2 Responses to “L-Glutamine”

1. admin says:

   November 30, 2009 at 7:42 pm

   In article <4…@psych.psy.uq.oz>, rob…@psych.psy.uq.oz (Robert Dal Santo) writes:
   

   >    Could someone give me a rundown on the drug L-Glutamine. Does
   > it have any effect on nerve and brain function ? Can any benefit be
   > gained from having it in the diet ? Where does it come from naturally ?

           L-Glutamine, aka Gln, aka Q in the one letter code is a non-essential
   amino acid. The body shuttles nitrogen around by converting Glu -> Gln
   and back.  It’s one of the easiest amino acids to synthesize. Furthermore
   it is over represented in myosin, the main protein in muscle. You eat meat
   you get it in the diet.  Actually, you eat anything, you get it in the diet.
   And probably, you don’t even need it in the diet.

   –
                   Craig Werner   (future MD/PhD, 4.5 years down, 2.5 to go)
                wer…@aecom.YU.EDU — Albert Einstein College of Medicine
                 (1935-14E Eastchester Rd., Bronx NY 10461, 212-931-2517)
   "Comedy, like Medicine, was never meant to be practiced by the general public."
2. admin says:

   November 30, 2009 at 7:42 pm

   In article <4…@psych.psy.uq.oz> rob…@psych.psy.uq.oz (Robert Dal Santo) writes:
   

   >    Could someone give me a rundown on the drug L-Glutamine. Does
   >it have any effect on nerve and brain function ? Can any benefit be
   >gained from having it in the diet ? Where does it come from naturally ?

   The following paragraph is from the book _Eat Right Be Bright_
   by Arthur Winter and Ruth Winter.  

          That they are essential to your brain and body and are
      derived from foods, however, does not mean amino acids are
      harmless and should be taken lightly.  The amino acid levels
      in your body are exquisitely balanced.  By overloading one
      you can affect the levels of others, which may produce serious
      adverse effects on your body and brain.  For example, in the
      _American Journal of Psychiatry_ reported the case [sic]
      of a man who took up to 4 grams of L-glutamine, a form of
      the amino acid glutaric acid, every day for three weeks and
      wound up having grandiose delusions, total insomnia, and an
      uncontrollable sex drive [2].  These symptoms may appeal to
      some, but his psychiatrist reported that the patient was
      also psychotic and had hallucinations.  Within a week after
      the patient was off the supplement, the symptoms cleared.
      Another man who took L-glutamine, which is easily accessible
      in health food stores, found himself losing sleep and
      experiencing hyperactivity and sharper mental activity [3].
      In general, he felt very uncomfortable.  When he stopped
      taking the amino acid, his symptoms subsided.  Long term
      effects of taking L-glutamine as a supplement are of course
      unknown.

   The book lists the sources of glutamine in diet as
   wheat flour and sugar beets, and the function in the body
   as "aids urine production" and "may aid elasticity in cells".
   In general, the book asserts that your diet can affect your
   mental ability and suggests changes to your diet to improve
   mental ability (as opposed to the Dirk and Sandy
   supplement approach).

   [2] Andrew Mebane, "L-Glutamine and Mania", _American Journal
   of Psychiatry_, 141 (10 Oct. 1984): 1302-03.

   [3] "The Case of Too Much Amino Acids", _Tufts University
   Diet and Nutrition Letter_, 4 (3): 7

   (BTW:  I haven’t read the references and don’t pretend to be
   particularly knowledgeable in this area)

   –
   Allen Barker