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DiscussionLet's talk about it: The science of itL-Glutamine for Gut Lining Repair

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L-Glutamine for Gut Lining Repair

#1 · February 11, 2024, 12:58 pm

Quote from puddleduck on February 11, 2024, 12:58 pm
Has anyone tried this supplement?

A naturopath I went to in January gave it to me to “heal your gut from glyphosate damage.” Can’t tell if it’s doing much yet, but am willing to give it a try for a few months.

Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid under normal physiological conditions, as it is produced in the body in adequate amounts. However, under conditions of severe infections, physical trauma, radiation-induced damage and major burns the physiological level of glutamine is inadequate and therefore required to be supplemented with dietary glutamine. Normal range of plasma glutamine level is 500–750µmol/L. Prolonged exhaustive exercise leads to nearly 25% drop in plasma glutamine level. Plasma glutamine level falls also during fasting and in patients with untreated diabetes mellitus. In all these cases catabolic stress occurs by rise in plasma cortisol and glucagon by enhancing the physiological demand for glutamine for gluconeogenesis. Heavy physical training leads to reduction in plasma glutamine level below 500 µmol/L. The recovery of such deficit requires a long period, which is the causing factor in the development of overtraining syndrome among athletes (2, 7). Certain pathological conditions leading to catabolic stress where intracellular glutamine levels may drop below 50% and plasma concentration below 30%, body requirement for glutamine overwhelms the capacity of body for de novo synthesis of glutamine (21), and therefore depends on dietary glutamine supplementation. Sepsis and other severe illnesses leading to multiple organ dysfunction results from nitric oxide and peroxynitrite generation leading to oxidant injury in a glutamine-deficient environment. Similar type of local tissue injury is seen in ischemia and reperfusion (22, 23). Therefore, depletion of tissue glutamine can be viewed as a compromised body defense system, which is a likely mechanism in the pathogenesis of various clinical conditions. [Emphasis added.]

[Later...]

Our studies demonstrated that acetaldehyde, the carcinogenic metabolite of ethanol, disrupts the intestinal epithelial tight junctions. L-Glutamine prevents the acetaldehyde-induced increase in permeability to endotoxin by preventing the disruption of tight junction and adherence junction in Caco-2 cell monolayer (77).

Role of Glutamine in Protection of Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junctions
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369670/

Has anyone tried this supplement?

A naturopath I went to in January gave it to me to “heal your gut from glyphosate damage.” Can’t tell if it’s doing much yet, but am willing to give it a try for a few months.

Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid under normal physiological conditions, as it is produced in the body in adequate amounts. However, under conditions of severe infections, physical trauma, radiation-induced damage and major burns the physiological level of glutamine is inadequate and therefore required to be supplemented with dietary glutamine. Normal range of plasma glutamine level is 500–750µmol/L. Prolonged exhaustive exercise leads to nearly 25% drop in plasma glutamine level. Plasma glutamine level falls also during fasting and in patients with untreated diabetes mellitus. In all these cases catabolic stress occurs by rise in plasma cortisol and glucagon by enhancing the physiological demand for glutamine for gluconeogenesis. Heavy physical training leads to reduction in plasma glutamine level below 500 µmol/L. The recovery of such deficit requires a long period, which is the causing factor in the development of overtraining syndrome among athletes (2, 7). Certain pathological conditions leading to catabolic stress where intracellular glutamine levels may drop below 50% and plasma concentration below 30%, body requirement for glutamine overwhelms the capacity of body for de novo synthesis of glutamine (21), and therefore depends on dietary glutamine supplementation. Sepsis and other severe illnesses leading to multiple organ dysfunction results from nitric oxide and peroxynitrite generation leading to oxidant injury in a glutamine-deficient environment. Similar type of local tissue injury is seen in ischemia and reperfusion (22, 23). Therefore, depletion of tissue glutamine can be viewed as a compromised body defense system, which is a likely mechanism in the pathogenesis of various clinical conditions. [Emphasis added.]

[Later...]

Our studies demonstrated that acetaldehyde, the carcinogenic metabolite of ethanol, disrupts the intestinal epithelial tight junctions. L-Glutamine prevents the acetaldehyde-induced increase in permeability to endotoxin by preventing the disruption of tight junction and adherence junction in Caco-2 cell monolayer (77).

Role of Glutamine in Protection of Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junctions
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369670/

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#2 · February 11, 2024, 2:04 pm

Many years ago, as part of a misguided anti-candida protocol. It did absolutely nothing for me...

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#3 · February 11, 2024, 2:24 pm

Haha, I hear ya on those anti-candida protocols... 😆 Been there. Thanks for sharing your experience, @alastair! It’s entirely possible I wasted my money.

#4 · February 11, 2024, 11:17 pm

Glutamine is very popular in fitness, sports. They take 5-10g in one dose and they take 2-4 doses. I think it helps with muscle recovery for sure. I was taking it as well during my bodybuilding days. But don't know how big benefit it has for gut health.. If you eat good amount of meat I don't think you need extra glutamine. But if people don't eat collagen rich tissues and cuts rich in taurine I think taking them can help a lot. People take all kinds of things for healthy connective tissue, but don't realize that limiting factor is glycine. If the body can or can't repair all the tissues daily.. We would have a lot of glycine in the diet back in the day. Nobody was eating mainly muscle meats... I think glycine intake from pork like skin, feet etc.. is big reason why in Asia people are able to keep healthy joints etc. even in higher age. Because they don't eat just steaks and poultry breasts all the time like here.. They eat all kinds of soups rich in collagen all the time.. It is funny how people here are buying just very expensive muscle meats thinking that it is the best cut of meat. When in fact the cheapest cuts full of skin and tendons etc.. are the best for health..

