Benefits of L-Glutamine

[MWOLady]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

well, now I'm really confused, Bruunhilde about what you are saying. You say "up to 20 grms a day is not dangerous -- and over 5mg"

what does that mean? Do you mean 20 grams? and 5 miligrams? Sorry to be so dense but there is a huge difference no?

Can someone jump in here and give some perspective? I feel I MUST take up to 6 grams of L-glut daily for a few months as it seems to be helping with cravings but I don't want to kill myself!!!!

[Bruunhilde]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

That was beatle that said that.

Here's the link to the Mercola article.

Note that you must make your own decisions and do your own research. There is alot of controversy over glutamine, many many advocates and two top doctors who advise not to take prolonged large quantities.

Is Glutamine Supplementation Helpful or Harmful? 5/1/04

Apparently glutamine is fine unless you take more than your body needs, then it leads to brain toxicity. However, your own bodily needs vary and who knows what is too much?

[beatle]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

This is what I wrote. It think it got messed up somehow when Bruun tried to do the quote thing.

beatle;1237130 wrote:
According to all my research, up to 20 grms a day is not dangerous -- and over 5mg/day is advisable.

[lenobrac]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

Has anyone seen the full citations for these studies that suggest toxicity from glutamine? What was the methodology? Were the findings published in a peer reviewed journal? Also, if Dr. Blaylock is selling his own brain repair supplement, shouldn't he mention this as a vested interest? (google "blaylock supplement" for more information about this.) At the very last, Dr. Blaylick needs to provide citations and study details.

[lenobrac]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

Just learned more about Dr. Blaylock's views on H1N1, flouride, and the New World Order. See:

Russell Blaylock, M.D. - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com

This makes me feel much less concerned about Blaylock's uncited assertions that were posted on a web page almost eight years ago. Think I will continue taking glutamine... Thank you for sharing this link, but I am not convinced!

[beatle]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

Thanks for your input lenobac. I haven't had a chance to look at the link, and I suppose I should have before I posted this response, but I had it all ready to post yesterday, and got too tired to post it. Unfortunately, I cannot take any more time at the moment, so I apologize if what I say in this post does not mesh with the information in your link.

Bruunhilde;1237944 wrote: There is alot of controversy over glutamine, many many advocates and two top doctors who advise not to take prolonged large quantities.

It doesn't seem to me that there is "a lot of controversy" about L-glutamine supplements. In the past 10 years, I know of only one doctor (Russell Blaylock) who has (or had) a hypothesis that high doses of l-glut could cause toxicity in the brain in MS patients and elderly patients who are taking it to boost their GH production, and who are vulnerable to Alzheimers and dementia.

I have been looking very hard to find any mention of him, or his hypothesis, coming up in the research about L-glut that is available on the internet, and all I can find is that his hypothesis was discussed in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

What's more, the groups he postulates may be vulnerable to toxicity are completely different than most of those on this forum, in addition to which, the chemical assumptions he based his hypothesis on have been challenged by others in the field as incorrect.

As far as I know, studies using high-dose glutamine have failed to demonstrate toxicity.
(Although it is advised to avoid high-dose l-glut in cases of acute liver and kidney failure.)

NOTE: I am not a medical professional or researcher; I am just a layperson trying to make sense of all the information out there in the world, and drawing my own conclusions based on reading, researching and exhausting as many resources as possible constantly -- almost all of them on the internet, available to anyone... but not necessarily the ultimate facts upon which to base conclusions. It is possible there are studies/research unavailable publically that could contradict my conclusions.


So, based on my own research (past and current), it is my (own) conclusion that L-glut taken in divided doses totaling 15+ grams/day represents a significant and extremely beneficial, safe and non-medical substance with abilities to give the body incredible healing aids, especially beneficial to alcoholics trying to quit, trying to stay sober, and in their recovery after they have stopped drinking, with no proven toxicity dangers.

(As always, l-glut should be taken together with other aminos, and B and C vitamins -- and Blaylock even says it is only the isolated form, taken on an empty stomach by his particular patient group, that l-glut can possibly be toxic to the brain (and that's just a hypothesis).

So, unless I have missed out on something (which is, of course, possible), I personally don't think L-glutamine supplementation is controversial at all, and there is no reason to indicate that people should be worried about toxicity from taking 15 grams a day over an extended period of time.

(Just my own opinion and not medical advice.)


EDIT: There have been no studies on high-dose l-glut supplementation over long periods of time (the same can be said for almost all supplements, unfortunately), so we have to make our own decisions about that. I personally do not plan to take the 10-15 gram per day I take now indefinitely, because I understand that healthy people do not need supplementation, or at least high-dose supplementation, since an adequate amount supposedly can be ingested through our diets (if we are very healthy people, that is) -- I do not believe my diet provides an adequate amount of l-glut, or ever will (I am a vegetarian/vegan), so even after I taper down, I will continue to take 5mg/day, unless I find reason to be worried about this. And I will always take more if I find my cravings increase at lower doses. This is not medical advice, just my personal thoughts.

[beatle]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

I have now skimmed through that link you posted, lenobrac, and there is one thing that jumps out at me as an unfair accusation, and completely erroneous. That is accusing Dr. Blaylock of purporting that "dental amalgams and fluoridated water are harmful to our health"as something to call into question his other assertions.

In fact, a new study in the Journal of the American Dental Association found that, contrary to what most people have been told, fluoride is actually bad for teeth. Exposure to high levels of fluoride results in a condition known as fluorosis, in which tooth enamel becomes discolored. The condition can eventually lead to badly damaged teeth. The new study found that fluoride intake during a child's first few years of life is significantly associated with fluorosis, and warned against using fluoridated water in infant formula.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is of a similar opinion. According to their website:

"Recent evidence suggests that mixing powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with fluoridated water on a regular basis may increase the chance of a child developing ... enamel fluorosis."

