The benefits of glutamine

What is glutamine for?
It is a non-essential amino acid, which means that it can be formed from the…
human body. L-glutamine can be converted to L-glutamic acid, and vice versa.
It helps in the functioning of the immune system and appears to be essential for normal brain function and digestion.
Certain medical conditions, including injuries, surgery, infections, and prolonged stress and intense physical activity, may reduce the levels of glutamine and taking a supplement of glutamine can be useful.
What are the benefits?
Injuries and quick recovery
After injuries, infections, burns or surgery the body releases cortisol into the bloodstream, which it is possible to reduce the levels of glutamine.
Several studies show that the intake of glutamine helps reduce the rate of death from trauma in critically ill people.
Clinical studies have shown that glutamine supplements enhance the immune system and reduce infections (particularly infections associated with surgery).
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Glutamine helps protect the mucosa. For this reason, some have suggested that people who have inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease ‘s) may not have enough glutamine.
HIV / AIDS
People with HIV or AIDS often have severe weight loss (particularly loss of muscle mass). Studies have shown that taking glutamine supplements, along with other important nutrients such as vitamin C and E, beta-carotene and selenium can increase the body weight and the better absorption of nutrients from the γαντρεντερικό tube.
Athletes
Athletes who train for endurance sports (like marathons) have increased needs of glutamine.
Experts believe that this may be the case because of the low immune system of marathon runners, particularly in times of υπεπροπόνησης.
Cancer
Many people who suffer from cancer have low levels of glutamine. Supplemental glutamine is often given to malnourished cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy and sometimes used in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation.
Glutamine also seems to help reduce stomatitis (inflammation of mouth), and diarrhea, caused by the chemotherapy.
Mental Function
There is great interest in whether the supplements L-glutamine can improve or alter brain function . Some references for the L-glutamine show that it helps in depression, while other on the L-glutamic acid and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) show that it can be used for the improvement of brain function .
Dietary sources of glutamine:
Beef, pork and poultry, milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, raw spinach, parsley and cabbage and as a natural dietary supplement
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