If you are having trouble combating your desire to drink, nutritional strategies might help. About 85 percent of alcoholics relapse after drying out , and physical responses in your body appear partly responsible for causing cravings that lead to relapse, notes a 2006 study in the German neurology journal “Der Nervenarzt.” Glutamine is one supplement that might help reduce cravings. Consult a doctor before trying this nutritional supplement.
Significance
Excess activation of glutamatergic neurotransmission after alcohol withdrawal may lead to cravings, according to a July-August 2006 “Alcohol and Alcoholism” study. Glutamine is most abundant amino acid in your body. It has the potential to reduce cravings for alcohol because it’s converted into sedative substances such as gamma hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, and gamma aminobutyric acid, or GABA. This, in turn, may reduce your desire to drink, according to nutritionist Dr. John Briffa writing in the UK newspaper, "The Observer." Alcohol addiction is a gradual process that occurs as drinking alters brain levels of chemicals, especially GABA, which keeps you from being impulsive, and dopamine, a "feel-good" chemical. As levels decrease, you crave alcohol to feel good again, according to University of Maryland Medical Center.
Blood Sugar Benefit
Glutamine also provides an alternate food source for your brain when your blood-sugar levels are low, notes “Nature’s Road to Recovery,” by Beth M. Ley-Jacobs, et al. Low blood sugar levels are a contributor to craving drinks, whereas keeping blood-sugar levels steady helps to combat the desire to drink. Glutamine can help control hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, notes Ley-Jacobs. Consult a doctor to develop a treatment plan, including any supplement use, if you have hypoglycemia.
Expert Insight
Only a limited amount of scientific evidence backs this amino acid’s effectiveness for reducing alcohol cravings. Anecdotal evidence, however, is strong, notes Briffa. He recommends that his patients use 1 g one to two times a day. Glutamine appears safe in doses of 14 g daily for most people, notes University of Maryland Medical Center, but check with a doctor before using it especially if you have a health condition such as liver or kidney dysfunction. Other organizations support glutamine use as well, including the nonprofit Harms Reduction for Alcohol organization in New York. Also, if you do happen to relapse and drink again, glutamine also may improve inflammatory responses in your body caused by alcohol, according to a March 2011 “Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry” study.
Considerations
You might need more than one amino acid to help combat cravings. According to University of Maryland Medical Center, a combination of glutamine, carnitine and glutathione may help cut cravings as well as stress and blood sugar fluctuations that are related to using alcohol. Your doctor may recommend other dietary supplements to help you regain health because alcohol reduces your appetite and hinders absorption of nutrients in your body. These include vitamin C, vitamin B complex, magnesium, selenium and zinc. Develop any supplement program in conjunction with your doctor.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Alcoholism; November 2009
- “The Observer” newspaper; Dr. John Briffa on Healthy Eating – Raising Spirits; John Briffa; September 2004
- “Nature’s Road to Recovery”; Beth M. Ley-Jacobs, et al.; 1999
- “Der Nervenarzt”; Cue-Induced Alcohol Craving; J. Wrase, et al.; September 2006
- “Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry” Effects of Glutamine Administration on Inflammatory Responses in Chronic Ethanol-Fed Rats; H.C. Peng, et al.; March 2011
- “Alcohol and Alcoholism”; Withdrawal From Free-Choice Ethanol Consumption Results in Increased Packing Density of Glutamine Synthetase-Immunoreactive Astrocytes in the Prelimbic Cortex of Alcohol-Preferring Rats; José Javier Miguel-Hidalgo; July-August 2006
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Glutamine; June 2009
