Glutamine

About Glutamine

Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in human blood and skeletal muscle. The body normally makes enough of it, but it is considered conditionally essential because demand can exceed supply during critical illness, major surgery, trauma and burns. Glutamine is a major fuel for rapidly dividing cells such as enterocytes lining the intestine and immune cells, and it serves as a carrier of nitrogen between tissues, a precursor for nucleotide synthesis and glutathione, and a key regulator of acid base balance in the kidney. Glutamine is found in protein rich foods of both animal and plant origin. It has been studied extensively as a supplement in critical care, but a large trial in critically ill patients did not show benefit and raised safety concerns in some groups, and its routine use in that setting is no longer generally recommended. Evidence for benefits in healthy athletes is limited. A pharmaceutical L glutamine product has been approved in the United States for use in sickle cell disease.