In the world of fitness, there are an infinite number of supplements out there claiming to increase muscle mass, boost performance, burn fat, and more.
As much as we would all like to believe these enticing claims at face value, the truth is that some companies tend to make outlandish claims without any real scientific backing, and it will go unchecked, remaining on the label.
And the worst part?
These companies tend to have killer marketing teams who know how to flawlessly disguise these claims behind flashy packaging and money-hungry influencers, deceiving consumers into thinking that they just found a magical solution to achieve perfect health instantly.
To be clear, there is no such thing as a “get fit quick” supplement — good health takes time, hard work, and dedication. Now, we’re not saying that all products are harmful, as many great supplements can help support you on your fitness journey.
What we are saying, however, is that it’s of the utmost importance to make sure that what you are putting into your body to help reach your goals has scientific backing — like glutamine.
Used by bodybuilders and fitness fanatics alike, glutamine is a non-amino acid meaning our body can produce it naturally. It can also be found in many different foods such as chicken, fish, beef, eggs, dairy products, beans, spinach, and more. After it’s been studied and researched for many years, if you’re looking to take your training up a notch, glutamine just might be what you need.
Read on to discover everything you need to know about glutamine, including what it is and how it may help you to reach your fitness goals.
Glutamine 101: What You Need To Know
First things first, what is glutamine?
Classified as non-essential since it can be readily synthesized by various tissues in the body, such as the skeletal muscles and liver, glutamine is the most abundant single amino acid found in the bloodstream. Although it’s technically a non-essential amino acid, glutamine reserves can sometimes get relatively low, which is why it can also be considered as a conditionally essential amino acid.
You see, your body produces the all-important organic compound, but after vigorous activity, your glutamine levels could drop substantially, which is why many bodybuilders take glutamine supplements. And just like all amino acids used by your body, glutamine is no different and plays a ton of different roles once it enters your system.
Responsible for protein synthesis, glutamine supports the production of muscle. It also supports and regulates the immune system, is an alternative fuel source for the brain, and supports and regulates the dietary system. Needless to say, glutamine is pretty important!
What Are the Benefits Of Glutamine?
Glutamine is a staple for anyone looking to maintain their muscle mass during intense bouts of training. As mentioned, after strenuous exercise, glutamine levels in the body can take a pretty big dip. And when the body needs more glutamine than it can produce, glutamine depletion is sure to follow suit.
Your hard-earned muscle might be metabolized to supply the rest of the body with fuel to function optimally during this state. This is called muscle catabolism and is essentially a bodybuilder’s worst nightmare.
Thankfully, taking a great glutamine supplement may help provide cells with a supply that doesn’t need to be harvested from skeletal muscle. This way, you can train hard without any worry of losing your precious muscle gains.
Now, one thing that you should keep in mind is that refueling your glutamine levels back to normal levels can take a few days, so it’s recommended to consume the amino acid on a regular basis. We recommend taking one to two scoops of our Fermented Glutamine Powder right after your workout.
Here at BioHealth, we formulated our Glutamine to increase endurance, help with muscle recovery and support the immune system. This unflavored powder mixes easily in water and contains absolutely no fillers, sweeteners, or icky ingredients. It is GMO-free, gluten-free, and vegan friendly and doesn’t have a nasty aftertaste. What’s not to love?
In addition to supporting muscle growth, here are a few other benefits of glutamine:
Faster Recovery
Training takes a lot out of your body. Take weight lifting, for instance. When you lift heavy, it causes microscopic damage to the muscle tissue. While this sounds a little unpleasant, this breakdown is what triggers your muscles to grow back stronger and bigger.
The faster you can recover from your workouts, the sooner you can get back into the gym to crush another training session. More workouts mean faster progress.
So, how does one quickly recover from an intense workout? Simple, with glutamine.
Glutamine can help reduce muscle mass breakdown while improving protein metabolism, which helps reduce post-workout muscle soreness. In other words, glutamine can help enhance regularly the microscopic damage that was done to the muscle tissue sooner rather than later so you can hit the gym and get back to training.
Enhances Hydration
When you’re working out hard, your cells can quickly become deprived of water. And when you’re dehydrated, protein synthesis can be hindered and subsequently delay the recovery process.
In a recent study, volunteers were administered glutamine or a placebo to examine the effects of the amino acid on hydration during endurance exercise. The results? For those given glutamine, the time to exhaustion was significantly reduced, and performance levels were improved considerably.
Researchers also noticed that the skeletal muscles resulted in greater sodium uptake. This enhanced sodium uptake may have contributed to the reduction in fatigue by maintaining strength and efficiency of muscle contractility.
In simpler words, glutamine proved to have a powerful ability to help sodium uptake for better hydration during training, making it an excellent supplement for faster muscle recovery.
Improves Immunity
Besides being an undeniably important supplement for achieving all sorts of fitness goals, glutamine acts as an essential fuel source for immune cells—including white blood cells and specific intestinal cells.
In situations of stress, the concentration of glutamine in the blood can decrease substantially. The added stress of strenuous exercise training also results in post-exercise glutamine depletion because the immune cells suck up all the glutamine to efficiently handle the workload.
This may explain why rounds of grueling exercise are often associated with immune suppression, and as a result, an increased risk of infections, such as the flu or a cold. That being said, taking a glutamine supplement may help support your immune system. And when you’re not constantly reaching for a tissue from the Kleenex box, you can spend more time training in the gym.
Conclusion: The Best Glutamine Supplement
It doesn’t matter if you’re a hardcore bodybuilder, a fitness fanatic, or a weekend warrior; taking a high-quality glutamine supplement can do wonders for the body, from aiding recovery to boosting muscle mass and everything in between.
If you’re looking to add a great glutamine supplement to your routine, don’t settle for a product that isn’t scientifically backed — like BioHealth’s Glutamine.
Our fermented glutamine is formulated to support you on your fitness journey to help increase endurance and muscle recovery while supporting the immune system. And unlike other supplements on the market, our glutamine powder is GMO-free, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly.
Plus, it’s made without any icky ingredients or harsh chemicals and doesn’t have a nasty aftertaste. You can mix it directly into your favorite BioHealth protein or simply drink it with water!
Dedicated to pioneering healthier, pasture-fed, and whole food-derived products, we take great pride in creating some of the cleanest products in the industry and having some of the most advanced flavors in the industry. We’re setting the standard on just how good your nutrition can be, and we are confident that you’ll feel the difference.
Whether you’re looking for tips to get summer fit, searching for products to support your well-being, or on the hunt for the best glutamine supplement on the market, you can always count on us to have the best of the best!
Sources:
Effect of physical activity on glutamine metabolism | PubMed
Regulation of skeletal muscle protein metabolism in catabolic states | PubMed
Dehydration and Symptoms of Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness in Hyperthermic Males | NCBI