Glutamine is one of the most abundant amino acids in your body, the University of Maryland Medical Center says. Your body primarily uses glutamine to remove excess ammonia from your system. Your body produces glutamine and gets it from dietary sources such as yogurt and cottage cheese. Glutamine supplements are also available for use in various conditions such as stress management and boosting the immune system. Despite its many uses, glutamine does not seem directly involved in managing your blood pressure.
Glutamine Adverse Reactions and Blood Pressure
Glutamine supplements have been used to treat conditions such as short bowel syndrome and promote good health, MayoClinic.com explains. Glutamine affects your blood pressure indirectly via adverse reactions. When glutamine triggers an allergic reaction, your heart rate increases, causing a subsequent increase in your blood pressure. This will sometimes be accompanied by a feeling of lightheadedness and a felling of tightness in your chest. Nevertheless those particular adverse reactions are generally considered rare. Moreover, these adverse effects cannot be used to draw a direct correlation between glutamine and blood pressure.
Glutamine Dose
Glutamine supplements are generally not recommended for children younger the age of 10 without your doctor's approval, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. The recommended dose for people ages 10 to 18 is 500 mg taken up to three times daily. Adults ages 18 and up that take divided doses as high as 5,000 mg to 15,000 mg daily should only do so as prescribed by a medical professional. Heat destroys glutamine, so you should not take glutamine supplements with hot beverages. People with kidney and liver conditions should not take glutamine supplements or reduce their dose.
Glutamine vs. Monosodium Glutamate
Do not confuse glutamine with monosodium glutamate, or MSG. Glutamate does not trigger the same kind of side effects that MSG causes, such as headaches and facial pressure, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. MSG is an additive used to enhance the flavor of food. MSG is considered generally safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration, MayoClinic.com says. MSG has been known to trigger adverse reactions such as abnormal heart rhythm and rapid heart rate. Chest pain and heart palpitations have also been associated with MSG intake. Such adverse reactions have some effect on blood pressure.
Blood Pressure and MSG
MSG contains between 5 to 12 percent sodium, HammerNutrition.com explains. Sodium intake affects blood pressure. So reducing your MSG intake should have a beneficial effect on your blood pressure. This is because one method of lowering your risk of developing high blood pressure is by reducing your sodium intake, the United States Department of Health and Human Services says.
References
- Mayo Clinic; Glutamine (Oral Route); November 2010
- Mayo Clinic; Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): Is it Harmful?; January 2010
- HammerNutrition.com; Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), Glutamic Acid (Glutamate), Glutamine Review; Bill Misner
- United States Department of Health and Human Services; Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure; May 2003
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Glutamine; Steven D. Ehrlich; June 2009
