Creatine vs Glutamine - Benefits of Glutamine
<< Part 3 - Benefits of Creatine <<
Alright so creatine has a lot of benefits, but let's not be biased. Glutamine has its benefits too.
Are you still interested in glutamine or are you satisfied with creatine already?
Don't give up yet! Keep reading; your brain loves it.
It wouldn't be a fair comparison if you didn't find out all the good things glutamine can do for you too. So, hold off a little on buying creatine and check out some of the benefits of using glutamine as a supplement.
The Benefits of Glutamine
I'm sure you want miraculous gains from using glutamine, but there may be a reason it's called working out. To me, keeping fit is a part-time job, one that I really enjoy. Unlike the benefits of a normal job (money), the more you use it (your body) the greater the benefits you have.
"Use it or lose it." Whereas with money it's, "use it and lose it."
What am I getting at? You have to put in the work to see any results, whether you're using supplements or not. But I'll stop babbling and get to the benefits.
As I mentioned before, glutamine is an amino acid and as you exercise you use up your body's natural stores of glutamine. So are you going to make your tired body create it on its own or are you going to help it out a little?
If you supplement with glutamine then your body's not going to break down other amino acids to make more glutamine. I'm sure you don't want your body breaking down muscle protein after all that work you did in the gym. That's exactly what your body will do if you're running low on glutamine. Refill your body stores and it'll leave your precious muscle alone. Muscle loss is a good sign of a glutamine deficiency.
Glutamine has also been shown to increase the amount of growth hormone in your body. If you take just 2 grams on an empty stomach it's supposed to raise the level of growth hormone by 400%! That's pretty crazy if you ask me. Growth hormones will promote muscle growth and fat loss. So it's great to use if you're trying to cut down.
If that's not enough, glutamine will keep your muscle cells volumized too. What's that mean? Well, when your cells are swelled your body doesn't break down protein as quickly and it will help to produce more protein. With this efficient protein production you'll make greater gains and you'll recover quicker.
So, not only do you get to keep your gains but it will also aid in repairing your muscle tissue. This is why glutamine is sometimes given to patients with wounds, burns or who have just gotten out of surgery. If you keep your cells hydrated and volumized it'll speed up healing and recovery.
Supplementing with glutamine will also enhance your glycogen replenishment. Glycogen is used as an energy reserve in your body. That means more energy for you on a steady basis.
Glutamine isn't only used for muscle growth, it's also used to maintain its normal functions. So it's useful to supplement with it if you have any problems creating your own glutamine because of a disease.
Cancer and AIDS patients are given glutamine so their bodies can function normally. You need glutamine to have a good immune system. It can also help to increase body weight and cell mass in HIV patients. Glutamine might also be essential for those who have loss of muscle tissue due to disease. Plus, it's been show to cure ulcers: Just 1.6 grams a day had a 92% cure rate in a month. And, the elderly have been known use glutamine for muscle cramps and pain.
Are you honestly asking me what else it will do? OK, fine. Glutamine helps to maintain the structural integrity of your bowels. I think you want that! The intestinal extraction rate for glutamine is higher than any of the other amino acids. That gives it a sort of cleansing effect on your gastrointestinal tract. If you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), you should take some glutamine to reduce your symptoms.
So you can see that glutamine can be very helpful, not just in your daily life but also for fitness gains. You've seen the good creatine and glutamine can do for you, so let's move onto the bad. All that good has to be balanced out with some bad, doesn't it? It has to be, right?
