Glutamine is one of the most popular supplements for gut healing, and for good reason! Glutamine is an amino acid, and it is extremely versatile for supporting digestive and whole body health. Here are 4 ways that glutamine can support a healthy gut and healthy body.
I N T E S T I N A L H E A L T H - within the digestive tract, glutamine is a primary nutrient for the intestinal cells and intestinal mucosa. Intestinal cells have such a high metabolism, so it’s important to feed them!
Intestinal cells consume more glutamine than any other organ in the body. Studies show that adding glutamine to your supplement regimen can help support healthy intestinal mucosa, especially for people with Ulcerative Colitis.
I M M U N E H E A L T H – Glutamine supports the immune system in 3 ways: Fuels healthy intestinal barrier function (most of our immune cells are in the gut after all!), feeds immune cells, and is a building block for glutathione.
Out of our 5 immune cells, 3 of them depend on glutamine as fuel to grow and be active. Glutamine also supports the production of glutathione, a trendy antioxidant for supporting immune function. Glutathione is made of 3 amino acids, and glutamine is one of them. The body naturally makes glutathione, but a little extra during cold & flu season can help the immune system thrive.
W O U N D H E A L I N G – As if glutamine doesn’t feed enough mouths already, there is one more cell that is reliant on glutamine for fuel: fibroblasts.
Fibroblasts are the cells responsible for wound healing. They are the cells that lay down collagen structures to heal scars, injuries, and wounds. When the body gets injured, the process shunts glutamine directly to the injured tissues for repair. More glutamine yields better healing wounds, studies say.
S T R E S S – When the body is under stress, the demand for glutathione increases. You could say the intestinal cells are stress eaters. During stress, cortisol is released to amplify the fight-or-flight response, which in turn accelerates muscle breakdown and releases glutamine from the blood.
At the same time, the cells in our intestines start eating more glutamine *cue stress eating.* To continue to support healthy immune and intestinal cells, glutamine supplementation could be helpful during times of stress.
Thinking about starting a glutamine supplement? Feel free to ask me what would be best for you!
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