Gut and Intestinal Health
Back Clinic Gut and Intestinal Health. The health of an individual’s gut determines what nutrients are absorbed along with what toxins, allergens, and microbes are kept out. It is directly linked to the health of the whole body. Intestinal health could be defined as optimal digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food. But this is a job that depends on many other factors. More than 100 million Americans have digestive problems. Two of the top-selling drugs in America are for digestive problems, and they run in the billions. There are more than 200 over-the-counter (OTC) remedies for digestive disorders. And these can and do create additional digestive problems.
If an individual’s digestion is not working properly, the first thing is to understand what is sending the gut out-of-balance in the first place.
- A low-fiber, high-sugar, processed, nutrient-poor, high-calorie diet causes all the wrong bacteria and yeast to grow in the gut and damages the delicate ecosystem in your intestines.
- Overuse of medications that damage the gut or block normal digestive function, i.e., acid blockers (Prilosec, Nexium, etc.), anti-inflammatory medication (aspirin, Advil, and Aleve), antibiotics, steroids, and hormones.
- Undetected gluten intolerance, celiac disease, or low-grade food allergies to foods such as dairy, eggs, or corn.
- Chronic low-grade infections or gut imbalances with overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, yeast overgrowth, parasites.
- Toxins like mercury and mold toxins damage the gut.
- Lack of adequate digestive enzyme function from acid-blocking medications or zinc deficiency.
- Stress can alter the gut’s nervous system, cause a leaky gut, and change the normal bacteria.
Visits for intestinal disorders are among the most common trips to primary care doctors. Unfortunately, most, which also includes most doctors, do not recognize or know that digestive problems wreak havoc in the entire body. This leads to allergies, arthritis, autoimmune disease, rashes, acne, chronic fatigue, mood disorders, autism, dementia, cancer, and more. Having proper gut and intestinal health is absolutely central to your health. It is connected to everything that happens in the body.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Diets, Fitness, Gastro Intestinal Health, Gut and Intestinal Health
When it comes to stomach discomfort during exercise, forget that old adage “no pain, no gain.” New research suggests that excessive strenuous exercise may lead to gut damage.
“The stress response of prolonged vigorous exercise shuts down gut function,” said lead author Ricardo Costa.
“The redistribution of blood flow away from the gut and towards working muscles creates gut cell injury that may lead to cell death, leaky gut, and systemic immune responses due to intestinal bacteria entering general circulation,” Costa added. He’s a senior researcher with the department of nutrition, dietetics and food at Monash University in Australia.
Researchers observed that the risk of gut injury and impaired function seems to increase along with the intensity and duration of exercise.
The problem is dubbed “exercise-induced gastrointestinal syndrome.” The researchers reviewed eight previously done studies that looked at this issue.
Two hours appears to be the threshold, the researchers said. After two hours of continuous endurance exercise when 60 percent of an individual’s maximum intensity level is reached, gut damage may occur. Costa said that examples of such exercise are running and cycling.
He said heat stress appears to be an exacerbating factor. People with a predisposition to gut diseases or disorders may be more susceptible to such exercise-related health problems, he added.
Dr. Elena Ivanina is a senior gastroenterology fellow at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She wasn’t involved with this research but reviewed the study. She said that normal blood flow to the gut keeps cells oxygenated and healthy to ensure appropriate metabolism and function.
If the gut loses a significant supply of blood during exercise, it can lead to inflammation that damages the protective gut lining. With a weakened gastrointestinal (GI) immune system, toxins in the gut can leak out into the systemic circulation — the so-called “leaky gut” phenomenon, Ivanina said.
But, she underscored that exercise in moderation has been shown to have many protective benefits to the gut.
“Specifically, through exercise, patients can maintain a healthy weight and avoid the consequences of obesity,” she said. Obesity has been associated with many GI diseases, such as gallbladder disease; fatty liver disease; gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); and cancer of the esophagus, stomach, liver and colon. Regular moderate physical activity also lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and depression.
