What 14 Studies Say About L-Glutamine As A Potential Treatment For Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Digestive Health.
You can’t truly understand how painful, crippling, and embarrassing Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and gastrointestinal problems like leaky gut can be unless you’ve had them yourself.
IBD symptoms like Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and ulcerative colitis can be excruciatingly painful, bloated, diarrhoeal, and exhausting all the time. L-Glutamine supplementation may have positive effects on IBD and gastrointestinal health, according to an overwhelming body of recent clinical evidence.
Describe L-Glutamine.
The most prevalent and naturally occurring amino acid that is conditionally essential to human health is L-glutamine. It accounts for about 60% of the total amount of amino acids in your muscle tissue. One of the very few amino acids with such versatility, glutamine is produced in the skeletal muscles in close to 90% of cases.
Gluconeogenesis, the process of nitrogen transport between tissues, acid-base regulation, and gluconeogenesis all depend on glutamine being able to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain freely. It is also essential for nucleotide bases and the antioxidant glutathione.
How Does L-Glutamine Work?
The most prevalent free amino acid in the human body is L-glutamine. L-Glutamine is frequently described as a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning that although the body naturally produces it, its reserves may become depleted under conditions of extreme physical or metabolic stress and must be supplemented or obtained through diet.
This can occur during periods of intense training or during physical trauma like surgery, sepsis, chemotherapy, or IBD.
L-glutamine is used as a treatment for a variety of illnesses and has many positive effects on health. L-glutamine is most frequently used as a sports performance supplement, to aid in the recovery of muscle mass loss and lessen soreness brought on by exercise.
However, more recent research has indicated that L-glutamine may be used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), improve digestive health, and support the immune system.
L-Glutamine: How Does It Work?
L-glutamine is essential for four of its primary roles.
- Maintaining the balance of nitrogen.
- The redox state of a cell.
- Directing the metabolism of glucose.
- Control over the balance of acid and base.
The lining of your gut and intestinal tract can be rebuilt and repaired with the help of L-glutamine. The nitrogen balance in your body is regulated by L-glutamine, which also chooses when and where nitrogen atoms should be positioned to repair your body most effectively.
Those who suffer from gastrointestinal problems like leaky gut and inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s, IBS, and ulcerative colitis may find this to be of great benefit.
Does L-Glutamine Aid in the Treatment of Crohn’s Disease?
The chronic relapsing intestinal inflammation known as Crohn’s disease has historically been very challenging to treat. Managing Crohn’s disease can be extremely difficult, frustrating, and a little embarrassing because it has symptoms like severe diarrhea, bleeding, bloating, stomach pain, and electrolyte loss.
Though the pathogenesis of Crohn’s is not fully understood, it is hypothesized that increased gut lining permeability may play a role. L-glutamine supplementation may actually help Crohn’s disease patients regain gut permeability because it is essential for feeding the small mucosa of the gut lining and maintaining gut lining integrity.
A glutamine group and an active control group were randomly assigned to receive either glutamine or whey protein at 0 point 5 g/kg per ideal body weight for two months in a randomized controlled trial at the Department of Gastroenterology and Human Nutrition at the India Institute of Medical Sciences.
The study involved 14 patients with abnormal intestinal permeability. The research found that the glutamine group’s intestinal permeability significantly increased.
L-glutamine has shown promising results in recent studies as a potential treatment for Crohn’s disease. However, considering the study design and sample size of the majority of studies, results have been conflicting, and better-designed studies still need to be conducted to determine L-Glutamine as a potential treatment option for Crohn’s disease.
The Canadian GI Society of Intestinal Research
L-Glutamine supplementation is crucial for people who are metabolically stressed because their needs are higher. This can include people with temporary increased metabolic needs as a result of extreme physical activities, such as those with acute or chronic bowel disease, burns, trauma, sepsis, or immune disorders.
Glutamate serves as a source of energy for the cells in the small intestine and large bowel in both healthy and stressed people. It is the gut’s preferred fuel source and essential for maintaining gut villi, which stops bacteria from entering the small intestine or bowel wall.
It has been demonstrated that glutamine supplements may be helpful for Crohn’s disease. Oral glutamine has been demonstrated to have benefits for Crohn’s disease patients, particularly in reducing the risk of gut permeability brought on by indomethacin use.
