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L-alanyl-L-glutamine

What is L-alanyl-L-glutamine?

L-alanyl-L-glutamine is, as the name suggests, a dipeptide consisting of the amino acids alanine and glutamine. L-alanyl-L-glutamine was developed to solve the stability and solubility problems associated with free L-glutamine (1). When L-glutamine is dissolved in a liquid, it partially decomposes into ammonia and pyroglutamic acid (2), both of which are toxic to the body. The degree of decomposition increases with increasing temperature and the time that the glutamate is present in dissolved form. In contrast, L-alanyl-L-glutamine is dissolved in liquid and is very stable even at high temperatures and remains stable even in an acidic environment.

Where does Llanyl-L-glutamine come from?

L-alanyl-L-glutamine does not occur naturally in nature, but has to be produced synthetically.

Advantages of L-alanyl-L-glutamine

The benefits of L-alanyl-L-glutamine are generally the same as those of glutamine. These primarily relate to the importance of glutamine for proper immune system function and digestive health. However, there are three specific studies in which glutamine was used by athletes of different disciplines to improve performance and/or hydration. Taken together, these studies suggest that ingesting L-alanyl-L-glutamine before, during and after exercise may help prevent dehydration, reduce fatigue and improve sport-specific performance (3-5). In addition to these human studies, three rat studies were conducted to determine the different performance-enhancing effects of L-alanyl-L-glutamine. Together, these studies have shown that L-alanyl-L-glutamine can increase endogenous glutathione stores, increase muscle glutamine content and reduce markers of exercise-related inflammation in exercising rats compared to regular glutamine (6-8). In addition to its use in sports nutrition, L-alanyl-L-glutamine is used extensively in clinical settings for patients suffering from various catabolic conditions, such as burn victims, post-surgery, trauma or sepsis (1). Studies have shown that L-alanyl-L-glutamine, when added to the normal diet of ICU patients, leads to a reduction in infectious complications (9).

Side effects

L-alanyl-L-glutamine has no known side effects.

Recommended intake

To date, there is no defined optimal dose for L-alanyl-L-glutamine. The human studies that have shown the described effects of L-alanyl-L-glutamine on performance and hydration have used doses ranging from 1 to 2.5 grams (3,5) or between 0.05 and 0.2 grams per kilogram of body weight (4). Doses of up to 20 grams of L-alanyl-L-glutamine have been used in clinical trials, but this dosage will not be an option for most due to the high cost. Considering that L-alanyl-L-glutamine is mainly used as a superior alternative to L-glutamine, the same general dosing guidelines can be used for L-alanyl-L-glutamine as for L-glutamine. In human studies, L-alanyl-L-glutamine has been administered before, during and after exercise (3-5).

L-alanyl-L-glutamine supplements

Despite the promising theory, scientific research and long history of clinical use, there are only a few products on the market that contain L-alanyl-L-glutamine. A Japanese company called Kyowa owns the rights to the only patented form of oral L-alanyl-L-glutamine, which is called SustamineTM,

Combinations with other supplements

Because of its importance to the immune system and recovery, L-alanyl-L-glutamine is best combined with recovery formulas and protein powders designed to support heavy training loads.

References

  1. Furst P. New developments in glutamine delivery. Journal of Nutrition. 2001;131(Suppl):2562S-2568S.
  2. Gandini C, et al. HPLC determination of pyroglutamic acid as a degradation product in parenteral amino acid formulations. Chromatographia. 1993;36(1):75-78.
  3. Hoffman JR, et al. L-alanyl-L-glutamine ingestion maintains performance during a competitive basketball game. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2012;9(1):4.
  4. Hoffman JR, et al. Examination of the efficacy of acute L-alanyl-L-glutamine ingestion during hydration stress in endurance exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2010;7:8-20.
  5. Favano A, et al. Peptide glutamine supplementation for tolerance of intermittent exercise in soccer players. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2008;63(1):27-32.
  6. Rogero MM, et al. Effect of alanyl-glutamine supplementation on plasma and tissue glutamine concentrations in rats submitted to exhaustive exercise. Nutrition. 2006;22(5):564-571.
  7. Cruzat VF, Tirapegui J. Effects of oral supplementation with glutamine and alanyl-glutamine on glutamine, glutamate, and glutathione status in trained rats and subjected to long-duration exercise. Nutrition. 2009;25(4):428-35.
  8. Cruzat VF, Rogero MM, Tirapegui J. Effects of supplementation with free glutamine and the dipeptide alanyl-glutamine on parameters of muscle damage and inflammation in rats submitted to prolonged exercise. Cell Biochem Funct. 2010;28(1):24-30.
  9. Dechelotte P, et al. L-alanyl-L-glutamine dipeptide-supplemented total parenteral nutrition reduces infectious complications and glucose intolerance in critically ill patients: The French controlled, randomized, double-blind, multicenter study. Critical Care Medicine. 2006;34(3):598-604.
  10. Melis GC, et al. The feeding route (enteral or parenteral) affects the plasma response of the dipetide Ala-Gln and the amino acids glutamine, citrulline and arginine, with the administration of Ala-Gln in preoperative patients. British Journal of Nutrition. 2005;94:19-26.