Top Ineffective Supplements for Muscle Building - The Glutamine Fad (Protein synthesis, Growth Hormone, Resistance Training and Sex Differences)

Glutamine and protein synthesis

Changes in muscle glutamine concentrations may not have a major regulatory role on muscle protein metabolism (1). Glutamine fails to affect muscle protein kinetics (2). There is no effect of glutamine supplementation on muscle protein synthesis; after glutamine depletion there is minimal responsiveness to changes in plasma glutamine availability (2).

Using isotopic tracers it was demonstrated that a decrease in plasma and muscle glutamine levels had no effect on muscle protein kinetics (1), and that in healthy volunteers (3) and in burned children (4) there was no effect of increasing glutamine availability in plasma on the rate of muscle protein synthesis. Another study also failed to observe any affect from glutamine supplementation on the rate of muscle protein synthesis(5).

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