L-glutamine, or glutamine, is an amino acid that is important for human health and is commonly found in meat and dairy products, as well as spinach, parsley and cabbage. Glutamine is also available as a nutritional supplement that is found in several forms. Children should only take glutamine supplements under the direction of a physician.
Cancer
Glutamine supplementation can help boost your child's immune system while they are undergoing treatment for cancer. According to a 2006 study published in the journal "Pediatric Hematology and Oncology," researchers found that glutamine supplementation in children between the ages of 1 and 17 years showed improvements in the strength of their immune system. Supplementing with 4 g of glutamine daily also reduced the amount of antibiotic medications the children needed to take for their immune system.
Diarrhea
Glutamine has protective effects against the prevalence of diarrhea in children. According to a 2004 study published in the "Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition," glutamine is important for preserving the structure and function of your intestines by supporting normal immune system responses and decreasing bacteria buildup. When glutamine was given to young children with diarrhea, the duration of diarrhea was significantly shorter than in children who had not been given glutamine.
Sickle Cell Anemia
Sickle cell anemia is a genetic condition in which your red blood cells are abnormally shaped, causing pain, fatigue, delayed growth and a number of other effects. Supplementing with glutamine may improve symptoms of fatigue and can increase growth in children and adolescents with sickle cell anemia, according to a 2004 study in the "Journal of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology." In the study, researchers gave 13 boys and 14 girls 600 mg of glutamine per kilogram of body weight per day for 24 weeks. After 24 weeks, resting energy expenditures improved, reducing fatigue, especially in underweight children, which may improve their growth rate.
Recommendations
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, glutamine should not be given to children under 10 years old unless prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of a specific condition. Adolescents and teenagers between the ages of 10 and 18 can take up to 1.5 g of glutamine one to three times daily with no serious adverse effects. If your child has Reye syndrome, a rare childhood condition that affects the liver and brain, he should not take glutamine because it may worsen symptoms.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Glutamine
- "Pediatric Hematology and Oncology"; Effects of Oral Glutamine Supplementation on Children with Solid Tumors Receiving Chemotherapy; A. Okur et al.; June 2006
- PubMed Health: Sickle Cell Anemia
- "Journal of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology"; Oral Glutamine Supplementation Decreases Resting Energy Expenditure in Children and Adolescents with Sickle Cell Anemia; R. Williams et al.; October 2004
- "Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition"; Effect of Glutamine Supplementation on Diarrhea, Interleukin-8 and Secretory Immunoglobin A in Children with Acute Diarrhea; S.S. Yalcin et al.; May 2004
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