L-glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in muscle and blood. As a supplement it is marketed for workout recovery and gut health; as a prescription powder (Endari) it is FDA approved to reduce complications of sickle cell disease.
Also known as: glutamine.
Glutamine has no intake value or upper limit. ODS says adults get about 3 to 6 g a day from protein foods, and oral amounts of 0.21 to 0.42 g per kg a day (about 15 to 30 g a day at 154 pounds) showed no evidence of toxicity. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. L-glutamine oral powder is also FDA approved as Endari to reduce the acute complications of sickle cell disease in people 5 and older; its most common side effects were constipation, nausea, headache, stomach pain, cough and pain in the arms, legs, back or chest.
ODS says few studies have tested glutamine alone for exercise. In one, 31 weightlifters took about 45 g a day or placebo for 6 weeks with no difference in strength or lean mass; in another small study of 16 people, glutamine eased strength loss and soreness after eccentric exercise. There is little support for using it to prevent colds in athletes, and ODS concludes that research does not support glutamine alone for performance.
ODS says no side effects were reported in these studies, and many people with serious illnesses such as burns and intestinal disease take glutamine safely as part of their medical care.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for glutamine that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one.
How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator