Gtek FAQ

dito

Member
Awards
1
  • Established
G-TEK FAQ


and
Chewable G-TEK FAQ


Buy G-TEK in the bodybuilding.com store
Buy chewable G-TEK in the bodybuilding.com store

What is Glutamine?
Glutamine is one of the 20 amino acids. It is one of the few bodybuilding supplements that has stood the test of time and has plenty of uses for both bodybuilders and for common individuals who are on a diet or a weight-loss regiment. Glutamine also has uses for gastrointestinal health and the immune system.

What does Glutamine do?
Glutamine has a number of uses. First is boring stuff like the intestinal and immune system. It plays a role as a precursor of many compounds such as glucose, urinary ammonia, nucleic acids, and intracellular glutathione and acts as an energy source for rapidly growing cells such as those found in the intestinal and immune systems. (Newsholme P, Procopio J, Lima MM, Pithon-Curi TC, Curi R. Glutamine and glutamate: their central role in cell metabolism and function. Cell Biochem Funct. 2003;21:1–9.). But the more exiting stuff is Glutamine's effects on protein synthesis, fatty acid oxidation, insulin, and glycogen. Though glutamine does not directly impact protein synthesis, research shows that glutamine levels strongly correlate with protein synthesis.(Jepson MM, Bates PC, Broadbent P, Pell JM, Millward DJ.
Relationship between glutamine concentration and protein synthesis in rat skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol. 1988;255:E166– E172.)

Glutamine can increase fatty acid oxidation when taken with a meal (Iwa****a S, Mikus C, Baier S, Flakoll PJ. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2006 Mar-Apr;30(2):76-80.). Glutamine was shown to decrease weight gain from a high fat diet due to it's ability to attenuate hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia (Ballard TC, Farag A, Branum GD, Akwari OE, Opara EC. Effect
of L-glutamine supplementation on impaired glucose regulation during intravenous lipid administration. Nutrition. 1996;12:349–354.)

The most exciting effect of Glutamine and it's best use is for glycogen replenishment. A number of studies have shown that Glutamine is effect at restoring glycogen levels post-workout and post-exercise as effective as glucose polymers (Bowtell JL, Gelly K, Jackman ML, Patel A, Simeoni M, Rennie MJ.). Though you could easily just use carbohydrates for post-workout glycogen replinishment, glutamine is able to do so without elevating insulin (Bowtell JL, Gelly K, Jackman ML, Patel A, Simeoni M, Rennie MJ. Effect of oral glutamine on whole body carbohydrate storage during recovery from exhaustive exercise. J Appl Physiol. 1999;86:1770–1777.). When glutamine is combined with glucose it is able to replenish liver glycogen (Interaction between glutamine availability and metabolism of glycogen, tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and glutathione. Rennie MJ et al.).
Is Glutamine useful while bulking?
There is a heated debate on whether or not glutamine is useful while hypercaloric. This FAQ is not going to be a place for another debate, but there are some positive benefits of Glutamine while bulking. It can be effective at promoting lean gains and preventing fat gain due to it's ability to increase fatty acid oxidation and prevent hyperinsulinemia. Many people who say that Glutamine is useless while bulking say so because they did not have any noticeable increase in muscle building. This is because Glutamine does not directly impact protein synthesis (especially not while hypercaloric), so expecting glutamine to build muscle is like expecting whey protein to be a stimulant; there's no science to prove it, so why expect it? However, science does show support that glutamine could be used on a lean bulk to prevent excess fat gain (from it's fatty acid oxidative and insulin control properties) and it can be used postworkout instead of carbohydrates if you are on a diet that stresses low insulin levels.
Is Glutamine useful while cutting?
YES! It is also much more cost-effective to use while cutting because it's effects will be more apparent. The main use for Glutamine while cutting is as a carbohydrate replacement, especially post-workout. Since glutamine has been shown to increase muscle glycogen effectively without increasing insulin, you could replace your usual postworkout carbs with glutamine and get glycogen's muscle sparing effects without the fat-promoting effects of insulin. Glutamine can also be used with your other meals, both to enhance fatty-acid oxidation but also to improve glycogen stores since your meals will likely be low in carbs. Another very useful effect is immune system improvement. You are more likely to get sick while on a calorie- deficit, and even something as simple as a cold can hinder your dieting results, and if you're dieting for a competition it could definitely throw off your pre-contest prep, which you don't want to happen when you're wearing a banana hammock in front of a large crowd.
Since
What's the difference between L-Glutamine and the Glutamine Peptides in G-tek?
Peptide form is absorbed better due to peptide transport systems in the digestive tract. Glutamine Peptides are recognized to be the most bioavailable form of Glutamine available and are estimated to be absorbed at a rate that is approximately double that of equivalent amounts of free form L-Glutamine. (Jeff Behar Bodybuilding.com - Jeff Behar - Protein Handbook For Beginners: The Value Of Protein Supplements.) So basically you're getting twice the glutamine, but glutamine peptides don't cost much more that l-glutamine, so you're getting a much better deal.
How much should i take?
Follow directions on the back of the bottle. Some people like to use 15 grams postworkout and 5-15 grams before bed.

G-Tek Chewables

How's the taste?
Feedback on the taste has been very good.
OMG! It's got fructose in it! Fructose is sugar! It's gawna make me faaaaat!
First of all, that's not a question. Secondly, fructose is much different than sucrose, dextrose, malto, etc. The first difference is that fructose has a very low GI (much lower than oats), so insulin mediated fat gain is not an issue. Also, fructose is used primarily for restoring liver glycogen, which can increase leptin, which can improve muscle retention while cutting (there are some great articles in Mind and Muscle magazine on leptin; read them). So instead of fructose being a bad thing, it is a great addition to glutamine because together they can restore both muscle glycogen and liver glycogen with very little impact
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Similar threads


Top