L-Glutamine
Amino Acid ·Exploratory record · not publication-reviewed ·Updated July 13, 2026
Most abundant amino acid in the body, critical for gut health and immune function.
Exploratory record, not a reviewed medical publication.
See the editorial and medical-review policies for the publication gate.
This generated database record has not completed a claim-level review by a qualified human medical reviewer. Bibliography links and evidence labels are not approval. The page remains available for reference and is excluded from search indexing.
What the research says.
A quick, data-only summary. The full evidence, dosing, and sources are below.
L-Glutamine is an amino acid most often used for gut health, immune support, muscle recovery. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as moderate. A typical adult dose is 5-10 g daily, commonly taken as l-glutamine powder (free form). This profile indexes 19 sources.
The bottom line
Evidence rating moderate. Most-documented uses: gut health, immune support, muscle recovery. 19 sources indexed (2014–2024), with 0 interaction records on file.
How it works, mechanistically.
Core mechanism
Primary fuel for enterocytes (intestinal cells) and immune cells. Supports gut barrier integrity by maintaining tight junction proteins. Precursor for glutathione and nucleotide synthesis.1,9
Dosing & protocol.
What it actually costs.
Real-world pricing across three quality tiers. Assumes L-Glutamine Powder.
Assumes 5-10 g/day. Vendor basis: BulkSupplements powder, NOW Sports/iHerb, Vitacost, and Amazon marketplace; capsule dosing costs more. Updated 2026-05-28.
The same dose, as food.
How much you'd eat to match a supplemental dose.
Foods provide glutamine as part of intact protein; isolated supplement dosing is more concentrated.
Full safety detail.
Sources, by evidence tier.
Numbered references. Citations throughout the page link here.
Meta-analyses & systematic reviews
13- 1A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials on the effects of glutamine supplementation on gut permeability in adultsPMIDPugh JN et al. · Clin Nutr · 2024
Meta-analysis of 10 studies (352 participants) found glutamine did not significantly affect intestinal permeability overall, but subgroup analysis showed significant reduction at doses >30g/day.
- 2Glutamine Supplementation on Burn Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.PMIDTao W, Xu G, Zhou J, Luo Y, Li PS · Journal of Burn Care & Research · 2024
Glutamine supplementation in burn patients significantly reduced mortality, length of hospital stay, and infection rates compared to standard care.
- 3Enteral glutamine supplements for patients with severe burns: A systematic review and meta-analysisPMIDYue HY, Wang Y, Zeng J et al. · Chinese journal of traumatology = Zhonghua chuang shang za zhi · 2024
Yue HY, Wang Y, Zeng J et al.. Enteral glutamine supplements for patients with severe burns: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Chinese journal of traumatology = Zhonghua chuang shang za zhi. 2024
- 4Arginine and glutamine supplementation on transthyretin levels in severely burned patients: A systematic reviewPMIDLinden MA, Teixeira TLM, Freitas RGBON et al. · Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) · 2022
Linden MA, Teixeira TLM, Freitas RGBON et al.. Arginine and glutamine supplementation on transthyretin levels in severely burned patients: A systematic review. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.). 2022
- 5The Effects of Glutamine Supplementation on Reducing Mortality and Morbidity among Burn Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled TrialsSource linkedPMIDMortada H, Alhindi N, Abukhudair A et al. · JPRAS Open · 2022
- 6Glutamine on critical-ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysisPMIDSun Y, Zhu S, Li S et al. · Annals of palliative medicine · 2021
Sun Y, Zhu S, Li S et al.. Glutamine on critical-ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of palliative medicine. 2021
- 7Systematic Review of l-glutamine for Prevention of Vaso-occlusive Pain Crisis in Patients with Sickle Cell DiseasePMIDCieri-Hutcherson NE, Hutcherson TC, Conway-Habes EE et al. · Pharmacotherapy · 2019
Cieri-Hutcherson NE, Hutcherson TC, Conway-Habes EE et al.. Systematic Review of l-glutamine for Prevention of Vaso-occlusive Pain Crisis in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease. Pharmacotherapy. 2019
- 8Oral Glutamine in Preventing Treatment-Related Mucositis in Adult Patients With Cancer: A Systematic ReviewPMIDSayles C, Hickerson SC, Bhat RR et al. · Nutrition in clinical practice : official publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition · 2016
Sayles C, Hickerson SC, Bhat RR et al.. Oral Glutamine in Preventing Treatment-Related Mucositis in Adult Patients With Cancer: A Systematic Review. Nutrition in clinical practice : official publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. 2016
- 9The effect of glutamine supplementation on athletic performance, body composition, and immune function: A systematic review and a meta-analysis of clinical trialsPMIDLegault Z et al. · Nutrients · 2015
Systematic review and meta-analysis examining glutamine's effects on athletic performance, body composition and immune function across clinical trials.
