The Truth About Supplements

Now, I will start off this article by saying that you do not need any supplementation if you have a complete diet. You can get every single macro, micronutrient, amino acid, mineral and vitamin from food. The only thing supplementation provides is a block for any holes, or an extra stepping stone. I will highlight that you DO NOT need supplementation of any product. It doesn’t matter what any company tries to sell you, you can achieve any of your naturally attainable goals with just diet and discipline.

With that out of the way, let me define what a supplement is within the health and fitness context. For this purpose, we define a supplement as, “an orally consumed product that contains one or more components intended to compliment diet”. For this reason, we class anything that is being used with a purpose, and is outside of your usual diet, as a supplement. Therefore, any protein powders, multi vitamins, and BCAA’s fall within this category. These must also ‘compliment’ the diet and not replace it. If we use supplementation as a way of replacing dietary needs, we may be left malnourished as they are not created to include all micronutrients, unless labelled otherwise.

So how do we decide what the best supplement is? Firstly, this debate is a matter of opinion, one of which I have spent many years pondering. But, I decided that the best way to determine this is to deeply look into the pros and cons of the highest demand supplements.

To start, we have protein powder. This is a simple supplement that is used to add on protein and amino acid molecules with minimal calories and the utmost ease. You simply add the powder to water or milk, give it a shake, and drink. However, the process to make this powder is quite extensive. Some powders go through 7-8 different processes in order to turn the whey into powder form. Because of this, and the additives required, there are a number of studies citing its poor effect on the gut, with many referencing digestion complications.

Another very popular supplement in this sphere is creatine. This is the most researched supplement on the market, with almost only positive reviews. Essentially what this product does is help your body produce more ATP (the body’s primary energy source during muscle contractions). This has therefore been seen to improve muscle mass and strength over periods of time in randomised controlled trials. However, the one issue I have with it is its applicability to the average population. Due to its minimal effects on the rest of the body, I personally don’t class it as the best supplement, especially with most people not seeing as much benefits (i.e. not heavy weightlifting with the purpose of building muscle)

Unlocking the Power of Glutamine

Maybe not everyone has heard of my favourite, self-proclaimed best supplement, but I believe everyone can find a reason to consume it. This is in fact glutamine, the conditionally essential amino acid. Glutamine, found in particularly high concentration within skeletal muscles, lungs, liver, and the brain, has various bodily functions, including protein synthesis, immune support, and energy production.

After intense exercise, our muscle experience sourness, with some sources claiming there to be micro-tears within the fibres, but this is still up for debate. Nevertheless, glutamine plays a precursor role for protein synthesis, allowing it to be the key to muscle repair. If your body does not have enough of this amino acid, the muscle recovery processing time and effectiveness will be impaired.

Not only this, but glutamine is the main amino acid involved with defending the body against pathogens. In fact, it is the primary fuel source for rapidly dividing immune cells which play a critical role in immune function. During periods of stress (like fitness) or illness, the demand for glutamine by immune cells rises significantly. Proper levels of this amino acid supports immune cell effectiveness, in turn enhancing the body’s ability to fight off pathogens.

Also, glutamine plays a crucial role in digestion, nutrient absorption, and gut health. For example, the intestinal mucosa, or gut lining, serves as a barrier preventing harmful substances from entering the blood stream whilst nutrients can be absorbed. Can you guess what maintains the fluidity of this mucus? Moreover, glutamine stimulates the production of mucin, an extra protective layer that lines the gut and prevents toxin and pathogen damage while they’re excreted. In addition, it supports the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, reducing the risk of gastrointestinal issues like IBS, and improves digestive health.

Finally, glutamine has been found to reduce the effects on various systems during highly stressful periods. During times of extreme pressure, a cascade of physiological responses swoop many different systems. This can lead to impaired immune function, an ineffective hypothalamic-pituitary-gland (HPA), and deregulated gut-brain axis. However, glutamine has been found to mitigate these effects on every single system by reducing the adrenal gland’s cortisol (stress hormone) production. In contrast, it supports the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA, which also help in mood and stress regulation, effectively making it a comprehensive support system.

Glutamine’s Essentiality

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body, with it being created from glutamate and ammonia, both of which can only be obtained from nutrition. However, the amount to which your body can find glutamine is extremely low in dietary sources. For example, tomato is the highest glutamine food we know of but it only has about 250mg of glutamic acid per 100g of product. Therefore, it is quite difficult to reach optimal levels from diet, unless you’re willing to eat around 2kg of tomatoes per day.

So, supplementation becomes a simple support system to numerous physiological complications that an individual might face in their daily lives. In fact, some research has shown that even as little as 5g of glutamine per day can achieve all of the previously mentioned benefits. This might sound like it could get expensive, but when 500g (or 50 days worth) is an average of £20 ($26.50), there less of a worry.

As mentioned before, the primary source of nutrition is from your diet, and no supplements work without this being completely in check. However, supplements are a tool that can be used to fill any gaps or support any goals. There are thousands of supplements on the market, and the ones you choose to use, if any, are completely up to you. I would always recommend researching any product you intend on consuming to check if there are any side effects, or if you could have a possible intolerance.

Nevertheless, among the many options, I believe glutamine the best supplement a person can consume, and one that everyone would see benefit from. It has emerged as one of the most versatile products, especially in the sphere of athletic performance. Despite being the most abundant amino acid in the human body, we cannot easily get enough from our diet to see the optimal benefits. This makes supplementation a practical solution.

If you have any interest in starting glutamine consumption, make sure to do your own research and formulate your own opinion prior to purchase. Once you have done this, you can buy the powder from almost all health shops, online fitness stores, and online marketplaces for an appealing price.