Glutamine is an amino acid (a building block for proteins), found naturally in the body and is used to support the body maintaining it's correct glutamine levels as to prevent muscle wasting and providing fuel to many of the cells.

Glutamine is often used to counter some of the side effects of some harsh medical treatments. For example, it is sometimes used for symptoms of cancer chemotherapy including diarrhea, pain and swelling inside the mouth (mucositis), nerve pain (neuropathy), and muscle and joint pains caused by the cancer drug Taxol.

Glutamine is also popular for physical trainers and athletes, as they are often depleting their glutamine levels due to high intensity training and competition, which puts the body under stress and excess waste caused by bouts of heavy resistance and long endurance training.

The daily requirement of glutamine for an athlete is between 8 to 20 grams*, depending upon the dietary intake of glutamine containing foods, health and frequency and intensity of exercise. Glutamine supplementation ranging from 2 to 6 grams, two to four times throughout the day is suggested*.

*©  Horleys NZ Ltd