L-glutamine as a supplement......dangerous?

[Mindmush74]

Hello,
We see a naturalpath for medical issues. My 13 yo. DD, was seen for stomach issues and was told she may have a gluten allergy. We've had her off all gluten for about 3 weeks now and symptoms are subsiding. However, doc wants her on 3000 mg. of L-glutamine daily to help "repair" the gut. My concern is I just finished reading R. Blaylock's book, "Exitotoxins" and glutamine was listed as one of the acidic amino acids. I spoke with her doctors nurse and she assured me that he always prescribes it for patients. That just seems like alot for a young girl. Does anyone have any more info to help enlighten me?

Thanks

 

[SeekinTruth]

The excitotoxin issue is for glutamates that are usually food additives. Eating protein will give you just about all the amino acids. L-glutamine is definitely helpful in healing the gut. The dose doesn't sound out of the ordinary to me, but that's just my opinion. L-glutamine is also very good for brain function.

Someone else might have more thoughts on it. You can also search the forum. Good luck. :)

 

[Nienna]

I agree with Seekin Truth. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with how much L-Glutamine has been prescribed.

I'm using it myself and have been for quite a while as I have a lot of damage to my digestive system. A doctor who is very knowledgeable about health, diet and healing the body has told me I will need to be on it for quite a while as it takes a long time for the gut to heal.

Also, just in case you didn't know, it takes about 6 months for all of the gluten to get out of the system. So 3 weeks is not very long and your daughter should continue to see improvements.

 

[Mountain Crown]

It’s my understanding that L-Glutamine is a non essential amino acid which exists abundantly and naturally in the body, in the blood and skeletal muscles. It occurs freely without a synergistic dependence upon other amino acids so there’s no concern of negative effects as an isolate (which can occur with some essential amino acids.)

A couple of decades of research has resulted in a wide recognition of L-Glutamine’s therapeutic role, particularly with healing the intestines.

 

[bngenoh]

The excitotoxin issue is for glutamates that are usually food additives. Eating protein will give you just about all the amino acids. L-glutamine is definitely helpful in healing the gut. The dose doesn't sound out of the ordinary to me, but that's just my opinion. L-glutamine is also very good for brain function.

Yeah Mindmush74,

When dealing with molecular biology, a small change in a given molecule often results in very different physiological effects. For glutamine, here is what wikipedia has to say:

Glutamine (abbreviated as Gln or Q) is one of the 20 amino acids encoded by the standard genetic code. It is not recognized as an essential amino acid but may become conditionally essential in certain situations, including intensive athletic training or certain gastrointestinal disorders.[citation needed] Its side-chain is an amide formed by replacing the side-chain hydroxyl of glutamic acid with an amine functional group making it the amide of glutamic acid. Its codons are CAA and CAG. In human blood, glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid, with a concentration of about 500-900 µmol/L.

For glutamates:

Glutamic acid and its ions and salts, called glutamates, are flavor-enhancing compounds which provide an umami (savory) taste to food. Glutamic acid is a natural constituent of many fermented or aged foods, including soy sauce, fermented bean paste, and cheese, and is also a component of hydrolyzed protein such as yeast extract. The sodium salt of glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate (MSG), is a widely used additive in the food industry.

So you see, just precipitating MSG from glutamic acid, with sodium, radically changes the biological effect of the end product. Glutamic acid is a base for both glutamine & msg, the critical difference, is in what is added to glutamic acid to form the end molecule. It's all in how the specific molecule is formed and the individual's metabolism, whether it will have a beneficial, neutral, or detrimental effect on their biology.

Hope i was able to help.

 

[Mindmush74]

Thanks, I will definitely try her on it. I know she is gluten intolerant and will continue to see improvements.
Thanks for the advise