Glutamine is a representative of amino acids - molecules that build and bind proteins (proteins) in the body. Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in human blood, with concentrations of about 500-900 micromoles per liter. It is conditionally interchangeable - it is produced by the human body, but in some diseases its production can stop.
The glutamine molecule plays an important role in maintaining the acid-base balance of the human body. It mainly contributes to this by its ability to bind to and remove excess renal ammonia. Ammonia is a toxic waste product of deamination reactions of metabolism and if it is not removed in time it accumulates and leads to a number of disorders and diseases.
This amino acid is produced in the muscles and reaches almost all organs and tissues through the blood. Under normal conditions, the body produces enough glutamine for its needs, but injuries , surgeries , prolonged stress or infections can greatly lower its levels.
When the body is exposed to severe stress after surgery, tissue injuries and trauma or infection , the stress hormone cortisol is released into the blood . This affects glutamine levels by lowering them greatly for the whole body. And this leads to slower wound healing.
The reason for this is that glutamine is the main metabolic fuel for rapidly dividing cells and gives them energy for the process, and wound healing requires the rapid division of connective, epithelial and other cells.
The best food sources of glutamine are meat and in particular - internal organs such as liver and stomach, but also dairy products, eggs, raw cabbage, nuts and green leafy vegetables beets, spinach and parsley.