Glutamine Reduces Exercise-Related Muscle Damage

In a new study, researchers from the University of Sao Paolo, Brazil, investigated the effects of supplementation with the amino acids glutamine and alanine and the dipeptide L-alanyl-L-glutamine (DIP) on markers of muscle damage and inflammation in rats subjected to prolonged exercise. They found reduced markers of muscle damage and inflammation after prolonged exercise in rats supplemented for 21 days than in rats used as controls. They also found increased muscle glutamine levels in the supplemented rats, suggesting that increased glutamine availability was the mechanism that reduced muscle damage during exercise. The results of the study were published in the journal Cell Biochemistry and Function.