Glutamine is the engine that pulls the train that is your body. The most important of the twenty amino acids in the body, glutamine leads the other amino acids to work each day. Used in supplementation form, it has properties which lead to increased muscle growth, faster recovery, and better digestion. For an athlete who has all his “ducks in a row” when it comes to nutrition, training, and sleep, supplementing with glutamine might lend a slight advantage to reaching bodybuilding goals.

Nitrogen metabolism
Muscle grows when there is a positive nitrogen balance. When a person trains, blood is forced to the muscle group being trained. If that blood contains a positive nitrogen balance – more nitrogen than negative agents like cortisol – the muscle is able to grow. Glutamine contributes to the positive nitrogen balance, which is why the majority of bodybuilders swear by it as a crucial nutritional supplement.

Immune system
It has been long believed by both doctors and athletes that glutamine helps boost immune system function. From healing wounds, to recovering from the common cold, and everything in between, glutamine serves a function as central nervous system recovery agent. It keeps healthy people healthy, and assists sick people in getting stronger faster.

Digestive system
Bodybuilders consume a great deal of food. When athletes consume glutamine with that food, their bodies processes this food more efficiently. As glutamine is an amino acid, it is absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract with other foods. However, due to its unique properties, it is absorbed faster, which both speeds up, and makes cleaner, the absorption function of all other nutrients. In layman’s terms, glutamine makes your digestive system use the food both faster and better. And since bodybuilders often consume 6 to 10 meals per day, any assistance with moving that food through their bodies faster is greatly appreciated.

Surgical recovery
People who use glutamine heal faster. This is due to the boosted immune system function, the cellular advantages due to nitrogen balance, and the increased digestive system absorption rates. This leads to shorter hospital stays, lower health care costs, and less long-term complications. This also lends itself to faster recovery from the normal bangs and dings that one picks up in everyday life.

Glutamine lends a slight advantage to a well-constructed nutrition and diet plan. If you feel that a boost to digestive system and recovery processes will give you an advantage, give it a try. It is another tool in the battle against anti-recovery agents that bodybuilders face everyday.

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