What is the recommended dose of L-Glutamine?

- **Look for:** L-glutamine (free form); Sustamine® (alanyl-glutamine — more stable); 5-10g per serving; pharmaceutical grade; powder form for practical dosing - **Avoid:** Capsules for gut health ...

Is L-Glutamine safe to take daily?

L-Glutamine is rated "Generally Safe" based on clinical evidence. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement.

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Ingredient Research

Graded against 173,636 supplements + 177 published clinical interactions, sourced from PubMed, FDA CAERS, openFDA, NIH DSLD

L-Glutamine

MODERATE EVIDENCEAmino AcidLast updated

AVELOR SUMMARY

L-glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the human body (60% of skeletal muscle free amino acid pool) and the PRIMARY fuel source for intestinal epithelial cells and immune cells — not glucose. During critical illness, surgery, or intense exercise, glutamine becomes "conditionally essential" because demand outstrips the body's ability to synthesize it. Our research shows strong evidence for gut barrier protection (reduced intestinal permeability by 56% in burn patients) and ICU patient survival, with moderate evidence for exercise-induced immune suppression prevention. For healthy athletes doing normal training, glutamine is NOT ergogenic — the benefit is specific to immune protection during very heavy training and gut barrier support.

WHAT IT DOES

Glutamine serves as: (1) PRIMARY fuel for enterocytes (intestinal cells) — enterocytes derive 30-50% of their energy from glutamine, not glucose. During stress, intestinal demand for glutamine increases dramatically; (2) fuel for immune cells (lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils) — immune cells consume glutamine at rates similar to glucose; (3) precursor for nucleotide synthesis (via glutamine → glutamate → PRPP pathway) — essential for rapidly dividing cells (immune cells, gut epithelium); (4) nitrogen shuttle — transports ammonia from peripheral tissues to kidneys and liver; (5) precursor for glutathione synthesis (glutamine → glutamate → glutathione). During critical illness, plasma glutamine drops 50-60%, making it conditionally essential.

OPTIMAL DOSAGE

Look for: L-glutamine (free form); Sustamine® (alanyl-glutamine — more stable); 5-10g per serving; pharmaceutical grade; powder form for practical dosing
Avoid: Capsules for gut health (need 5-20g — impractical in capsules); glutamine in heat-processed supplements (degrades); "glutamine peptide" without specifying form
Minimum effective dose: 5g/day for gut barrier; 20g/day for ICU-level support
Third-party tested brands: NOW Foods, Thorne, Nutricost, Klean Athlete

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SAFETY PROFILE

Critical Interactions (Do Not Combine Without Medical Supervision)

Moderate Interactions (Monitor Closely)

Theoretical/Low-Risk Interactions

WHO SHOULD BE CAREFUL

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BCAAs / EAAs

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Independently graded against 173,636 indexed supplements with 177 published clinical interactions, sourced from PubMed, FDA CAERS, openFDA, and NIH DSLD | Last updated:

Not medical advice. Based on published clinical research and systematic reviews.

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