- Glutamic acid is not the same as glutamine. Glutamic acid is an amino acid that is among the free form glutamine within the building blocks of protein.
- Glutamine is derived from glutamic acid; it is glutamic acid that is attached to a mineral ion.
- Glutamic acid is an important neurotransmitter.
- If glutamine is taken as a supplement and not naturally produced within the body, it can be shown to be more effective.
Glutamic acid is not the same as glutamine. However, it is a component that makes glutamine what it actually is.
Glutamic acid is an amino acid that is among the free form glutamine within the building blocks of protein. Glutamine is derived from glutamic acid; it is glutamic acid that is attached to a mineral ion.
Therefore, if the mineral ion that attaches to the glutamic acid is potassium, the glutamic acid is then known as potassium glutamate. Not only is glutamic acid found in human protein, but it is found in animal protein as well. Though the human body can produce glutamic acid naturally, it can still be taken as a supplement if a person is lacking glutamine in their blood.
Glutamic acid in animals is more of a necessity than it is for humans. There are other types of glutamic acids that affect the human body as well.
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What Does Glutamic Acid Do for the Body?
Similar to free form glutamine, glutamic acid is a building block for protein in the human body. Glutamic acid also is an important neurotransmitter that is needed greatly within the central nervous system. Once a person consumes protein and it cycles down through the digestive system in order to become ingested, glutamic acid is unleashed to work throughout the body.
However, if a person never received glutamic acid from the proteins that they consumed, they could still get the necessary protein building blocks from other amino acids that are filtered throughout the body. Through its metabolic properties, the brain is said to also be able to produce glutamic acid naturally.
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Sign UpWhat Is the Other Type of Glutamic Acid?
The other kind of glutamic acid is called MSG, which is a type of glutamic acid that is produced outside of the human or animal body rather than within it. When the glutamic acid is not produced within the body, it is not as pure. Glutamic acid is unprocessed.
This type of glutamic acid may have unidentifiable properties that cancel out the pure form of the amino acids. This type of glutamic acid is similar to the supplements that athletes may use to boost their performance.
Though many supplement companies state that their product is pure and natural, many times there are unknown ingredients that make up the supplement. Though MSG still contains similar properties as glutamic acid, it is not glutamic acid in its purest form.
Which Is More Effective, Glutamine or Glutamic Acid?
Technically, glutamine is derived from glutamic acid. Therefore in some ways, they need each other to help the human body. However, if glutamine is taken as a supplement and not naturally produced within the body, it can be shown to be more effective.
Though glutamine is a non-essential amino acid within the human body, it is said to help with liver and kidney problems, alcohol withdrawal, and even inflammation within the stomach. Some of the conditions that glutamine helps treat are cancer during chemotherapy, Crohn’s Disease, and ulcerative colitis.
Though glutamine is seen as the main amino acid to play the role of repairing muscles and treating certain conditions, glutamic acid is behind the scenes, making all the right moves for glutamine to work its magic. As glutamine can be directly received from natural sources of the human diet, glutamic acids are not found in many food items.
How Much Is Too Much Glutamic Acid?
As with every supplement, there is an appropriate dosing that needs to be discussed in order to keep the body free of harm. As for glutamine and glutamic acid supplements, humans should not consume more than 3 grams per day of this supplement.
Due to the fact that glutamic acid benefits the human immune system and the gastrointestinal tract, if too much of the supplement is consumed, it may harm the digestive tract of the user. Gastric stress may be caused by the irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, and possibly too much of a glutamic acid supplement.
Gastric stress can be accompanied by symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, bloating and diarrhea. However, if glutamic acid is produced naturally in the body, one does not have to consume it as a supplement unless it is recommended by a doctor for medical reasons.
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