Glutamic acid is a type of amino acid that makes glutamine, which is another amino acid that's widely available in supplement form. Because glutamic acid and glutamine are natural amino acids, they're generally considered safe for use as supplements. However, people who have certain medical conditions and who are taking certain medications should not take glutamic acid supplements. Talk with your doctor before introducing any supplements into your diet.
Identification
Glutamic acid and glutamine are found in meats, fish, dairy products, eggs, beans and other protein-rich foods, and your body makes glutamine from glutamic acid, as well. Most people get 1 to 6 g of glutamine or glutamic acid per day from the foods in their diet. Glutamic acid is also called glutamate and acts as a stimulating neurotransmitter in your central nervous system. Glutamine helps to support the health of your immune system, muscle cells and digestive tract, as well.
Uses
If you don't consume enough protein in your diet from either animal or plant sources, you could end up with a deficiency in glutamic acid. Glutamic acid and glutamine supplements may provide health benefits for certain medical conditions, helping to support heart surgery and treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, or "BPH," according to the University of Michigan Health System. Glutamine or glutamic acid supplements can also help in treating alcoholism, HIV/AIDS wasting, stomach ulcers and cancer-related cachexia, says the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Glutamine might have the potential to provide immunostimulation, improve tissue integrity, and boost strength and stamina. Preliminary scientific research has found some possible benefits for glutamine in treating ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, food allergies, angina, attention deficit disorder and overtraining syndrome as well, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. No widely accepted, conclusive medical research supports the use of glutamic acid or glutamine for any health purpose, however.
Dangers
Glutamic acid and glutamine appear to pose no serious dangers for most healthy people, but the supplements could worsen kidney and liver disease, warns the University of Michigan Health System. Glutamic acid supplementation also stimulates glutamate receptors, which could actually cause or worsen neurological diseases like epilepsy and Lou Gehrig's disease. Taking large doses of glutamine or glutamic acid could trigger mania episodes in people who have bipolar disorder and cause dangerous reactions in people who are hypersensitive to monosodium glutamate, or MSG, cautions the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Also, no comprehensive safety studies have been conducted on glutamic acid or glutamine, and the maximum safe doses for pregnant or breastfeeding women and children are unknown.
Drug Interactions
Glutamic acid and glutamine supplements can also interact negatively with certain medications. The supplements pose particular interaction risks for people who are taking anti-seizure medications like Dilantin and Mysoline, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. However, if you're taking protease inhibitors for HIV/AIDS or chemotherapy drugs for cancer, taking glutamine or glutamic acid could actually help in easing intestinal side effects from those medications. Also, glutamine or glutamic acid supplementation may increase the therapeutic effects of methotrexate, or MTX, notes the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
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