Glutamine May Not Reduce Fatigue (Here's Why)
Updated: Aug 10
✔ Evidence-Based. Scientifically Reviewed.
Glutamine is an extensively utilised conditionally necessary amino acid in sports nutrition, typically marketed for enhanced performance and muscle growth. It's also studied for it's effect on the immune system.
This amino acid serves a variety of other biological roles, including cell proliferation, energy synthesis, glycogenesis, ammonia buffering, and many other processes.
As a result, glutamine started to be studied in sports nutrition outside its immune system effects, with diverse qualities such as anti-fatigue being attributed to glutamine.
Does Glutamine Actually Work?
Because the ergogenic potential of this amino acid is still unknown, the goal of one review was to look at the main mechanisms by which glutamine works.
They primarily looked at how glutamine can delay fatigue, as well as the effects of glutamine supplementation, alone or in combination with other nutrients, on fatigue markers and performance during physical activity.
Glutamine has an array of functions able to potentially reduce fatigue, as shown in the image below.
Glutamine has the following functions:
Enhances ammonia excretion, metabolism and buffering and reduce ammonia build up
Reduces muscle damage
Improves fluid and electrolyte absorption
Increases glycogen and glutathione synthesis
Functions as an energy substrate
In this review, 55 research papers satisfied the inclusion criteria and were analysed.
Although glutamine supplementation improved several fatigue indicators, such as enhanced glycogen synthesis and decreased ammonia buildup, it did not improve physical performance in the majority of the trials reviewed.
Conclusion
Despite the fact glutamine has various functions and ways it could reduce fatigue, glutamine supplementation seems to have little benefits on performance, although it can reduce several fatigue measures.
Do you use glutamine?
Yes
No
I will now
I did, but won't anymore
References
This section contains links to research, studies, and sources of information for this article, as well as authors, contributors, etc. All sources, along with the article and facts, are subjected to a series of quality, reliability, and relevance checks.
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This evidence based analysis of the anti-fatigue effect of glutamine features 1 reference, listed below.
1. Coqueiro AY, Rogero MM, Tirapegui J. Glutamine as an Anti-Fatigue Amino Acid in Sports Nutrition. Nutrients. (2019, Apr 17) (Review) ✔
✔ Citations with a tick indicate the information is from a trusted source.
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