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#5 · February 12, 2024, 6:18 am

I doubt that we arent getting enough from beef meat already .

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#6 · February 12, 2024, 6:18 am

Quote from Jiří on February 11, 2024, 11:17 pm

Glutamine is very popular in fitness, sports. They take 5-10g in one dose and they take 2-4 doses. I think it helps with muscle recovery for sure. I was taking it as well during my bodybuilding days. But don't know how big benefit it has for gut health.. If you eat good amount of meat I don't think you need extra glutamine. But if people don't eat collagen rich tissues and cuts rich in taurine I think taking them can help a lot. People take all kinds of things for healthy connective tissue, but don't realize that limiting factor is glycine. If the body can or can't repair all the tissues daily.. We would have a lot of glycine in the diet back in the day. Nobody was eating mainly muscle meats... I think glycine intake from pork like skin, feet etc.. is big reason why in Asia people are able to keep healthy joints etc. even in higher age. Because they don't eat just steaks and poultry breasts all the time like here.. They eat all kinds of soups rich in collagen all the time.. It is funny how people here are buying just very expensive muscle meats thinking that it is the best cut of meat. When in fact the cheapest cuts full of skin and tendons etc.. are the best for health..

I buy meat with bones and boil that In a slow cooker .

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#7 · February 18, 2024, 4:19 am

@puddleduck, I started taking it 2 weeks ago. I ran my raw data though genetic genie and based on my own research around my particular results l-glutamine was one thing I apparently need more of than average. It makes sense with my history of GI issues. I also lift weights so I figured it couldn’t hurt. I feel like the only noticeable thing so far is possibly better sleep.

Amino acids in general seem do that for me as well. It could be tied into our liver needing a steady supply of amino acids throughout the night and our skeletal muscles are the reservoir for that supply while we are sleeping/fasting (according to protein researcher Don Layman).
L-glutamine is often given in long term acute care to critically ill people to help with wounds/infections and to reduce ventilator days fwiw.

It’s considered a non-essential amino acid but I do think there are situations where people can benefit from having a bit extra.

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#8 · February 19, 2024, 10:04 am

Quote from puddleduck on February 19, 2024, 10:04 am
Glufosinate is a herbicide that works by inhibiting glutamine synthetase in plants, which is used on Liberty Link soya beans at certain stages of growth along with glyphosate at others. This soy is fed to chickens and cows. Supposedly we aren't typically exposed to levels that will present harm, but since it is so widely used I wonder it that's true. [1]

@jiri Wow, that's a huge amount! Maybe the case study where a female bodybuilder potentially developed hepatotoxicity from only 10 grams daily is an anomaly then. [2] It's cool it helps with recovery in athletics.

I'm eating a vegan diet right now, which has it's pros and cons (reduced protein absorbability in general due to fiber being a con), but glycine is a pro: " For glycine, vegans had the highest concentration [in plasma] and meat-eaters the lowest." [3]

@r-2 Yeah, most people are eating way more protein than the RDA (not that some of us don't need extra--especially during repair and recovery), but apparently the rationale for using extra is: if the gut is depleted in l-glutamine due to stress, supplementation on an empty stomach to maximize absorption would hasten the gut's ability to heal and utilize food properly.

@bella How interesting! Makes sense it would help when the body is recovering from something so stressful.

Ahha! Well wow, considering you've found you do better on a higher protein diet generally too, it sounds like the genetic genie thing is super validating. Better sleep is a good sign. 🙂

I wonder how long it takes to know if gut repair is happening...but I suppose healing the leaky gut isn't something that tends to happen overnight...I'll have to learn more about that process. Sadly, as I expect you may know, apparently it's common for celiac patients to have persistent gut damage even after years on a gluten-free diet. [4]

Thanks for mentioning Don Layman. I haven't heard of him before; sounds like a helpful resource!

1. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/09/21/2022-20438/glufosinate-pesticide-tolerances
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7069532/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4705437/
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12556782/

Glufosinate is a herbicide that works by inhibiting glutamine synthetase in plants, which is used on Liberty Link soya beans at certain stages of growth along with glyphosate at others. This soy is fed to chickens and cows. Supposedly we aren't typically exposed to levels that will present harm, but since it is so widely used I wonder it that's true. [1]

@jiri Wow, that's a huge amount! Maybe the case study where a female bodybuilder potentially developed hepatotoxicity from only 10 grams daily is an anomaly then. [2] It's cool it helps with recovery in athletics.

I'm eating a vegan diet right now, which has it's pros and cons (reduced protein absorbability in general due to fiber being a con), but glycine is a pro: " For glycine, vegans had the highest concentration [in plasma] and meat-eaters the lowest." [3]

@r-2 Yeah, most people are eating way more protein than the RDA (not that some of us don't need extra--especially during repair and recovery), but apparently the rationale for using extra is: if the gut is depleted in l-glutamine due to stress, supplementation on an empty stomach to maximize absorption would hasten the gut's ability to heal and utilize food properly.

@bella How interesting! Makes sense it would help when the body is recovering from something so stressful.

Ahha! Well wow, considering you've found you do better on a higher protein diet generally too, it sounds like the genetic genie thing is super validating. Better sleep is a good sign. 🙂

I wonder how long it takes to know if gut repair is happening...but I suppose healing the leaky gut isn't something that tends to happen overnight...I'll have to learn more about that process. Sadly, as I expect you may know, apparently it's common for celiac patients to have persistent gut damage even after years on a gluten-free diet. [4]

Thanks for mentioning Don Layman. I haven't heard of him before; sounds like a helpful resource!

1. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/09/21/2022-20438/glufosinate-pesticide-tolerances
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7069532/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4705437/
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12556782/