To prevent exercise-related gut problems, Costa advised maintaining hydration throughout physical activity, and possibly consuming small amounts of carbohydrates and protein before and during exercise.
Ivanina said preventive measures might help keep abdominal troubles in check. These include resting and drinking enough water. She also suggested discussing any symptoms with a doctor to ensure there is no underlying gastrointestinal disorder.
Costa recommended that people exercise within their comfort zone. If you have stomach or abdominal pain, “this is a sign that something is not right,” he said.
Individuals with symptoms of gut disturbances during exercise should see their doctor.
The study authors advised against taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs — including ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) — before working out.
Costa said there’s emerging evidence that a special diet — called a low FODMAP diet — leading up to heavy training and competition may reduce gut symptoms. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. FODMAPs are specific types of carbohydrates (sugars) that pull water into the intestinal tract.
The International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders suggests consulting a dietitian familiar with FODMAP diets. Such diets can be difficult to initiate properly on your own, the foundation says.
Costa also said there’s no clear evidence that dietary supplements — such as antioxidants, glutamine, bovine colostrum and/or probiotics — prevent or reduce exercise-associated gut disturbances.
The study results were published online recently in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Gut and Intestinal Health, Integrative Medicine, Wellness
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, stated all healing starts in the gut. And researchers carry on to prove him accurate as they unravel how a healthier gut microbiome plays a function in fat decline, disease prevention, and much additional. As we know, diet plays a very important function in keeping a healthier gut setting and dysbiosis, or a gut-flora imbalance, ramps up inflammation, and triggers lots of diseases like inflammatory bowel disease.
As a health practitioner of chiropractic, gut health gives insight into why my clients (in particular overweight or overweight clients) establish osteoarthritis in non-fat-bearing joints like the wrist, by pointing to a difficulty with systemic inflammation. And when my clients have an understanding of how an out-of-whack gut impacts digestion, they do not generally make the link concerning gut health and joint agony or other issues like head aches, mood swings, eczema, fat acquire, or tiredness that frequently accompany agony.
Gut issues can trigger agony.
How does this perform? To start with, consider that truth that your gut maintains a reliable barrier concerning your digestive tract and your inside setting, enabling important vitamins to go by when preserving out anything else. Retaining the integrity of the gut is a a person-cell-thick barrier that varieties a limited junction, which keeps out foreign invaders like bacteria, poisons, and big undigested foods particles. When these limited junctions crack down, that barrier will become infected and porous bacteria, poisons, and undigested foods particles start off slipping by. We connect with these foreign invaders antigens, or foreign substances that trigger an immune response. A double whammy ensues: You are not finding optimal vitamins when foreign invaders barge by, a problem termed intestinal permeability or leaky gut.
This link has anything to do with inflammation.
Your immune program responds with antibodies, which assault and ruin these antigens. When an antibody binds with an antigen, an immune advanced happens. Persistent leaky gut ramps up these immune complexes they flow into all-around your entire body and deposit into several tissues and organs including�you guessed it�skeletal muscle tissues and joints, creating additional inflammation. Leaky gut also contributes to autoimmune conditions, or immune responses towards unique tissues that develop destruction and decline of functionality. When that takes place in your joints, inflammation makes agony, inflammation, and stiffness. When multifactorial, researchers link leaky gut with rheumatoid arthritis as bacterial merchandise slip by your gut lining and deposit in your joints, creating an immune reaction.
You can lessen agony by healing the gut.
When my clients recover their leaky gut, they lastly set out the fireplace that feeds inflammation. That healing calms their immune program, reverses autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and decreases agony. And you can do this in a natural way without the need of medicine or surgical treatment. Further than concentrating on a entire-food items diet that gets rid of foods intolerances, I�ve located these 7 tactics to improve gut health to reverse agony:
1. Stage up your fiber.
Studies display that enough dietary fiber could possibly be your greatest technique to keep a healthier microbiome. Amid its benefits, fiber aids pull poisons from your gut for elimination.
