What Does Glutamine Do?

One of the most common questions I see getting asked on forums around the web is “what does glutamine do?”. Bodybuilders have used glutamine for years, and now athletes from all sporting disciplines are starting to use glutamine. Not only that, doctors now realize the positive effects glutamine has on the immune system and are prescribing it to elderly patients. Let’s have a look at what it is and what it does…

What is Glutamine?

Glutamine is an amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks to protein. Glutamine is not just any amino acid, it is the most abundant amino acid in our body - and highly concentrated in our muscles. Glutamine has recently been re-classified as a conditionally essential amino acid. This means that while the body can make glutamine, there are times when the body’s need for glutamine is greater than its ability to produce glutamine.

What does Glutamine do?

Studies have shown that glutamine supplementation can do the following:

• Increase Protein synthesis (which leads to increased muscle mass)
• Increase nitrogen retention
• Decrease muscle breakdown
• Decrease recovery time needed after a workout
• Enhance immune functions

So whether you want to build muscle or just stay healthy, glutamine can help you.