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Research on Glutamine Supplementation: The Advanges

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There are a lot of researches on glutamine supplementation. Some of the research results proclaims the benefits of glutamine supplementation after surgery What are the advantages? It can reduce the infection because glutamine can activate the immune system in our body and further reduce infection. Besides, glutamine is a composition of protein. It can improve the composition of protein in our body. Usually, the decomposition of protein after surgery will be a lot more than composition of protein. It will cause great loss of protein, so that the nitrogen in the body will not be able to maintain its balance. After supplementing glutamine, it is able to improve the composition of protein as well as promote the balance of nitrogen.
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What’s more, it can increase the height of intestinal villus. The intestinal villus exist on the wall of the small intestine. The small intestine consists of a lot of folds with a lot of villus on it. The main purpose is to increase the area of intestine absorption. After the surgery or when the nutrition in our body is very poor, the villus will shrink. If patients are supplied with glutamine, since it is the energy source of the intestine cells, glutamine can maintain the height of the intestinal villus. In other words, glutamine makes the absorption of nutrients better.
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It can also reduce the permeability of the intestine; permeability means, in our intestine there is a protection, the intestine is a very important immune organ because there are a lot of pathogenic bacteria inside the tract, High permeability will allow more bacteria in the intestine be transferred and passed through the mucosal cells in the tract and through lymph circulating to the whole body. Therefore, after the surgery or when the body has a high metabolism demands the permeability in the tract will become greater to transfer bacteria in the intestine. These bacteria enter the human body circulation system This is why glutamine is able to protect the intestine and maintain the health and completeness of mucosal cell.
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It can reduce the permeability of the intestine to avoid the bacteria in the tract transferred to the body. Ther are many studies supports that glutamine supplementation helps patients recover faster and reduce the days of hospitalization as well as enhance the patient’s survival rate. Why does glutamine have so many advantages? Researches showed that glutamine can improve health in treating diseases through these mechanisms. Glutamine can protect cells and tissues. because it stimulates proteins’ activity that can protect cells. These proteins contain antioxidant capacity and they can perform protection to reduce the death of the cell. We also mentioned that it can maintain the intestinal barrier. Intestine requires this barrier as a defense to protect the intestine from the invasion of bacteria.
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These pathogenic bacteria will not be able to go through the intestinal barrier and enter our bodies. This is the mechanism that glutamine can protect the intestine. Glutamine can also promote the body’s anti-inflammatory reaction. In the state of disease, the body is usually under inflammation. It can reduce the reaction of inflammation and protect the cell tissues from being invaded. Moreover, glutamine can regulate immunity system. The overactive immune system will cause damage to the organ and tissue. Glutamine can balance immunity cells activities, so that the body can maintain normal functions. Additionally, glutamine can maintain the metabolism function even when the body is in recovery pressure and help cells and tissues retain energy to functions normally.
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As mentioned, glutamine is a precursor of antioxidants. With the supplement of glutamine, the body will have a better antioxidant capacity and is able to reduce oxidation stress. Usually, these diseases will increase the oxidation stress in our body And the oxidative stress will cause huge damage to the cell tissue. Therefore, the supplement of glutamine can reduce oxidative stress and makes sure that cells and tissues can be protected from oxidative stress.

Prof. Yeh will explain the research result of how glutamine supplementation can affect nutrition absorption. In the situation after the surgery, our bodies become weak and the villus will shrink. If patients are supplied with glutamine, since it is the energy source of the intestine cells, glutamine can maintain the height of the intestinal villus and make the absorption of nutrients better.

Next, Prof. Yeh will give another example on how glutamine affects the immune system. Glutamine can promote the body’s anti-inflammatory reaction. In the state of disease, glutamine can reduce the reaction of inflammation and protect the cell tissues from being invaded. It can also balance immunity cells activities, so that the body can maintain normal functions.

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