2. Take in additional anti-inflammatory food items.
Omega-three fatty acids have anti-inflammatory qualities and aid alleviate agony. If wild-caught fish isn�t aspect of your diet, just take a large-high quality fish oil nutritional supplement with about three,000 milligrams of EPA and DHA.
three. Repopulate smartly.
Probiotics aid re-set up a balanced gut microbiome. Fermented food items like coconut yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut are great sources of probiotics, but if you do not on a regular basis consume them, appear for a professional multistrain probiotic nutritional supplement with billions of microorganisms.
4. Get enough vitamin D.
Scientists link vitamin D deficiencies with several issues like inflammation, leaky gut, and autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and chronic agony. Request your health practitioner for a twenty five-hydroxy vitamin D take a look at and perform with him or her to attain and keep optimal ranges.
5. Ditch the gluten.
If you have joint agony or other sorts of agony, gluten�s gotta go. Gliadin is the protein located in wheat, rye, and barley lots of men and women are delicate to or that leads to an outright autoimmune reaction. Your immune program sees gluten as the enemy and will unleash weapons to assault it, triggering inflammation in your gut, joints, and other regions of the entire body.
6. Avoid GMOs.
Eradicating genetically modified food items (GMOs) will become very important for healing your leaky gut considering the fact that GMOs destruction your digestive tract and may possibly be a person of the leads to of your leaky gut in the initial place.
7. Nix nightshades.
Colourful bell peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants supply vitamins and phytonutrients, but they can be a difficulty for clients with leaky gut, autoimmune disease, or osteoarthritis. Nightshades incorporate glycoalkyloids, which can develop gut issues.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Adrenal Fatigue (AF), Gut and Intestinal Health, Natural Health, Wellness
Chronic fatigue syndrome, a baffling disorder that affects an estimated 1 million Americans, has been strongly linked to imbalances in gut bacteria in a new study from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.
The researchers found abnormal levels of specific gut bacteria are found in people with the condition — formally known as myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), according to the study published in the journal Microbiome.
The findings offer new hope for an effective new way to diagnose and treat ME/CFS, a complex, sometimes-debilitating disorder that can interfere with activities of daily living.
Symptoms include extreme fatigue after exertion, muscle and joint pain, cognitive dysfunction, sleep disturbances, and orthostatic intolerance (light-headedness, dizziness, or fainting when standing upright).
Up to 90 percent of ME/CFS patients also have irritable bowel syndrome IBS, past research has shown. But the Columbia University study is among the first to disentangle microbiome imbalances in individuals with ME/CFS and IBS.
“Individuals with ME/CFS have a distinct mix of gut bacteria and related metabolic disturbances that may influence the severity of their disease,” says co-lead investigator Dr. Dorottya Nagy-Szakal.
The findings suggest sufferers may be able to ease their symptoms by incorporating certain probiotics — healthy bacteria — in their diets, to balance their gut bacteria.
To reach their conclusions, the researchers tracked 50 ME/CFS patients and 50 others without the condition. They tested subjects’ fecal samples for bacterial species, and blood samples for immune molecules.
The study’s key findings show that:
- Levels of distinct intestinal bacterial species —Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, Dorea, Coprococcus, Clostridium, Ruminococcus, Coprobacillus — are strongly associated with ME/CFS.
- The abundance of these species appears to be predictive of a ME/CFS diagnosis.
- An abundance of Alistipes and low levels of Faecalibacterium are the top biomarkers of ME/CFS with IBS. Increased Bacteroides abundance and decreased Bacteroides vulgatus are the top biomarkers of ME/CFS without IBS.
The researchers also noted the severity of patients’ symptoms — such as pain and fatigue — correlated with the abundance of distinct bacterial types.