There is quite a lot of research and warnings about flouride and flouride supplementation in water, so to group Blaylock's other controversial assertions with his warnings about flouride seems to go against some recent research and increasingly mainstream consensus.

Also, I'm not sure his assertions about vaccines are so off the mark, either. Which makes me want to take a closer look at what he says about L-glut. Still, all my research so far supports my conclusions about L-glut. So, for now, I am sticking by that. I'll report back about my findings.

[beatle]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

I don't want to hijack this thread, which is full of essential information about l-glutamine, so please let this discussion die after this post, and return to the l-glut theme.

I just have to post this here and now because of comments made in my above post about Blaylock.

"The fluoride added to 90% of drinking water is hydrofluoric acid which is a compound of fluorine that is a chemical byproduct of aluminum, steel, cement, phosphate, and nuclear weapons manufacturing. Such fluoride is manmade. In this form, fluoride has no nutrient value whatsoever. It is one of the most caustic of industrial chemicals. Fluoride is the active toxin in rat poisons and cockroach powder."

Hundreds of declassified documents now show how flouride was introduced into water, and how flawed the reasons for it were. (And how the aluminium and nuclear weapons industries managed to turn major costs (storing dangerous byproducts from their industries) to money makers (selling it -- in both meanings of the word) to the American public, and indeed all over the western world.)

For a fascinating (and frightening) rundown, please read this:

PreventDisease.com - How Dangerous Is Fluoride To Your Health?

And with that, I'm going to have to resume my break from MWO -- I just don't have the time. But I will continue to skim occasionally (I learn SO much from this site, and that includes the meds section), and likely will chime in if I feel I can truly add something.

[MWOLady]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

thanks for the clarification on the l-glut. I too will continue to take up to 6,000 mg per day as I find it helpful in conjunction with GABA and 5HTP, and Topamax. And I guess I'll taper off after Easter some time when I've got a better handle on my drinking. I'm feeling SO much better - better than I have in YEARS - in fact I simply can't remember feeling this good....something's working - and if this is placebo - BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!

[Bruunhilde]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

beatle, I meant "alot of controversy" on this thread. Also, Mercola was the other doctor, besides Blaylock, so there was more than one and Mercola is considered a go-to source for millions, so that's significant. I still think its worth consideration, but if glut saves you from being a fatty or a drunk or both, use it. I guess. I do know it made my ADD much worse so I won't be taking it.

Adding flourine to tap has been known to have negative impact since I was a kid in the 60's, since it made our teeth brown due to its being added to the water. Its an industrial waste product as you point out, and our govts BUY it with OUR tax dollars to put in OUR tap water. Only the extent of how bad this is, is sorta new, I read about it some years ago when they were thinking about adding it to my city's tap, and which they finally DID a couple of years ago.

[lenobrac]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

Two thoughts related to scientific and medical claims.

1. The fact that two doctors have asserted something does not mean that "two studies have shown" that thing to be correct. Even doctors need to provide detailed citations and explain their methodology.

2. If a doctor or researcher has a vested interest in the claim that they are making, they are obliged to acknowledge this bias. Blaylock is not an entirely disinterested observer.

Bottom line is that unsupported assertions are just that. The scary thing is how widely these unsubstantiated claims have been distributed on the Internet without any sort of contextualization. It is not just these forums. Pick a key phrase, type it into Google with quotation marks around it, and you will see how widely this misinformation has been disseminated.

[spacebebe01]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

When I first discovered MWO I bought l-glut and started taking it, and then started drinking again and have taken the l-glut other times when I was trying to stop drinking. Ive never really thought much more about it. Now that I have managed to remain AF for a little while tho and have notice my intake of chocolate, bscuits, ice cream in fact anything sweet and sugary has become a problem. I tried to quit chocolate a few days ago then yesterday went mad and ate a massive load of it, even when my head started hurting I still carried on and just took painkillers. So now, I am going to look at trying l-glut again for this, seems like when one thing is getting sorted another pops along in its place.

[Juja]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

Basic info needed on L-Glutamine

If I understand correctly, L-Glut helps with:

Al cravings

Carb cravings

Sugar cravings

I realize they're essentially the same cravings.

So, if I want to start L-Glut, how much do I take and how often?

Thanks.

[MWOLady]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

We've been going round the mulberry bush on that one. I personally take one 2,000 mg chewable tablet before every meal. Others may advise you differently. I eat essentially a very low-carb diet so don't eat sweets as a rule anyway, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't if I could - I LOVE sweets!!! But like booze, it's hard to stop....what a bummer eh? no wine, and no pie!!!!!

Have a great day Juja!

[Juja]

Benefits of L-Glutamine

MWOLady;1240963 wrote: We've been going round the mulberry bush on that one. I personally take one 2,000 mg chewable tablet before every meal. Others may advise you differently. I eat essentially a very low-carb diet so don't eat sweets as a rule anyway, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't if I could - I LOVE sweets!!! But like booze, it's hard to stop....what a bummer eh? no wine, and no pie!!!!!

Have a great day Juja!

My problem is I crave carbs, particularly salty/crunchy. I believe it's due to the Lexapro I take for depression/anxiety. (Yes, I need it, and yes, it works. No, I'm not giving it up.)

So, I was wondering if the L-Glut would help with both the carb and AL craving.

Thanks!