L-Glutamine: Benefits and Sources

“Make sure you get enough protein!” 

Whether you work out intensely or are just looking after your body, making sure you’re getting enough protein is a vital part of being your healthiest. 

But you don’t have to turn to protein shakes and giant amounts of beef or plant proteins. 

Your body can produce its own protein… if it has the right ingredients. 

And those ingredients are amino acids. More specifically, it’s l-glutamine, the most abundant of the amino acids in your body. 

Let’s take a closer look at l-glutamine, where you can get it, and what benefits it has on its own. 

What Is L-Glutamine? 

L-glutamine is a common form of the amino acid glutamine, but it has a slightly different molecular structure. 

There are three types of amino acids. 

• Essential amino acids cannot be produced by your body. You can only get them from food or supplements. 
• Non-essential amino acids are those produced by your body. 
• Conditional amino acids are usually produced by your body, but in times of illness, stress, or injury, that production can slow down or even come to a halt. 

L-glutamine is a conditional amino acid, so it is produced naturally by your body. But when you need more than what your body is currently producing, it can also be found in foods and supplements. 

The terms l-glutamine and glutamine are often used interchangeably. Aside from the minor differences in their molecular structure, l-glutamine is the term used to describe the form of glutamine found in food and supplements. 

L-Glutamine Benefits

Like all amino acids, glutamine and l-glutamine are the building blocks of protein. When their molecules combine, the resulting chain is protein, a macronutrient that is critical for tissue and muscle growth and repair, a healthy immune system, and the production of hormones and enzymes. 

Along with combining to form proteins, l-glutamine also: 

• Supports your immune system
• Improves your digestive health
• Removes excess ammonia (a waste product) from your body
• May be needed for normal brain function

Let’s look at some of the major ways l-glutamine can positively affect your body. 

Other L-Glutamine Benefits

Aside from its protein-building functions, l-glutamine can have a number of positive benefits on your well-being. 

These are some of the specific ways in which increasing the amount of this amino acid is especially useful and even necessary. 

Easing Gastrointestinal (GI) Symptoms

Your digestive system is lined with mucosa, which is protected by glutamine. Researchers have found that patients suffering from gastrointestinal issues may have lower levels of glutamine. 

An l-glutamine supplement may help ease symptoms and provide much-needed relief. 

However, more research is still needed on the effectiveness of l-glutamine supplements for digestive well-being. For truly managing your gut health, spore probiotics are still the gold standard. 

Probiotics are bacteria that are very similar, or even identical, to the beneficial bacteria already living in your body. 

When you take a probiotic supplement, this bacteria joins forces with the beneficial (“good”) bacteria in your gut microbiome. It helps the colonies of good bacteria strengthen, multiply, and flourish, while also crowding out the pathogenic (“bad”) bacteria. 

In the end, probiotics restore the correct balance to your gut microbiome, improving GI issues and avoiding future digestive issues. 

Our favorite probiotic supplement is Just Thrive Probiotic. 

This supplement is a spore probiotic, containing strains similar to those found naturally in the soil. This makes it exceptionally hardy, so it can survive the stomach enzymes, acids, and bile that it encounters on the way to your gut microbiome. 

It’s clinically proven to arrive 100% alive in your gut and has 1000x better survivability vs. leading probiotics.

Boosting Immune Function

Around 70–80% of your immune system is located in your gut. 

And as we mentioned above, when you take l-glutamine, it can improve your overall gut health—including your immune system. 

With a stronger immune system, you’ll be able to fight off infections and illnesses. You’ll also recover more quickly if you do get sick. 

L-glutamine supplements are especially important to your immune system if you don’t get a lot of protein naturally, from your diet.

Healing Wounds and Recovering from Illness

Under physical stress, due to injury, illness, infection, burn, trauma, or surgery, your body will produce and release higher-than-usual levels of the hormone cortisol. 

Unfortunately, high cortisol levels will reduce the amount of glutamine in your body leading to a domino effect: lower l-glutamine can lead to an unhealthy gut, which can then compromise immune function, leaving you more susceptible to infections (especially post-surgery) and lengthening your recovery time.