For Crohn’s disease, the following dosage of L-glutamine is advised:
When taken without food and on an empty stomach, L-glutamine works best. Regardless of the stage of the disease, 30g of L-glutamine per day is the typical dose for Crohn’s.
Does L-Glutamine Aid in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis?
Ulcerative Colitis, a type of idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the colon and is frequently accompanied by bloody stools and abdominal pain, is similar to Crohn’s disease in that it affects the colon. The colon’s innermost lining becomes inflamed, and surface ulcers may also develop.
Foreign invaders like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms are typically attacked and eliminated by the immune system. Normal conditions protect the beneficial bacteria in the intestines from such an assault. The immune system mounts an attack when these bacteria are mistaken for dangerous invaders in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
One of the many advantages of L-glutamine as a potential treatment option for IBD is that it can increase intestinal-friendly microbiota (Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria) while lowering pernicious bacteria (Oscillospira and Treponema) to help improve disease symptoms and intestinal structure.
Numerous studies suggest that glutamine reduces inflammation by affecting inflammatory signaling pathways. Studies indicate that L-Glutamine may help reduce inflammation in IBD and rebuild intestinal lining to further prevent permeability given that Ulcerative Colitis is an inflammatory bowel disorder.
For Ulcerative Colitis, the following dosage of L-glutamine is advised:
When taken without any food or drink, L-Glutamine works best. Depending on the stage of the disease, the majority of studies recommend 3–30g of glutamine taken daily for Ulcerative Colitis.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and L-Glutamine.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common chronic condition that affects the large intestine and is characterized by cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and/or constipation.
Intestinal hyperpermeability is extremely common in people with IBS or post-infectious IBS. Since one of glutamine’s primary functions is to preserve the intestine’s natural barrier and rebuild the lining of the intestinal tract, it is therefore hypothesized that glutamine may be a potential treatment option and beneficial for IBS.
Patients with Gut 115 were given 15g of L-Glutamine or a placebo for 8 weeks in a double-blind, randomized control trial (RCT) that was published in the top international gastroenterology journal. A reduction of more than 50 points on the IBS Symptom Severity Scale was considered to indicate increased intestinal permeability. The Bristol Stool Scale, changes in stool form, and intestinal permeability were considered secondary endpoints.
The outcomes were astounding, with almost 80% of the glutamine group meeting their main objective. Glutamine also significantly decreased the number of bowel movements per day (3 vs. 5) and Bristol Stool Scale results (4 vs. intestinal permeability was restored to normal.
L-glutamine Dosage Recommendations For Irritable Bowel Syndrome:
L-glutamine works best when taken without food and on an empty stomach. L-glutamine should be taken daily in doses ranging from 15-20g for IBS.
Is Leaky Gut Healed by L-Glutamine?
The intestinal wall serves as the immune system’s first line of defense against a variety of potentially harmful diseases and bacteria. Leaky Gut syndrome is marked by an increase in intestinal permeability, which means that dangerous diseases and bacteria can pass through your gut lining and cause swelling, infection, and stomach pain.
Your body can rebuild and repair your gut lining to prevent toxins from passing through because L-glutamine is the preferred fuel source for the mucosa of the small intestine.
The use of L-glutamine as a dietary supplement to support gut barrier function, strengthen the lining, lower intestinal permeability, and aid in the treatment of leaky gut syndrome has been proven efficient in numerous clinical studies.
L-Glutamine Dosage Recommendations For Leaky Gut:
When taken without food and on an empty stomach, L-glutamine works best. L-Glutamine is to be taken in doses of between 15 and 30 g per day for leaky gut.
Is L-Glutamine Beneficial For IBD and Digestive Health?
The use of L-Glutamine as a potential treatment option for IBS and leaky gut is overwhelmingly supported by clinical research. Given that chronic inflammation and increased gut permeability are the root causes of the majority of these diseases and conditions, L-glutamine has been shown to assist in intestinal lining repair and rebuilding while also assisting in normalizing intestinal permeability.
To determine L-glutamine’s potential as a therapeutic agent for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, further research must be conducted because the role of glutamine as a potential treatment option for IBD is controversial. Larger sample sizes are required for a more in-depth analysis despite the promising preliminary results.