“Our analysis suggests that we may be able to subtype patients with ME/CFS by analyzing their fecal microbiome,” says co-lead investigator Dr. Brent L. Williams, Ph.D. “Subtyping may provide clues to understanding differences in manifestations of disease.”
The study also points toward a possible mechanism behind the development of ME/CFS.
“ME/CFS may involve a breakdown in the bidirectional communication between the brain and the gut mediated by bacteria, their metabolites, and the molecules they influence,” explains senior author Dr. W. Ian Lipkin.
“By identifying the specific bacteria involved, we are one step closer to more accurate diagnosis and targeted therapies.”
So far, researchers have not identified the cause of ME/CFS. Nor are there any standard diagnostic lab tests or federally-approved treatments for the condition. For reasons that are unclear, women are two to four more times likely than men to have ME/CFS.
Because MD/CFS is so variable, treatment focuses on individual symptom control. Conventional approaches include prescription medications to treat anxiety, depression, and insomnia; graded exercise, physical therapy, and psychological counseling including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
Adjunctive therapies to help manage pain and fatigue include:
- Acupuncture.
- Biofeedback.
- Deep breathing exercises.
- Hypnosis.
- Massage.
- Meditation.
- Muscle relaxation techniques.
- Yoga or tai chi.
- Preliminary but inconclusive research suggests that some natural remedies may be helpful for ME/CFS, according to the Mayo Clinic. These include:
- Magnesium injected into the muscles of people with low red blood cell magnesium.
- A combination supplement containing fish oil and evening primrose oil.
- Melatonin.
- Nicotinamide.
- Adenine dinucleotide hydrate (NADH).
- Coenzyme Q10.
- Propionyl-L-carnitine.
- D-ribose.
Although the new Columbia University study suggests that probiotic supplements may be helpful for ME/CFS, more research is needed, experts say.
A 2009 study of 39 ME/CFS patients, however, showed that the Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) was associated with significantly reduced anxiety symptoms compared to placebo.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Gastro Intestinal Health, Gut and Intestinal Health, Natural Health, Probiotics, Wellness
Breastfeeding has long been linked to a variety of health benefits in babies, and a new study suggests that bacteria transferred from mothers to their nursing infants might be at least partly responsible.
Researchers focused on what’s known as the microbiome, or all of the bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in and on the body. They tested 107 mother-baby pairs for organisms on women’s breasts and in their milk, and they also examined babies’ stool as a way of determining what types of organisms were in the infant gut microbiome.
While they found distinct types of bacteria in milk, breast tissue and infant stool, researchers also found infants’ gut microbial communities matched the bacteria in their mothers’ milk and on their mothers’ skin much more than it resembled samples from other women in the study.
That suggests each mother’s milk was a major contributor to her own infant’s gut microbiome.
“We were able to show that there are bacteria in milk and that these bacteria could be traced to bacteria in infant stools,” said senior study author Dr. Grace Aldrovandi, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Mattel Children’s Hospital at the University of California, Los Angeles.
“This supports the hypothesis that milk microbes are a mechanism by which breastfeeding provides benefit,” Aldrovandi said by email.
Pediatricians recommend that mothers exclusively breastfeed infants until at least 6 months of age because it is tied to reduced risk for babies of ear and respiratory infections, sudden infant death syndrome, allergies, childhood obesity and diabetes.
Mothers may benefit too, with longer periods of breastfeeding linked to lower risks of depression, bone deterioration and certain cancers.
Based on lab tests of bacteria found in milk, on skin and in stool in the current study, researchers estimated that babies who got at least 75 percent of their nutrition from breast milk during the first month of life received about 28 percent of their gut bacteria from their mother’s milk. These babies also got about 10 percent of their gut bacteria from mothers’ skin and 62 percent from sources researchers didn’t determine.
The more babies nursed, the more their gut bacterial community changed to resemble what was found in their mother’s milk.
And in babies who got more of their nutrition exclusively from breastfeeding, microbial communities were slightly more diverse overall and different microbes predominated compared to babies who breastfed less.
