In the early part of my season I was suffering from colds every time I increased my mileage over 300 miles for the week.  I was so frustrated because each cold meant at least a week off the bike.   I even missed an early season event, the Hell’s Gate Hundred.  Here is a post I made in between the Hell’s Gate Hundred and the Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic.   I had heard of using L-Glutamine as an immune booster but as you know from reading my blog I’m a skeptic 😉

In late May, I began using Aminopure, which is 100% USP Grade (United States Pharmacopeia) L-Glutamine.  I began with the prescribed amount of 5g after a hard ride.  I increased the dosage to 10g after a 3-4 hour hard ride.  On my longer rides 6-10 hours, I would take 10g when I first got off the bike and then another 10g before I went to sleep.

I find it interesting that people outside of the cycling world are aware of the benefits of L-Glutamine supplementation.  The other day I had a gentlemen say to me, “Oh you guys carry L-Glutamine?  Hmm…I give that to my patients in the ICU.”  I responded, “Really?”  He then said, “Yes I give my patients 30 grams a day.”

My experience with Aminopure has been positive and rewarding.  It’s very rewarding to not miss training days because you’re sick.  My good health has been a constant I can count on even when I’ve been training hard, stressed from work, or short on the proper amount of sleep.  I haven’t had a cold since I began using Aminopure regularly in spite of the harder and longer training rides I’ve done compared to those in the early season.  I recommend taking Aminopure as part of your recovery process.  I think you will find you will recover better and be able to train just as hard if not harder on consecutive days.

More information on Glutamine:

Review of Glutamine
Let’s start with a brief review of glutamine.  All body protein is made up of amino acids and glutamine is the most plentiful free amino acid in the body.  Its unique structure and ready availability makes it a vital nutrient for optimal functioning of all organs and organ systems in the body.  Glutamine works by providing extra carbon and nitrogen to organs in need.

The specific systems that depend on glutamine include the:

• Blood system including the immune cells and the red blood cells
• Digestive system including the intestines
• Liver
• Kidney
• Brain
• Musculoskeletal
• Endocrine glands

Production and Decline of Glutamine in the Body
Although all cells have the potential to make glutamine, it is made primarily in skeletal muscle, followed by the lungs and brain.  With most illnesses and under conditions of stress, such as over-training in athletes, glutamine levels in the blood decrease.  This decline could be due to an increase in the need for glutamine by organs or it could be that skeletal muscle cannot manufacture it rapidly enough to fulfill the demand.  Whatever the reason, there is a deficiency of glutamine in the body and that is the reason for supplementation with glutamine.

Below is a partial list of health conditions or illnesses where glutamine supplementation has been shown to have benefit:

• Reduced side effects of chemotherapy including lessening of nerve damage to the hands and feet and decreases of mouth sores and diarrhea
• Improved regulation of the immune system
• Decreased infection rates
• Restored muscle mass
• Improved outcome following surgery, including fewer infections and deaths
• Prevented HIV wasting
• Reduced diarrhea
• Increased nutrient absorption with short bowel
• Enhanced recovery following athletic over-training
• Improved blood sugar control in critically ill patients

Recent studies also suggest that glutamine may be useful for people who have heart conditions and individuals who are overweight.  In follow-up issues of this column, I will discuss all of these topics in more detail

Source

Newfield Nutrition Corporation is a new and innovative company that was started and is operated by a group of physician scientists who believe that rational nutritional supplementation can play a vital role in preventive and restorative medicine