Glutamine is the most abundant non-essential amino acid that is naturally produced by the body. It is called non-essential amino acid because it can be naturally produced by the body, not because it is not an important element.
It is produced in the body by the action of the enzyme glutamine synthetase which assists in the condensation of glutamate and ammonia to ultimately form glutamine.
It is found in abundance in the skeletal muscles and in the blood. The largest amount of glutamine is produced in the muscles, accounting for 90% of the total amount synthesized by the body. It is also produced in small amounts in the lungs, in the brain and in the liver. However, since the liver takes much of its glutamine supply from the gut, its role in glutamine metabolism has purely been regulatory rather than being part of its production.
The organs that benefit greatly from the production of glutamine are the kidney cells, cells of the intestines, the active immune cells and the many cancer cells.
It plays a key role in the different functions of the body such as in the manufacture of proteins by serving as an important precursor of nucleic acids, nucleotides, and amino sugars, it promotes an acid-base balance in the kidneys by producing urinary ammonia, it serves as a source of cellular energy by serving as respiratory fuel for rapidly growing cells such as lymphocytes, it transports nitrogen between tissues, and promotes carbon donation required to efficiently carry out the citric acid cycle. It is one of the few amino acids that can directly cross the blood-brain barrier.
Extensive study on glutamine and its important uses has been undertaken for the past 10 to 15 years and the results show that it is useful in the healing of wound after surgery, in the treatment of burns, injury, trauma, and in the treatment of the side effects of cancer treatment.
It is also popularly marketed as a supplement that promotes muscle growth and development during weight lifting, body building and endurance and other sports activities.
It is also believed that oral supplementation of glutamine may increase the Human Growth Hormone in the blood by simulating the functions of the anterior pituitary glands.
It is also believed that glutamine significantly reduces the healing period after surgery. Studies show that hospital confinement after abdominal surgery is greatly reduced by feeding the patient intravenously with substances containing high amounts of glutamine.
Studies show that patients who are on glutamine supplement demonstrated an improved level of lymphocyte count; an improved permeability of the intestines especially among patients who have just undergone surgery and; and an improved balance of nitrogen content in the body among patients recovering from surgery under parenteral nutrition.
You can get your daily supply of glutamine by eating foods rich in glutamine such as beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, dairy products, wheat, cabbage, beets, beans, spinach, and parsley. Minimal amounts of free L-glutamine can also be found in certain vegetable juices and fermented foods, such as miso.
In the field of research, glutamine is usually mixed with the culture medium in cell culture.
More interesting facts about glutamine and how it can benefit your body can be obtained at: http://purebulk.com/l-glutamine
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