Immune System Support: L-Glutamine Benefits.
A strong immune system requires glutamine to function properly. Power lifters and endurance athletes may both experience an increased susceptibility to infection as a result of weakened immune systems from training.
White blood cells use glutamine to make cytokines, which are tiny proteins that they release. Your body’s susceptibility to disease and immune system protection are always increased with an increase in cytokines.
In a randomized controlled trial reported in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 24 athletes received 10 g of glutamine daily for six weeks to see if it affected how their immune systems responded to intense resistance training.
The findings showed that there was a significant difference in the T-cell ratings (White blood cells that help mediate immune health), providing evidence that glutamine supplementation may be able to boost immune function and lessen the immunosuppressive effects of heavy resistance training in athletes.
Digestive Health Benefits of L-Glutamine.
L-glutamine has gained popularity recently as a result of its remarkable advantages for digestive health. By keeping the nitrogen balance in your body in check, L-glutamine helps to rebuild and repair the intestinal tract and lining of your gut. In order to repair your body as quickly and effectively as possible, glutamine decides when and where to place nitrogen atoms.
Given that intestinal hyperpermeability is a common feature of gastrointestinal problems like leaky gut and inflammatory bowel diseases like Chron’s, Ulcerative Colitis, and IBS, this can be very helpful for those who suffer from these conditions.
IBS: Glutamine’s benefits.
IBS affects anywhere between 25 and 45 million Americans, or about 10-15% of the population. IBS symptoms can be incredibly unpredictable and occasionally contradictory, and its precise cause is unknown. In addition to excruciating stomach pain and bloating, diarrhea can alternate with constipation.
Although most medications are made to relax the colon and frequently offer only a minimal amount of relief, they can help with IBS symptoms, specifically with diarrhea or constipation. IBS has no known cure because it is a syndrome rather than a disease. As a result, symptoms need to be controlled with diet, medication, and a healthy lifestyle.
Patients with Gut 115 were given 15g of L-Glutamine or a placebo for 8 weeks as part of a double-blind, randomized control trial that was published in the top international gastroenterology journal. If the IBS Symptom Severity Scale score dropped by more than 50 points, that was considered to be an increase in intestinal permeability.
The Bristol Stool Scale, changes in daily bowel movement frequency, and intestinal permeability were all considered secondary endpoints. Nearly 80% of the glutamine group achieved their primary endpoint, which was one of the very impressive results.
Glutamine also significantly decreased the number of bowel movements per day (3 vs. Scores on the Bristol Stool Scale (4 vs. intestinal permeability, which has been restored, and 6.5.
Chron’s Disease Glutamine Benefits.
L-glutamine may be helpful for Chron’s disease, according to studies. Chron’s disease, an ongoing, relapsing inflammation of the digestive system, has historically been very challenging to treat. Dealing with Chron’s can be extremely difficult, frustrating, and a little embarrassing due to symptoms like severe diarrhea, bleeding, bloating, stomach pain, and electrolyte loss.
L-glutamine supplementation may actually aid in restoring gut permeability in Chron’s disease patients because it is essential for feeding the small mucosa of the gut lining and maintaining the integrity of the gut lining.
A glutamine group and an active control group were randomly assigned to receive either glutamine or whey protein at 0 point 5 g/kg per ideal body weight for two months in a randomized controlled trial at the Department of Gastroenterology and Human Nutrition at the India Institute of Medical Sciences.
The study involved 14 patients with abnormal intestinal permeability. Intestinal permeability significantly increased in the glutamine group, according to the study’s findings.
The Canadian GI Society of Intestinal Research states that supplementation of L-glutamine is crucial for people who are metabolically stressed. This can include people with temporary increased metabolic needs as a result of extreme physical activities, such as those with acute or chronic bowel disease, burns, trauma, sepsis, or immune disorders.
Glutamate serves as a source of energy for the small intestine and large intestine cells in both healthy and stressed people. It is the gut’s preferred fuel source and essential for maintaining gut villi, which stops bacteria from entering the small intestine or bowel wall.
There is proof that glutamine supplements may help people with Crohn’s disease. Oral glutamine has been shown to be beneficial for Crohn’s disease sufferers, particularly in preventing the gut permeability brought on by taking indomethacin. ”
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