Building muscle can be a challenge. Adding a supplement to can make a difference.
Today I have some “muscle food” for you. Yet it’s not just for your muscles. Read to the end of today’s Health Alert and you’ll see the other benefits.
Your Body’s Most Abundant Energy Source
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. The one most commonly found in your blood is glutamine. Glutamine is responsible for a lot. So when your levels drop, your health can suffer.
Prolonged exercise can reduce you glutamine levels by as much as fifty percent. Surgery, burns and infectious diseases can also cause your levels to drop.
That’s why glutamine is a favorite for body builders. It helps restore glycogen to your muscles, which is a power source used during exercise. It’s also a “nitrogen donor,” which means that it helps repair muscle. It also helps you to “bulk up” and build bigger and better muscles.
What’s more, glutamine helps your body release growth hormone. This powerful substance helps you burn fat and build muscle. It’s one of the keys to looking and feeling young.
Glutamine Protects Your Heart, Immune System and Intestines
If you’re one of the many who use NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like aspirin or Advil, glutamine is essential. As you know, these drugs can cause ulcers, intestinal bleeding or worse.
Supplementing with glutamine can help repair – even reverse – damage caused by NSAIDs. How? Glutamine is the primary source of energy for the cells of your intestinal lining. It’s even been used to treat colitis, Crohn’s disease and diarrhea.
And that’s not all. Here’s just a partial list of glutamine’s many benefits:
• Strengthens the Immune System: Glutamine powers the cells of the immune system, including T-cells. Even under stress, glutamine fires up your defenses and stimulates powerful antioxidants.
• Powers the Heart: Glutamine increases endurance by creating energy for the heart. It even helps to regulate blood pressure.
• Fights Hypoglycemia: If your blood sugar drops, glutamine can easily break down in the liver to provide you with more glucose. This means your body won’t have to borrow glucose from muscle tissue. (You’ll lose fat instead of muscle.)
For building muscle, take three grams of glutamine after your workout. For short term treatment of ulcers and colitis, I sometimes use as much as twenty grams a day. As an immune system booster, two grams should be enough.
You can find glutamine in health food store. It’s best to take the powdered form in water and you don’t need anything else added. It tastes slightly sweet on its own.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD