The
Skinny Guy's Guide To Glutamine
By Vince DelMonte
When was the last time you read an article
discrediting the effects of glutamine? Maybe this will be your first
one? Unfortunately, the majority of bodybuilding and muscle magazines
still have this supplement on their "Top 5 Lists." I am not here to
convince you to never buy another tub of glutamine again, but if stay
with me, I will do my best to debunk some of the common myths that have
led you to believe that this expensive supplement is necessary.
But I Thought Glutamine Was A "No Brainer"
Supplement?
Creatine is a 'no brainer' supplement, protein
powder is a 'no brainer' supplement, multi vitamins and fish oils are
'no brainer' supplements. Sorry, Glutamine, you did not make the team -
despite the fact it gets its own message boards, chat rooms, magazine
articles and its own section in the supplement store. I don't need to
remind you that the supplement industry is a billion-dollar industry.
Since I used to be a skinny guy myself, I know how badly you want to
build the perfect body - or at least one that gets you more dates and
more respect at the gym!
Since I have already wasted thousands of dollars on
certain, not all, supplements myself, I feel an obligation to tell you
the other side of the story. To reveal the glutamine research that
NOBODY wants you to read. But this is obvious - nobody makes
money disproving the credibility of a hot selling supplement!
So here is where I will make my stand. Glutamine
has no muscle-building effects whatsoever. Now before we
get too deep, remember that I am not a PH.D student or a research geek.
I will pass along the information and let you decide for yourself, and,
in the process, do my best to make this fun and interesting.
Glutamine 101
Here is a quick introduction for you skinny guys who
have never heard of glutamine. Glutamine makes up 2/3's of the amino
acids in our body, which could make a strong case for it being the most
important. Understand that glutamine is also a non-essential amino acid
which means your body produces it by itself. This does not mean you do
not need it - only that external consumption is not mandatory. The most
interesting fact about glutamine is that during times of stress (which
is not clearly defined), our amino acid pool is depleted which can
prevent muscle growth since glutamine makes up the greatest percentage
of amino acids. Hence, the theory for supplementing with glutamine if
you weight train.
Glutamine Claims
I cut and pasted these right out of random chat room
just to show you I am more in tune with the word on the street:
"...glutamine helps with weight training and prevents muscle
soreness..."
"...you need glutamine to repair your muscles."
"...supplemental glutamine can help prevent your body from losing
muscle."
"...glutamine is not worthless. I train with bodybuilders every day and
they recommend it."
"Glutamine is the most important supplement for bodybuilders..."
"It boosts immune function which helps you recover from colds much
quicker.."
"Taking large amounts of glutamine before a workout contributes to huge
pumps..."
"Glutamine assists in situations of trauma which contributes to faster
recovery..."
What Glutamine Sales Reps Are Afraid Of You
Discovering
Although the majority of glutamine supplementation
hoopla praises its contribution to increased muscle size and strength,
decreased chance of overtraining and the other claims above, current
research today gives no evident benefits for the skinny guy who wants
to build muscle - never mind for any weight trainer in general.
Recently I received an article from a fellow
colleague, David Barr MSc., who collected a large batch of research
with an exhaustive reference list supporting the notion that glutamine
is useful for only very specific conditions (which we will discuss
shortly).
Here is a list of some of the most interesting data
that David Barr found in his research with my extra commentary:
< anyways! take you tell companies supplement grams 5-10 the
than more far is this interesting, Even day. per glutamine of 20-30
getting already m>
- Just because glutamine has been proven
to work in clinical stress testting does not mean it equates to
exercise stress that you experience after a killer workout. Clinical
stress such as severe burns, AIDS and extensive surgery are good
reasons to warrant its, use but you simply don't cause enough muscular
damage during your workouts to justify its use.
- A 2001 study by Candow et al determined that 0.9g
of supplemental glutamine/kg/day during weight training resulted in no
considerable effect on muscle performance, body composition or muscle
breakdown on healthy adults. Since I am just over 200 lbs that is 80
grams of glutamine a day or over $1000 US in glutamine a year! If 80
grams was shown to have no anti-catabolic effects, why would you waste
your money on taking the recommended 5-10 grams per day?
