Even the most experienced weightlifter or bodybuilder gets weak in the knees when hearing the terms catabolic state, muscle shrinkage, muscle wasting, cellular dehydration, and muscle atrophy. Why can this small supplement, which is produced in large amounts in the body, play a key role in so many problems?
Ronald Kratz, president of the Anti-Aging Medicine Society of Chicago, believes that glutamine can promote the assimilation of nutrients, regulate protein synthesis, stimulate the production of growth hormone, and enhance the immune system.
Weightlifters and bodybuilders need to understand that glutamine plays a key role in muscle growth. Because it is the raw material that provides nitrogen, that is to say, it can transport nitrogen to various parts of the body that need it. Every bodybuilder knows that maintaining a positive nitrogen balance is essential for gaining muscle size.
Glutamine serves as a non-carbohydrate energy source in the Krebs cycle, where it is converted into glutamate and generates adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Adenosine triphosphate is an energy molecule. When adequate amounts of glutamine are maintained in the body through diet and/or supplementation, little or no muscle is broken down to provide glucose. And remember, too little glutamine can cause muscle atrophy.