If you are healing or recovering physically, l-glutamine supplements can strengthen your immune system and lower your risk of infection. If you are hospitalized, you may receive l-glutamine through enteral nutrition, such as a feeding tube.

Enhancing Athletic Performance

Athletes who train at higher levels have higher protein needs, so they may benefit from l-glutamine supplements. 

If you frequently participate in high-intensity or endurance activities, consider taking an l-glutamine supplement to help your muscles recover more quickly and reduce your post-workout pain. 

Losing Weight

Some of the most popular weight loss drugs of the moment contain “semaglutide” as their active ingredient. With such similar names, it’s easy to see why people might automatically make the connection and assume that l-glutamine is also good for weight loss. 

In a sense, this is true.

L-glutamine and semaglutide are not related in any way; the latter is an anti-diabetic medication that regulates insulin production. 

However, l-glutamine can help you lose weight by increasing your metabolic function, which will help you burn a higher number of calories—even when you’re resting. 

Possible Side Effects of L-Glutamine

We’ve seen the benefits of taking l-glutamine, but are there any negatives to taking additional l-glutamine? 

For the most part, the answer is no. 

L-glutamine, as a molecule produced by the human body and occurring naturally in many common foods, is generally safe for you to take, with few side effects. 

However, as your l-glutamine consumption increases, so does the possibility of any side effects. 

If you take more than 40 grams per day (in diet and/or supplements), you may experience: 

• Bloating
• Dizziness
• Gas
• Heartburn
• Nausea
• Upset stomach

These symptoms will be generally mild in nature and will disappear when you cut back your l-glutamine consumption. 

In a few very specific cases, l-glutamine is not recommended. 

• If you’re taking anticonvulsant medication, there is a minimal chance that l-glutamine supplements can trigger seizures. 
• If you have severe liver disease, l-glutamine can cause further damage and you should avoid it. 

L-Glutamine Sources

Although l-glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in your body, there are times when you might need more. 

In that case, you can find l-glutamine in food—particularly animal and plant proteins—and supplements.

Here are some of the foods that contain l-glutamine. 

• Beef
• Bone broth
• Cabbage
• Cottage cheese
• Eggs 
• Milk
• Parsely (raw)
• Pork
• Poultry
• Ricotta cheese
• Spinach (raw)
• Tofu
• Yogurt

To get the right amount of l-glutamine from dietary sources, you should aim for 3 servings of these or other l-glutamine foods. 

If those foods don’t appeal to you or you’re unable to add them to your diet, you can also take an l-glutamine supplement until you feel your body is producing enough on its own. 

In its supplement form, l-glutamine comes in powders, capsules, tablets, and liquids. It may be part of a protein supplement or available on its own. 

Be sure to follow any manufacturer’s instructions carefully. More specifically, never add an l-glutamine supplement to a warm or hot beverage, as heat destroys glutamine.

When to Increase Your L-Glutamine 

You know the benefits and you know where to get it, but when should you take an l-glutamine supplement or add it to your diet?

As we mentioned before, l-glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid. So there will be specific instances in which your body won’t produce enough. 

Here are some instances in which you can benefit from extra l-glutamine. 

• When you are exercising intensely on a regular basis, to make sure your body is able to recover at its best. 
• When you’re battling an infection or illness, to optimize your immune function. 
• When undergoing treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy, to help your recovery.
• If you have an immune disorder, to strengthen your immune system. 
• If you’re experiencing high stress (physical and/or emotional), to offset the high levels of cortisol your body will produce. 
• If you’re eating a low-protein diet, to ensure you have enough amino acids forming protein molecules. 

If you have any doubts about your l-glutamine levels, talk to your doctor about your diet and nutrient needs. 

Final Thoughts

L-glutamine is produced by your body and is its most abundant amino acid. It’s also a building block of protein. 

It also has a number of incredible health benefits on its own and is necessary for your body to function at its best, especially with digestive health and immune response. 

However, there are times when your body is unable to produce the proper amount. This usually occurs when your body is injured, ill or recovering from illness, or under vast amounts of stress (emotional or physical). 

In those situations, you can either add l-glutamine-rich foods to your diet or take an l-glutamine supplement. 

With few side effects, you’ll be able to enjoy the benefits without worrying about any risks. 

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