Glutamine and the immune system

Glutamine and the immune system

Now, when everyone is chasing vaccines and ways to protect themselves, L-Glutamine caught my eye, or rather, our suppliers recommended buying it, they say, its sales jumped significantly during the pandemic. And all this is due to its positive effect on immunity. I tried to review foreign scientific articles, because what else, but glutamine is at our disposal, and so far it is in great demand, second only to BCAAs, it is often mixed with them. Below I will quote what I think are the most important moments. USES OF L-GLUTAMINE

Fig. 1. L-glutamine is often used to support healthy muscle growth with regular exercise, as well as to support healthy immune function. L-glutamine is often used to support healthy muscle growth, regular exercise, as well as maintaining healthy immune function. Glutamine is the most abundant and versatile amino acid in the body. In health and disease, the rate of glutamine uptake by immune cells is similar to or greater than that of glucose. For example, in vitro and in vivo studies have identified glutamine as an important nutrient for lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production, macrophage phagocytic and secretory activity, and bacterial killing by neutrophils. Glutamine is considered an essential amino acid during times of stress and critical illness, meaning that the human body cannot synthesize enough glutamine to meet the needs of the immune system or to rapidly multiply, especially in the gut. Partial glutamine deficiency is considered an independent risk factor for mortality in patients after major surgery (which is, of course, a major stress on the body). Glutamine was first considered a biologically important molecule in 1873, when indirect evidence helped to characterize it as a structural component of proteins; then in 1883, free glutamine was found to be abundant in some plants. Interestingly, the number of studies only increased after the research of Sir Hans Adolf Krebs (1900–1981) in the 1930s. At that time, and for the first time in the history of science, Sir Krebs found that mammalian tissues could hydrolyze and synthesize glutamine. I found a lot of articles, there was even a study like this: Anti-inflammatory effect of glutamine in rats compared to diclofenac and dexamethasone. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential anti-inflammatory effect of glutamine compared to two known anti-inflammatory drugs. The results of this study showed a significant anti-inflammatory effect of glutamine, similar to diclofenac and dexamethasone. Animal studies have shown that including glutamine in the diet increases survival against bacteria. Data from multiple human clinical trials suggest that glutamine supplementation in the form of free glutamine or alanyl-glutamine dipeptide (8–30 g oral glutamine per day or 0.3 g alanyl-glutamine/kg body weight per day as TPN) is beneficial for the immune system in patients with burn trauma and gastrointestinal surgery, as well as in critically ill patients. While writing this article, I went to take the glutamine portion I missed last night due to fatigue. The amount of information is enormous, and it is very difficult to read, I don't want to burden you with complicated scientific terminology. Here are the most commonly cited functions of l-glutamine:

Fuel source for immune cells
Fuel source for small intestinal cells
Helps muscles rebuild and recover
Stimulates the production of IgA (Immunoglobulin A)
Helps produce glutathione (a master antioxidant)
Regulates the formation of nitric oxide (in blood vessels)

This amino acid helps produce secretory IgA (Immunoglobulin A), which is an antibody secreted from the digestive tract to prevent harmful substances from entering the bloodstream. I have also found many other benefits of glutamine for other processes in the body, but I will discuss them in another article, as this one has already become long.