So what happens when your gut health is out of whack? When your gastrointestinal tract is damaged, undigested food particles and toxins end up entering your bloodstream, leading to a cascade of chronic inflammation. Microbiome imbalances such as SIBO and candida overgrowth can also upset your gut and contribute to chronic health problems. There are many ways to approach gut healing. One very popular way is through supplementing with L-glutamine. You’ve probably seen L-glutamine supplements throughout vitamin and health food stores advertised as the perfect way to rebuild and repair muscle tissue, especially for athletes. This is the most abundant amino acid in your blood and is used in the biosynthesis of protein to be used throughout your body. Multiple studies1 have shown the addition of l-glutamine supplements can quickly and greatly improve intestinal permeability. For example, one study2 took a group of 107 children and gave about half of them L-glutamine and the other half a placebo. After 120 days, the children receiving the L-glutamine supplementation had increased nutrition and intestinal barrier function. L-glutamine can even reduce symptoms of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis! In one study, patients who had mild to moderate active ulcerative colitis were given L-glutamine, and after four weeks had a significant reduction in symptoms. What was even more amazing was that the beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium increased as well. At the end of treatment, symptoms began to reappear, which shows the powerful correlation3 of this supplement with healing the gut. So now we have all this information about how good L-glutamine is for your gut, but how do you know if it’s right for you? Well, ultimately it depends on the status of your gut. If you’re struggling through chronic health problems, yes, an L-glutamine supplement in addition to nourishing food medicines can give your gut the jump start it needs to fully repair. But if you just need a reset, a bone broth protocol combined with the addition of sauerkraut may be all you need to do to achieve the results you’re looking for. To better determine if an L-glutamine supplement is right for you, seek out microbiome labs to assess the status of your gut health. If you decide that supplementation is right for you, a good general dose is between 2 and 5 grams per day. You can find supplements in either capsule or powder form. While both are fine, I am partial to powdered L-glutamine as it can be easier on your gut than capsules—especially if you are taking multiple vitamins and supplements a day. An elimination diet is the perfect way to start healing your gut. Check out Dr. Cole’s Elimination Diet class.