One limitation of the study is that researchers didn’t assess the origins of the breast milk bacteria or other bacterial communities from the mother that might have contributed to the infant gut microbiome, the authors note. Nor did they assess any effects on the babies’ health based on differences in their microbiomes.
Still, the results build on previous research suggesting that the infant gut microbiome is different for breast-fed and formula-fed babies, said Dr. Alexander Khoruts, a researcher at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis who wasn’t involved in the study.
“We’ve always assumed that most of these microbes come from the mother,” Khoruts said by email. “They found that breastfeeding is the major source of microbial transfer during the early months of life, and I think the study provides supportive evidence for the current recommendations of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding to 12 months.”
Many factors can influence the infant gut microbiome, including breastfeeding, whether babies arrived by vaginal or surgical delivery and antibiotic use, noted Jose Clemente, a researcher in the genetics and genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
“The beneficial effects of breastfeeding are well known, and this study provides further evidence by demonstrating that probiotic bacteria found in breast milk can be transferred to the infant,” Clemente, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. “Every little bit helps, so even some amount of breast milk can be a source of beneficial bacteria for babies.”
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Leaky Gut
- Intense physiological stress can change the composition of our gut microbiota
- Imbalances in the gut arelinked to diabetes, obesity and some cancers
- Findings raise concerns for endurance athletes and military personnel
- The study is the first to investigate gut bateria during military training
Long periods of intense exercise can change the composition of your gut bacteria, a new study has found.
The research looked at soldiers taking part in an intensive training programme and found that pro-longed exercise caused the protective barrier in their guts to become permeable.
In other words, the prolonged exertion triggered �leaky guy syndrome� � a condition that could let harmful substances leak into the bloodstream.
With our gut health and overall health believed to be strongly linked, intense physiological stress could therefore raise the risks of many types of illnesses.
The new research is the first to investigate the response of gut microbiome � the term for the population of microbes in the intestine � during military training.
It provides a stark warning for endurance athletes and military personnel.
The study suggests physical stress can increase intestinal permeability, which can raise the risk of inflammation and illness
Most of us are aware that the bacteria in our gut play an important role in digestion. Furthermore, they are known to aid the production of certain vitamins � such as vitamins B and K � and play a key role in immune function.
But increasingly, research is emerging showing how poor gut health is linked to conditions ranging from irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, obesity, childhood asthma, to colitis and colon cancer.
The study is the first to investigate the response of gut microbiome � the term for the population of microbes in the intestine � during military training.
It looked at a group of 73 Norwegian Army soldiers taking part in a military-style cross country skiing training programme.
Recent research suggests our gut bacteria holds the key to improving our health � and may be the key to tackling obesity
The group skied 31 miles (51 km) while carrying 99-pound (45 kg) packs, across four days.
Before and after the training exercise, researchers collected blood and stool samples from the soldiers.
It was found that the microbiome and metabolites � the substance formed in or necessary for metabolism � in the soldiers� blood and stool altered �significantly� by the end of the aggressive training period.
Furthermore, sucralose excretion in their urine samples rose considerably, indicating an increase in intestinal permeability (IP).
Scientists know that healthy intestines have a semi-permeable barrier, which acts as a defense to keep bacteria and other harmful substances out, while allowing healthy nutrients into the bloodstream.
It is thought that physical stress can increase IP, increasing the risk of inflammation, illness and symptoms such as diarrhoea.
The findings may spell bad news for endurance athletes and military personnel
The researchers wrote: �Intestinal microbiota appear to be one influencing factor in the gut�s response to physical stress.
�Our findings suggest that the intestinal microbiota may be one mediator of IP responses to severe physiologic stress, and that targeting the microbiota before stress exposure may be one strategy for maintaining IP.�
The study was published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology � Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology.
MICROBIOME: DOES IT CONTROL EVERYTHING?