- 10Glutamine Supplementation in Intensive Care Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical TrialsPMIDOldani M, Sandini M, Nespoli L et al. · Medicine · 2015
Oldani M, Sandini M, Nespoli L et al.. Glutamine Supplementation in Intensive Care Patients: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Medicine. 2015
- 11Glutamine supplementation for critically ill adultsHeyland DK, Elke G, Cook D et al. · Cochrane Database Syst Rev · 2015
- 12Parenteral glutamine supplementation in critical illness: a systematic reviewPMIDWischmeyer PE, Dhaliwal R, McCall M et al. · Critical care (London, England) · 2014
Wischmeyer PE, Dhaliwal R, McCall M et al.. Parenteral glutamine supplementation in critical illness: a systematic review. Critical care (London, England). 2014
- 13Glutamine supplementation in serious illness: a systematic review of the evidenceSource linkedPMIDWischmeyer PE, Dhaliwal R, McCall M et al. · Crit Care Med · 2014
Randomized controlled trials
3- 14L-Glutamine supplementation improves the benefits of combined-exercise training on oral redox balance and inflammatory status in elderly individualsSource linkedPMIDAlmeida EB, Santos JM, Pires V et al. · Oxid Med Cell Longev · 2020
- 15Randomised placebo-controlled trial of dietary glutamine supplements for postinfectious irritable bowel syndromePMIDZhou Q et al. · Gut · 2019
Oral glutamine supplements dramatically and safely reduced all major IBS-related endpoints in patients with IBS-D with intestinal hyperpermeability following enteric infection.
- 16Glutamine supplementation reduces markers of intestinal permeability during running in the heat in a dose-dependent mannerPMIDPugh JN et al. · Eur J Appl Physiol · 2017
Acute oral glutamine consumption attenuated gastrointestinal permeability relative to placebo during exercise in the heat, even at lower doses, in a dose-dependent manner.
Reviews & position papers
2- 17Glutamine: Metabolism and Immune Function, Supplementation and Clinical TranslationPMIDCruzat V et al. · Nutrients · 2018
Glutamine essential for lymphocyte proliferation, cytokine production, macrophage phagocytosis, and neutrophil bacterial killing; becomes conditionally essential in critical illness.
- 18Glutamine and the regulation of intestinal permeability: from bench to bedsidePMIDAchamrah N et al. · Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care · 2017
Glutamine is major nutrient for maintaining intestinal barrier function; depletion results in villus atrophy, decreased tight junction protein expression, and increased intestinal permeability.
Common questions.
Quick answers about L-Glutamine, drawn from the data on this page.
What is L-Glutamine?
Most abundant amino acid in the body, critical for gut health and immune function.
What is L-Glutamine used for?
Commonly cited benefits of L-Glutamine include: Gut health; Immune support; Muscle recovery; Gut barrier integrity. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as moderate.
What is a typical dose of L-Glutamine?
A typical adult dose of L-Glutamine is 5-10 g daily. The commonly recommended form is L-Glutamine powder (free form). These are general ranges, not personalized advice; confirm the right dose with a clinician.
What are the side effects of L-Glutamine?
Reported side effects include bloating, constipation at high doses. This is educational information; check with a healthcare professional before use.
How strong is the evidence for L-Glutamine?
NutriStack rates this as Moderate, meaning several aligned RCTs or one large RCT plus supporting reviews. Full tier criteria are at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/evidence-tiers.
Use this with your stack
L-Glutamine in NutriStack.
Add it to your stack, see how it interacts with everything else you take, and get a Stack Score that updates the moment it does.