---

Glutamine

Glutamine is a conditionally essential amino acid. Although, glutamine is considered a non-essential amino acid, it plays important roles in various aspects, such as in maintaining intestinal function, promoting immunity function, maintaining alkali equilibrium within the body and elevating the adaptability of the organism to irritability. Glutamine performs many functions in which its demand may be increased. It is a precursor of the synthesis of nucleotides and it is also an activator of protein synthesis while at the same time it inhibits protein degradation. It is an activator of glycogen synthesis and serves as a metabolic substrate for rapidly replicating cells. Glutamine is an energy source for the enterocyte which is important for maintaining the integrity and the function of the intestinal barrier, and the consumption thereof may be increased under conditions of stress. Glutaminase and glutamine synthetase are the two principal enzymes involved in the regulation of glutamine metabolism. Glutamine synthesis and exportation occurs primarily in skeletal muscle and the brain. In turn, glutamine is consumed by such replicating cells as fibroblasts, lymphocytes, tumor cells and intestinal epithelial cells. Glutaminase catalyzes the hydrolysis of glutamine to glutamate and ammonia, while glutamine synthetase catalyzes the synthesis of glutamine from glutamate and ammonia. Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body. It is crucial for many aspects of healthy body function including maintenance of optimal antioxidant status, building and maintenance of muscle tissue, maintenance of optimal immune function, and repair and maintenance of intestinal tissue. L-glutamine is highly correlated to muscle protein synthesis. Under normal conditions glutamine is a non-essential amino acid and requirements can be met by endogenous production. Synthesis of glutamine occurs mainly in skeletal muscle from any of the other amino acids in muscle protein via the generation of alpha ketoglutatrate which can then be converted to glutamate and then to glutamine.

Glutamine possesses important physiological action. Glutamine is the necessary precursor material of synthesizing nucleic acid of organisms, the regulator of synthesis and decomposition of protein, the carrier of amino nitrogen from peripheral tissue rotating to internal organs and the important matrix of ammonia excretion by the kidney. Glutamine is the important energy substance of epithelial cell of intestinal mucosa, renal tubule cell, macrophage and fibroblast. Glutamine plays a vital role in the immune system. Many of the cells of this system use glutamine for fuel. Supplemental glutamine speeds recuperation and helps people regain the strength they lose after an illness. Glutamine also provides fuel for the mucosal cells of the intestines, which can improve the assimilation of nutrients. It regulates the body's acid-base balance as well. This neutralizes the high levels of lactic acid that build up during exercise. Glutamine is an amino acid that promotes the release of growth hormone, which also increases strength and lean muscle mass. Glutamine boosts the secretion of human growth hormone from the pituitary gland, which can help offset the reductions in this vital hormone that occur with aging. Growth hormone has a major role in the growth and retention of muscle due to its ability to promote cell division and proliferation in the body. It increases the amount of amino acids transported across the cell membrane, which provides the raw material needed for more protein synthesis. This gives the formula another mechanism to increase strength and muscle mass. Growth hormone even boosts the level of free fatty acids in the blood, resulting in greater use of fats as an energy source and the sparing of available proteins and carbohydrates. Because of the importance of glutamine in maintaining muscle mass, bodily tissues and inflammation associated with mucosal regions, supplementation of glutamine to oncology patients is desired as beneficial toward alleviating the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy and the present method provides an effective and straightforward means for providing the supplementation.

Glutamine is a primary fuel for proliferating fibroblasts and macrophages both key cells in the wound healing process. Glutamine is the primary amino acid used by the fibroblasts as an energy source in order to make collagen. Macrophages direct the healing process via release of growth factors. Macrophages depend on glutamine for growth factor production. The use of L-glutamine, a basic amino acid, to provide an energy source for cells having a rapid turnover, such as cells of the mucosa of the intestine, has been known. Patients in need of significant stimulation of growth and repair of intestinal mucosa include those who have undergone surgical resection of the intestine and those suffering from chronic diseases as enteropathy (atrophy of the intestine) and persistent inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS). In humans, approximately 50% of enterally administered glutamine is metabolized by the intestinal mucosa; the amount reaching the peripheral circulation is dependent upon the concentration delivered. The enteral administration of glutamine has been shown to prevent bowel permeability, decrease bacterial translocation, and improve survival in numerous models of gut-origin sepsis. In addition, glutamine offers other benefits, including improved immunity and resistance to infection, maintenance of intestinal tract integrity, and restoration of muscle mass. There is no prior art disclosing these benefits or our specific beverage composition. L-glutamine is an amino acid widely used as medicines such as therapeutic agents of gastroenterologic disorders, potentiators of liver and brain functions, immuno-enhancement agents, and therapeutic agents of gastric ulcer and alcoholism, etc., cosmetics such as moisturizers, etc., and health foods such as sports nutrients and nutrients for patients, etc. Glutamine can be administered either alone or as a dietary supplement. When used as a dietary supplement, the glutamine can be mixed with an existing enteral or parenteral diet prior to administration to the patient. For example, glutamine can be incorporated in a standard total parenteral nutrition (TPN) formulation. Alternatively, the glutamine can be administered separately without mixing it directly with other components of the diet.

---