The research – a scientific assessment and meta-analysis of scientific trials – evaluated the affect of glutamine supplementation on intestinal permeability, which is essential for immune perform and nutrient absorption.
“[We] discovered that quick time (lower than 2 weeks) glutamine supplementation in greater dosages (> 30 mg/day) had vital reductive impact on intestine permeability,” wrote researchers in Springer Nature Hyperlink.
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is lined by a single layer of epithelial cells, which act as a protecting barrier in opposition to microbial invasion.
Elevated intestinal permeability, attributable to leakage between epithelial cells, permits dangerous toxins can enter the bloodstream, triggering immune responses, irritation and impaired nutrient absorption.
Glutamine, a non-essential amino acid, is significant for intestine well being. It helps the expansion and restore of intestinal cells and serves as an vitality supply for quickly dividing cells, making it important throughout infections, accidents, or metabolic stress.
Nonetheless, earlier findings relating to the affect of glutamine on intestine permeability have been inconsistent. Subsequently, this research goals to judge the results of glutamine supplementation on human gastrointestinal permeability.
The research
A scientific search was carried out in PubMed, Scopus, Net of Science, and Google Scholar till April 2023 to establish scientific trials on glutamine supplementation and gastrointestinal permeability.
These included 12 randomised placebo-controlled trials measuring intestine permeability post-glutamine supplementation, revealed between 1998 to 2014 with 352 members.
The imply participant age was 46.52 years. They have been identified with circumstances that included Crohn’s Illness, metastatic most cancers, and HIV-positive.
Members within the intervention teams consumed various glutamine doses, comparable to 4g/day, 7g 3 times each day, or 0.5g per kilogram of ultimate physique weight each day.
Management teams both ingested placebos like whey protein, acquired supportive care, or didn’t obtain glutamine supplementation.
Outcomes
To find out the results of glutamine on intestinal permeability, researchers calculated the weighted imply distinction (WMD) values, which signifies the variations between remedy teams within the ‘earlier than’ and ‘after’ total values after intervention.
On this research, the WMD values replicate how glutamine supplementation impacts intestinal permeability – unfavorable WMD values point out a discount in intestinal permeability, whereas constructive values point out a rise.
Total, the evaluation throughout all 12 research confirmed a WMD of −0.00, indicating that glutamine supplementation didn’t considerably have an effect on intestinal permeability.
Nonetheless, subgroup evaluation revealed there was a major discount in intestinal permeability with doses over 30g/day, with a WMD of −0.01.
Dosages with lower than 30g/day didn’t yield any vital results and had a WMD of 0.0.
Moreover, interventions lasting lower than two weeks considerably improved intestine permeability, whereas these extending past 4 weeks confirmed no impact.
For instance, short-term interventions of lower than two weeks confirmed a WMD of −0.03, indicating a major discount in intestinal permeability.
Lengthy-term interventions lasting 4 weeks or extra confirmed no clear impact on intestinal permeability – the WMD was −0.02, however the vary of doable outcomes, or confidence interval, stretched from −0.02 to 0.06, indicating that the findings may have occurred by likelihood.
“Present meta-analysis confirmed no vital impact of glutamine supplementation on intestine permeability. Nonetheless, greater than 30 mg/day glutamine considerably lowered intestinal permeability.
“[The] meta-analysis demonstrated a major discount in intestinal permeability with glutamine supplementation exceeding 30 mg/day for durations of lower than 2 weeks,” mentioned researchers.
Additional investigations with various dosages and affected person populations are warranted to reinforce understanding and suggestions relating to glutamine supplementation’s results on intestine permeability.
“Evidently extra research with totally different dosages of glutamine in several durations are required to achieve the most effective suggestion for this supplementation. As well as, [further] research have to be carried out on totally different populations and sufferers to arrange appropriate pointers for glutamine supplementation in these sufferers,” concluded researchers.
Supply: Springer Nature Hyperlink
DOI: 10.1007/s00726-024-03420-7
“A scientific assessment and meta-analysis of scientific trials on the results of glutamine supplementation on intestine permeability in adults”
Authors: Fatemeh Abbasi, Mohammad Mehdi Haghighat Lari et al.
