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Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid found in the body. It's made in the muscles and transferred by the blood into different organ systems.
Glutamine is a building block for making proteins in the body. It's also needed to make other amino acids and glucose. Glutamine supplements might help gut function, immune function, and other processes, especially in times of stress when the body uses more glutamine.
People take glutamine for sickle cell disease, burns, to improve recovery after surgery, for injuries, and for complications of HIV/AIDS. It is also used for diarrhea, cystic fibrosis, obesity, lung cancer, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these other uses.
Glutamine (Endari) is approved by the US FDA as a prescription drug for sickle cell disease.
- Sickle cell disease. A specific oral glutamine powder (Endari, Emmaus Medical, Inc) is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce acute complications of sickle cell disease.
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- Burns. Oral glutamine seems to improve healing in patients with severe burns and may also reduce the risk for burn wound infections; however, it is unclear if glutamine improves hospitalization length or mortality.
Login for details - Critical illness (trauma). Oral and intravenous glutamine seem to reduce infectious complications in critically ill adults. However, glutamine does not seem to reduce mortality in this population.
Login for details - HIV/AIDS-related wasting. Oral glutamine seems to attenuate weight loss related to HIV/AIDS.
Login for details - Postoperative recovery. Oral or intravenous glutamine seems to reduce the duration of hospitalization and improve postoperative nutritional status in adults. However, it does not seem to reduce postoperative mortality.
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- Athletic performance. Oral glutamine does not seem to improve athletic performance.
Login for details - Crohn disease. Oral glutamine does not seem to improve symptoms of this condition.
Login for details - Cystinuria. Oral glutamine does not seem to improve cystinuria.
Login for details - Low birth weight. Oral glutamine does not seem to reduce adverse consequences of low birth weight in infants.
Login for details - Muscular dystrophy. Oral glutamine does not seem to improve symptoms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Login for details - Prematurity. Oral glutamine does not seem to reduce morbidity or mortality associated with prematurity.
Login for details - Radiation-induced diarrhea. Oral glutamine does not seem to improve diarrhea due to radiation therapy.
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- Antiretroviral-associated diarrhea. It is unclear if oral glutamine improves diarrhea caused by antiretroviral agents.
Login for details - Alcohol use disorder. Login for details
- Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Login for details
- Chemotherapy-induced diarrhea. It is unclear if oral glutamine improves diarrhea caused by chemotherapy.
Login for details - Chemotherapy-induced lymphocytopenia. It is unclear if oral glutamine reduces lymphocytopenia caused by chemotherapy.
Login for details - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is unclear if oral glutamine is beneficial in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia.
Login for details - Cystic fibrosis. It is unclear if oral glutamine improves growth and development in children with cystic fibrosis.
Login for details - Diabetic foot ulcers. Oral glutamine has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.
Login for details - Diarrhea. It is unclear if oral glutamine improves diarrhea in children and infants.
Login for details - Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). It is unclear whether oral glutamine or glutamine added to parenteral nutrition improves morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing HSCT. Some research has suggested that intravenous glutamine may actually worsen outcomes.
Login for details - Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). There is limited evidence on the oral use of glutamine in patients with IBS.
Login for details - Lung cancer. It is unclear if oral glutamine improves survival in patients with advanced lung cancer.
Login for details - Malnutrition. It is unclear if oral alanyl-glutamine improves height and weight in children at risk for malnutrition.
Login for details - Exercise-induced muscle damage. It is unclear if oral glutamine is beneficial for exercise-induced muscle damage.
Login for details - Obesity. It is unclear if oral glutamine is beneficial for weight loss.
Login for details - Opioid withdrawal. Oral glutamine has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.
Login for details - Oral mucositis. There is contradictory evidence about the effects of glutamine in patients with, or at risk of developing, oral mucositis from chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Login for details - Paclitaxel-induced myalgia and arthralgia. It is unclear if oral glutamine reduces the risk for myalgias and arthralgias due to paclitaxel.
Login for details - Pancreatitis. It is unclear if oral glutamine improves outcomes in patients with acute pancreatitis.
Login for details - Peptic ulcers. Login for details
- Postoperative infection. It is unclear if oral or intravenous glutamine is beneficial for the prevention of postoperative infection in patients with colorectal cancer who are recovering from surgery.
Login for details - Postoperative recovery. It is unclear if oral or intravenous glutamine is beneficial in patients with colorectal cancer who are recovering from surgery.
Login for details - Pressure ulcers. Oral glutamine has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.
Login for details - Radiation dermatitis. It is unclear if oral glutamine reduces the risk of developing dermatitis from radiation therapy.
Login for details - Radiation-induced esophagitis. It is unclear if oral glutamine reduces the risk of developing esophagitis from radiation therapy.
Login for details - Short bowel syndrome. It is unclear if oral glutamine improves symptoms of short bowel syndrome.
Login for details - Traumatic Brain injury (TBI). It is unclear if intravenous glutamine is beneficial in patients hospitalized with severe TBI.
Login for details - Vincristine-induced neuropathy. It is unclear if oral glutamine reduces the risk of developing neuropathy from treatment with vincristine in children.
Login for details - Wound healing. It is unclear if oral glutamine improves wound healing.
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When taken by mouth: Glutamine is likely safe when used in doses up to 40 grams daily. Side effects are generally mild and might include bloating, nausea, dizziness, heartburn, and stomach pain.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Glutamine is consumed as part of the diet. There isn't enough reliable information to know if glutamine is safe to use in larger amounts as a medicine when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.Children: Glutamine is likely safe when taken by mouth in doses up to 0.7 grams/kg body weight daily. There isn't enough reliable information to know if higher doses of glutamine are safe.
Liver disease: Glutamine can increase the risk for brain function issues in people with advanced liver disease. Do not use it if you have liver disease.
Bipolar disorder: Glutamine might increase the risk for mania or hypomania in people with this condition.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) sensitivity: If you are sensitive to MSG, you might also be sensitive to glutamine. The body converts glutamine to glutamate.
Seizures: There is some concern that glutamine might increase the likelihood of seizures in some people. Avoid use.
Medications used to prevent seizures (Anticonvulsants)
Interaction Rating=Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Glutamine may increase the risk of seizures in some people. Therefore, taking glutamine may decrease the effects of medications used to prevent seizures.
There are no known interactions with herbs and supplements.
There are no known interactions with foods.
Glutamine has most often been used by adults in doses of 15-30 grams by mouth daily for up to 12 months. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what dose might be best for a specific condition.
For information on using prescription glutamine, a product called Endari, speak with a healthcare provider.
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