Reference Guide. Examine.com, 2011.

#3-Rowbottom, David G., et al. “The Emerging Role of Glutamine as an Indicator of Exercise Stress and Overtraining.” Sports Medicine, vol. 21, no. 2, 1996, pp. 80–97., doi:10.2165/00007256-199621020-00002.

#4-. McArdle, William D., et al. Essentials of Exercise Physiology. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.

#5-Cordain, Loren, and Joe Friel. The Paleo Diet for Athletes: The Ancient Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic Performance. Rodale, 2012.

#6-Kuhn, Kevin. “Glutamine: Scam or Savior?” Just Fly Sports Performance, Just Fly Sports Performance, 15 Sept. 2017, www.just-fly-sports.com/glutamine-scam-savior/.

#7-Candow, Darren, et al. “Effect of Glutamine Supplementation Combined with Resistance Training in Young Adults.” European Journal of Applied Physiology, vol. 86, no. 2, 2001, pp. 142–149., doi:10.1007/s00421-001-0523-y.