- The majority of the research on endurance
athletes has revealed minimal contribution in regards to enhancement of
the immune system. More significantly, a number of studies disclosed
information that glutamine supplementation does not alter
exercise-induced suppression of the immune system. Contrary to popular
belief, whether your glutamine levels drop or not after training, they
have no impact on immunity. - Hiscock N, Pedersen BK. Exercise-induced
immunodepression- plasma glutamine is not the link. J Appl Physiol 2002
Sep;93(3):813-22
- Many claim that glutamine helps increase your
'pump' by improving cell volumization. Dr. John Berardi, Ph.D, did some
preliminary testing and discovered nothing to support this. Glutamine
supplementation has no response on total body water, intra-cellular
fluid levels, or extra-cellular fluid levels. - Dr. John M Berardi,
Ph.D., Appetite For Construction, JohnBerardi.com 2002 Nov 8
- It is still a question whether or not glutamine
improves glycogen stores post-weight training. But why should you care?
If you are already consuming a post-workout drink with sugary carbs to
replenish glycogen (this is mandatory for any skinny guy who wants to
build muscle), then further supplementation with glutamine is
unnecessary.
- In conclusion, studies that tested athletes who
consumed an amino acid drink post-workout showed an increase in protein
synthesis by 48%. However, when glutamine was added to the drink, no
additional benefits occurred. That blows the muscle-building theory out
the window!
So Is Glutamine A Worthless Supplement?
Well, if you stopped reading right now you would
think so! And you are probably confused as heck right now because
everything you have heard on glutamine before today praised its
holiness. Remember, the supplement industry is a billion-dollar
industry and nobody makes money by disproving the effectiveness of
supplements. In the end, you must decide for yourself what you wish to
believe.
When Glutamine Is Worth Using
David Barr fingers a few situations when glutamine
supplement will prove useful for the bodybuilder, so here is a chance
to see if your glutamine should still be in your budget:
- Glutamine supplementation could prove useful for
bodybuilders who decrease their testosterone levels after coming off a
cycle improperly. Muscle breakdown is at its highest in these
circumstances despite a quality nutrition plan, so glutamine might
help.
- During a pre-contest training regiment that
consists of very low calories and high volumes of exercise, protein
breakdown is much more likely. Basically, any extreme dieting or fat
loss program with the hopes of getting extremely lean can result in
increased stress, therefore increased catabolism. Competitive
bodybuilders and fitness models are perfect examples of those who might
benefit from glutamine supplementation in this above-normal fat loss
situation.
- During incidences of extreme weather conditions
and/or multi day training, there are situations where extreme stress
can be counteract with glutamine supplementation. Triathletes and
endurance athletes come to mind.
- " Glutamine supplementation would be beneficial
for conditions where catabolic waste is at its peak. Severe burns,
severe colds or flu's, severe allergies, alcoholism, chemotherapy,
HIV/AIDS, irritable bowel syndrome are a few examples.
In Conclusion
At the start I stated that, "Glutamine has no muscle
building effects whatsoever." After reviewing this article, you will
notice that is not as black and white as that. However, the take home
message, especially to you skinny guys, is that if you are on a proper
muscle-building meal plan and using solid post-workout nutrition
strategies, glutamine is not a worthwhile supplement for you. Save your
money and put it towards food if you are motivated to gain muscle
weight.
Save your money and put it towards food if you are
motivated to gain muscle weight.
I hope this supplement was a good example of looking
at the evidence rather then the hyped-up muscle rags and advice from
the 'expert' at your gym. In the end, you are free to believe what you
wish, but remember that the current research today does not support the
spectacular muscle-building effects supplement companies claim.
References
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. Barr, David J., CSCS, MSc. Candidate.
Glutamine Destroying the Dogma,
Part 1
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=461188
Part 2
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459884
2.Berardi, Dr. John M, Ph.D.
Appetite For Construction, JohnBerardi.com 2002 Nov 8
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/qa/afc/afc_nov082002.htm
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About the Author:
Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle
Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/
He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to
build muscle and gain weight quickly
without drugs, supplements and training less than before.
© 2006-2007, Vince DelMonte Fitness. All rights in
all media reserved. You may reprint this article so long as the article
and author bio are reprinted intake and all links are made live. This
article may never be sold individually or as part of a package.
