If you want to grow your muscles, in addition to complying with an adequate nutritional plan, it must be accompanied by the intake of nutritional supplements, which will provide you with the extra nutrients that common foods don’t usually provide in large quantities.

If you are looking for a nutritional supplement that serves as an ally for muscle growth, that complements your diet and exercise routine, without a doubt, it is glutamine.

What is GLUTAMINE and where is it found?

Glutamine is an amino acid found in foods of animal origin, such as cheeses, salmon, beef, fish, eggs, whole milk, and yogurt.

And in turn, we can find them in foods of plant origin with high protein content, such as soy, corn, tofu, chickpeas, lentils, black beans, lima beans, white beans, among others.

The main problem, and the best reason to take glutamine as a dietary supplement, is that the greater amount of this amino acid present in food is lost during cooking.

Of the amino acids, glutamine is the most widely found in muscles and blood., reaching 60% of the total amino acids in muscle.

GLUTAMINE as an ally for muscle growth?

Glutamine has many functions within the body. However, the main function of glutamine is to prevent muscle loss caused by fatigue. When you train with weights, there are several ways that the muscle gains energy. The first is from fat and the second is through glucose.

Glutamine helps normalize glucose levels within the muscle cell to restore balance. We can say that it allows you to do bodybuilding exercises with more intensity for a longer time.

Another function of glutamine is that it has a lactic acid neutralizing effect on the muscles. This acid is generated after intense anaerobic exercises. The accumulation of this acid has a catabolic effect (muscle loss) due to the fatigue it causes in the muscles. Glutamine is sometimes recommended before bed to activate growth hormone to prevent muscle loss during rest.

How to takeGLUTAMINE?

To begin with, if you have a medical condition in organs such as the kidneys and liver, it isn’t recommended that you take it. Before taking any supplement, it’s preferable that you consult a doctor and have a check-up.

Studies on high-performance athletes have shown that after training the body releases more glutamine than the muscles are capable of synthesizing. So all the glutamine that’s released and not absorbed by the body is lost.

When doing high-intensity exercises such as weight lifting, the muscles lose a lot of glutamine, that’s why it’s recommended to take this supplement immediately after training and on an empty stomach so that it doesn’t interact with other amino acids present in food. It’s recommended to take an amount of 50 milligrams for each kilogram of weight. Depending on the athlete, this consumption can increase or decrease.

As we mentioned before, thanks to the activation effect of the growth hormone, it’s also advisable to consume glutamine before going to sleep.

Glutamine is a very good supplement that has multiple benefits for general health. You can find it naturally in various foods and the most important thing is that it has no side effects. However, some people have developed digestive disorders such as "slow digestion."

Remember to always consult with a health specialist so that you correctly if you want to incorporate glutamine as your ally for muscle growth.

We hope that all this information is useful to you. We invite you to share with us in the comment box, what is your opinion about glutamine and its role in muscle growth.