Researchers now estimate that a typical human body is made up of about 30 trillion human cells and 39 trillion bacteria.
These are key in harvesting energy from our food, regulating our immune function, and keeping the lining of our gut healthy.
Interest in, and knowledge about, the microbiota has recently exploded as we now recognise just how essential they are to our health.
A healthy, balanced microbiome helps us break down foods, protects us from infection, trains our immune system and manufactures vitamins, such as K and B12.
It also sends signals to our brain that can affect mood, anxiety and appetite.
Imbalances in the gut are increasingly being linked to a range of conditions. Last year, scientists at California Institute of Technology found the first ever link between the gut and Parkinson�s symptoms.
The composition of our gut microbiota is partly determined by our genes but can also be influenced by lifestyle factors such as our diet, alcohol intake and exercise, as well as medications.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4484680/Intense-exercise-causes-leaky-gut-risk-illness.html
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Leaky Gut
Leg discomfort might slip up quietly or may hit abruptly. Regardless of how it is got by one pain may become worse fairly rapidly. No further nowadays a disease that inflicts just the aged, leg discomfort is becoming typical for individuals of ages. Several natural home remedies have been outlined by us for knee-joint pain that may give respite from the discomfort to you. #HomeRemedies
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Leaky Gut
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins—the “bricks” that build your entire body: organs, bones, hormones, skin, hair, nails, etc. If you imagine yourself as a brick house, the busier you are (i.e., long work days, exercise, late nights, etc.), the more bricks you wear out and thus the more you need to replace.
Your body can make most of the 20 amino acids from its own internal machinery, except for the essential amino acids, which must be obtained from the food you eat. However, the rules of the game change under one particular circumstance… stress!
There is a group of amino acids called conditionally essential; under times of stress, they become essential. You’re probably wondering what qualifies as “times of stress”? In today’s 24/7 society of constant connectivity, fewer hours sleep, and nutrient-poor, calorically-dense Western diet, you could make a strong argument that we’re constantly in this state and thus would benefit from taking in more conditionally essential amino acids, especially one in particular called glutamine.
What Is Glutamine?
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body. It is considered conditionally essential, meaning your body can make it from its own internal machinery, but under times of stress (i.e., if you’re training for a marathon, working long hours, struggling with cold or flu), it’s required in much greater amounts.
Your body needs glutamine in times of stress. In this day and age, it you could be in this state fairly often!
Glutamine is also a primary fuel for your gut and immune system, and it supports healthy brain function (one of the few amino acids that can cross the blood-brain barrier), helps to clear waste products like ammonia from the body, and accelerates healing from trauma or intense exercise.
7 Glutamine Benefits
1. Promotes Weight Loss
If you’re stuck on a weight loss plateau, amino acids like glutamine can be very supportive for weight loss because they can be converted to glucose in the kidneys and used as a fuel source for the body, without the blood sugar and insulin spike typically caused by processed carbs and simple sugars. (1)
Glutamine can help you lose weight by converting stored glucose to an immediate fuel source.
2. Fights Leaky Gut
Sugar consumption is ubiquitous in our environment today, and, combined with stress and lack of sleep, can easily lead to dysbiosis or too much “bad” bacteria in the gut. This is very common today and when it persists, it can lead to chronic inflammation and damage to the lining of your intestinal tract. This damage can result in a leaky gut, where food particles are able to pass through your gut wall (when normally they shouldn’t be able to), which in turn leads to food allergies and increased risk of autoimmune reactions. (2) Glutamine is one of the primary fuels for your gut cells, thus helping to maintain the integrity of the gut wall and prevent leaky gut.
3. Improves Skin Tone
Keeping your glutamine intake sufficient is crucial for keeping your skin firm and supple. If you don’t eat enough protein, your body breaks down muscle to tap into your body stores, leading to the loss of protein, thinning muscles and skin potentially sagging more easily. (3) Animal protein is the best source of essential and conditionally essential amino acids, making the Paleo diet a great platform for meeting your requirements.
