Frontline Drugstore - Amino Acids

Studies indicate that athletes have an increase requirement for protein and branched chain amino acids in the diet, notably L-leucine. Amino Fuel 2000 tablets contain the highest quality source of peptide-bonded and free amino acids derived from pharmaceutical grade pancreatic digest of whey protein (lactalbumin) and egg white protein (albumin).

L-Carnitine is found most often in meat and meat extract. In the human body, L-Carnitine is found abundantly in heart and skeletal muscle. It can be synthesized in the human liver, but insufficient amounts are produced in infants, in adolescents and in adults under certain physiological conditions. Two essential amino acids, lysine and methionine, are required for L-Carnitine bioynthesis,. Vitamin C, Iron, Vitamin B6 and Niacin are also involved in a sequence of enzymatically catalyzed reactions. It is evident that a lack of availability of any of these essential nutrients would greatly impair the body’s ability to synthesize L-Carnitine.

L-Carnitine is used extensively in sports nutrition to provide nutritional support for producing energy in the heart and muscles, to raise energy, endurance and stamina during heavy exercise, to improve performance during physical efforts, to compensate for losses incurred after exhaustive exercise, to increase resistance to fatigue and to effect fast recovery. Supplementing with L-Carnitine lowers lactic acid accumulation and spares glycogen, which are two factors that cause fatigue. Reduced muscle pain and decreased muscle damage are thought to be attributed to L-Carnitine’s ability to help increase oxygen supply to the muscle through an increase in blood flow.

L-Carnitine plays a significant role in turning fat into energy. This essential nutrient carries long chain fatty acids across the mitochondria for subsequent fat breakdown and energy production. A number of studies have using L-Carnitine as part of a weight management program have shown that L-Carnitine works to increase lean muscle mass and decrease Body Mass Index (BMI) and body fat content. L-Carnitine may provide optimal fat oxidation in conjunction with dietary changes and exercise.

Glutamine is the most abundant single amino acid in the blood and in the intracellular free amino acid pool (most abundant amino acid in muscle tissue). It comprises 61% of the amino acid pool in skeletal muscle. Glutamine’s unique structure, containing two nitrogen side chains, consists of 19% nitrogen - making it the primary transporter of nitrogen into the muscle cell. In fact, glutamine alone is responsible for 35% of the nitrogen that gets into the muscle cell. Glutamine literally drives muscle building nitrogen into the muscle cell where it is synthesized for growth.

Glutamine concentrations fall markedly after training and remain low until complete recovery. What this means is, the very rigors of weight training “leak” nitrogen carrying glutamine from muscle tissue. This fall in glutamine is catabolic to muscle tissue “The Training Paradox”. Supplementing with glutamine spares free glutamine in muscle tissue, counteracts the fall in muscle protein synthesis, and improves nitrogen balance. Glutamine overcomes “The Training Paradox”.

Glutamine is a key factor in muscle growth, and controlling the “skeletal muscle/whole body glutamine gradient” is critical in maintaining and building muscle tissue. The higher the muscle glutamine levels you can maintain, the less chance you have of falling into catabolism and the faster muscle will grow. But now there is more .

By keeping a consistently high level of circulating growth hormone, you are able to combat the catabolic effects of weight training, harness the anabolic activity of increased glucose and amino acid uptake, improve whole body nitrogen retention, and increase lean tissue protein accrual. Supplementing with GL3 L-Glutamine may just be the most effective way of assisting new muscle growth!