Glutamine foods, like yogurt, eggs, cheese, white rice, and lentils, can be both animal and plant-based in origin. Glutamine can also be purchased in the form of nutritional supplements at health food stores or online.
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the human body as it is naturally produced in the body through the conversion of glutamic acid. It is considered a semi-essential amino acid, as it can become essential in during times of recovery or stress.
Glutamine foods are important for maintaining various bodily functioning, like ensuring optimal immune system function. It is also involve in some metabolic pathways and promotes protein production.
List of animal-based glutamine foods
Foods from animal-based sources that are rich in glutamine include:
List of plant-based glutamine foods
Foods from plant-based sources that are rich in glutamine include:
What is glutamine used for?
Glutamine is considered to be an immunomodulator as it stimulates and strengthens the immune system. It is used as an energy source by immune system, intestinal and muscle cells.
Some studies have shown that glutamine supplementation can increase the recovery of immunosuppressed and/or post-operative patients, and in those in critical conditions who are recovering from burns, sepsis, or multiple traumas. This amino acid becomes essential when the body is undergoing metabolic stress, and can be supplemented to prevent muscle breakdown and stimulate immune system functioning.
L-glutamine supplementation is also used to maintain muscle mass, as it reduces muscle tissue breakdown after exercise. It also stimulates muscle growth by promoting the absorption of amino acids into muscle cells, which is beneficial with exercise recovery and overtraining syndrome (which is associated with a drop in plasma glutamine levels).