4. Boosts Brain Function
If you’re run down, not sleeping well or generally exhausted from too many late nights, you’re likely experiencing some brain fog. When your brain has a deficiency in glutamic acid (precursor for glutamine), you cannot produce adequate amounts of GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid), the body’s natural “relax” neurotransmitter. This can lead to increased tension, brain fog, anxiety, or sleep disorders. (4) By topping up your glutamine intake, you provide your body the building blocks for GABA and better brain function.
5. Helps Post-Workout Recovery
Exercise is a stressor, so you would think that the addition of conditionally essential amino acids like glutamine would enhance athletic performance. While many websites will cite studies that claim there is a benefit from glutamine supplementation and performance, the overall data don’t support this claim.
Try supplementing with glutamine right after a workout to help you bounce back quicker.
However, there is some good evidence that added glutamine increases glycogen resynthesis after exhaustive exercise, which means adding it would be a nice addition to your post-training shake if you’re following a keto or low-carb diet. (5)
6. Boosts Immunity
Glutamine does indeed support improved immunity during times of stress, but the therapeutic dose you need to consume is quite high: 20g per day for a sustained period of time (i.e., weeks). (6) This could be divided up into 5g doses throughout the day. Before jumping into a plan like this, talk to your doctor or naturopath.
7. Supports Cancer Therapy
Cancer therapy, while essential for eliminating cancerous cells in the body, is intense and takes its toll on the patient’s overall health. Supplemental glutamine has been shown to be an effective adjunct treatment, supporting the patient’s metabolism while not increasing tumor growth. (7) It can therefore be considered, with the agreement of your doctor, as a support for patients going through radiation or chemo.
How Can You Get Enough Glutamine?
Glutamine is naturally found in abundance in animal protein. Paleo diet staples like grass-fed beef, wild game, pastured eggs and poultry, wild fish, seafood, and organ meats are all phenomenal sources of glutamine.
Leafy greens, such as spinach, cabbage, parsley, kale, beets, are also a nice source of glutamine. The tricky part is you’ll maximize your intake by eating these vegetables raw, so including these veggies in salads, juicing, or adding into smoothies is your best bet.
Natural Sources of Glutamine
- Grass-fed beef
- Wild game
- Pastured eggs and poultry
- Wild fish
- Organ meats
- Leafy greens, i.e., spinach, cabbage, kale
You can also supplement with glutamine to increase your daily intake. While it’s important to remember that glutamine is made inside your body, if you’re under stress (i.e., really busy, training hard, not sleeping well, sick, etc.), glutamine becomes essential, so adding more into your diet can be highly beneficial. All of the benefits listed above are the result of supplementing with the natural form of the amino acid (called L-glutamine).
Glutamine Powder
Supplemental glutamine is relatively inexpensive and tasteless, which means it’s quite easy to add into your nutrition arsenal. I typically suggest that my clients add 5g daily in their breakfast smoothie, mixed into water while they eat breakfast, or added into afternoon tea or before bed.
Add glutamine powder into your breakfast smoothie or add it to your tea before bed.
If you have a more long-standing complaint of low immunity, digestive problems, inability to recover from exercise, then it’s possible to increase your daily dose to 0.2 grams per kilogram body weight. However, I suggest you work with a functional doctor or naturopath in your area to discuss this in greater depth.
Bottom Line
If you feel like you’re constantly sick, struggling with chronic gut problems or just feel rundown, then getting the right amount of amino acids—the building blocks of your body—is critical to getting your health on track. Today, if you’re like most people, you’re busy and constantly on the run, making amino acids like glutamine really important to keep your immune system strong, digestive system healthy and overall resiliency robust. For many, it’s a great addition in the winter months to increase your resiliency so you can keep up with the pace at work and play.
(This article originally appeared @Paleohacks.com)
Dr. Marc Bubbs ND, CISSN, CSCS
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