Exercise is an important part of achieving your health and weight goals, but to maximise results, it’s also essential to look after the body’s recovery. One amino acid that has received much attention for its potential benefits for muscle recovery and muscle building is L-glutamine.
How L-glutamine affects the muscles
Glutamine affects muscles in several ways.
Muscle recovery
After an intense workout, muscles often suffer from microscopic damage, leading to soreness and muscle fatigue. This is where L-glutamine comes in as an important factor for recovery. Studies show that L-glutamine can reduce muscle fatigue and increase recovery time after exercise. Its anti-inflammatory properties can also help reduce training-induced inflammation, thus speeding up the healing process in the muscles.
Muscle building
In addition to aiding recovery, L-glutamine also has the potential to promote muscle growth. It is an important amino acid for protein synthesis, which is the process where muscles repair themselves and grow. By increasing the availability of L-glutamine in the body, you can optimise protein synthesis and thereby promote muscle growth.
L-glutamine as a supplement for athletes
Taking L-glutamine as a supplement can be especially beneficial for individuals who train intensively or have high training volumes. It can help preserve muscle mass during periods of calorie restriction and promote recovery between workouts.
L-glutamine is an amino acid that offers benefits for both muscle recovery and muscle building. To fully take advantage of these benefits, it's important to know how and when to take L-glutamine. By incorporating L-glutamine into your diet or taking it as a supplement in the right way, you can achieve enhanced muscle recovery, reduce training-related muscle fatigue, and promote muscle growth. If you're curious about L-glutamine and interested in learning more, you can find more information about L-glutamine here.
Scientific references
Gleeson, M. (2008). Dosing and Efficacy of Glutamine Supplementation in Human Exercise and Sport Training. The Journal of Nutrition, 138(10), 2045S–2049S.
Street, B., Byrne, C., & Eston, R. (2011). Glutamine Supplementation in Recovery from Eccentric Exercise Attenuates Strength Loss and Muscle Soreness. Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness, 9(2), 116–122.
Cruzat, V., Macedo Rogero, M., Noel Keane, K., & Curi, R. (2018). Newsholme P. Glutamine: Metabolism and Immune Function, Supplementation and Clinical Translation. Nutrients, 10(11), 1564.
Antonio, J., & Street, C. (1999). Glutamine: A potentially useful supplement for athletes. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, 24(1), 1-14.
