Tag Archives: Glutamine

Is it Really Acid Reflux?

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Is it Really Acid Reflux?

Let’s take a closer look at the use (or overuse) of proton pump inhibitors, and the dilemma they create by not addressing the real root of the problem. Proton pump inhibitors are often prescribed for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).  GERD, whose symptoms include chest pain, chronic cough, sleep disturbances, and hoarseness, is characterized by too much stomach acid production, causing it to reflux into the esophagus. Treatment with proton pump inhibitors is used by many in order to suppress acid secretion in the stomach.

But proton pump inhibitors may not be the solution. Why?  Well, we typically do not produce more hormones, insulin, and enzymes as we age. The truth is that most body processes decrease as we age. Most people suffering with symptoms of acid reflux or GERD may actually be experiencing hypochlorhydria or too little acid, which is when the stomach is unable to produce adequate amounts of hydrochloric acid (HCL).

People with low stomach acid levels commonly have symptoms of gas, bloating, flatulence, and constipation or diarrhea. This low acid environment slows digestion. The protein in their food sits in the stomach and putrefies instead of digesting. The sphincter between the stomach and small intestine delays opening because the protein is not properly broken down into peptides due to the insufficient HCL production. The small intestine does not want whole proteins; instead it needs the amino acids from the broken down proteins. This faulty digestive process is associated with low, not high, hydrochloric acid. These acids back flow into the esophagus causing the pain we know as acid reflux.

The barrier that prevents HCL from traveling from your stomach up into your esophagus is called the esophageal sphincter. The cause of this sphincter dysfunction is inadequate levels of HCL. Since normal acid levels help prevent infection in your gut as well as enhance absorption of vitamins and minerals, supplementation with Betaine Hydrochloride will help to support these normal acid levels.  There are numerous companies making Betaine Hydrochloride supplements.  Standard Process first introduced its Betaine Hydrochloride way back in 1947!

Additional supplements may be needed to improve digestive function such as Probiotics and Glutamine. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL)  is a soothing herb which helps relax the esophageal sphincter and protects the gastric mucosa and mucous membranes lining the digestive tract.

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori is a major cause of gastritis. The nutrients Mastic Gum, Methylmethionessulfonium, Zinc Carnosine, and Vitamin C address both eradication of H. pylori and the healing and protection of inflamed mucosal tissue.

Natural treatments offer a more effective approach than what is provided by proton pump inhibitors. In addition, proton pump inhibitors can induce several nutrient deficiencies including calcium, potassium, and magnesium. They also may cause serious neuromuscular and cardiovascular problems and increase the chance of hip fracture in people over 50 years of age.

Note:  I spent a career on this issue.  Just know Antacids are not the answer because the issue is NOT TOO MUCH ACID, but TOO Little.  My post on HCL Deficiency and Proton Pump Inhibitors will provide a plethora of information and answers.

Call or write me and we will figure it out!

Glutamine

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Glutamine – A Tool for Tissue Health

There’s a reason most cercial protein powders are loaded with the amino acid glutamine.

Glutamine is the most abundant non-essential amino acid, and is the primary fuel for enterocytes lining the small intestine. (Rather than using glucose as an energy source for themselves, enterocytes use glutamine in order to spare the glucose they transport from the intestinal lumen into the bloodstream for use by other body tissues.) Like other non-essential nutrients, glutamine becomes conditionally essential under certain circumstances. Physical trauma, illness, injury, and major surgery can increase the body’s need for glutamine above and beyond what can be synthesized internally, making supplementation beneficial for those who need extra support for tissue repair and regeneration.

The role of glutamine in providing a structural substrate for building skeletal muscle is obvious—glutamine accounts for over 50% of the unbound amino acid pool in human skeletal muscle. But glutamine is also a key factor for forming connective tissue and supporting healthy joints. The primary structural protein of connective tissue—including skin, tendons, ligaments, and joints—is collagen. Glutamine indirectly increases the biosynthesis of collagen, mostly via conversion to two of its intermediate metabolites: glutamate and pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C). The latter, P5C, is an intermediate in the synthesis of proline, with proline and a modified form, hydroxyproline, being two of the key building blocks for the collagen triple helix.
Cultured human skin fibroblasts exposed to glutamine and these intermediates showed dramatic increases in collagen biosynthesis. P5C proved to be the most effective for stimulating collagen formation in the shortest amount of time. After just 6 hours of incubation with P5C, the skin fibroblasts showed a three-fold increase in collagen synthesis, and levels were 260% of control values at 12 hours. At 6, 12, and 24 hours of incubation, glutamate induced increases in collagen synthesis to 180%, 400%, and 120% of control values. After the same time exposures, glutamine increased collagen synthesis to around 112%, 115%, and 230% of control values, respectively. All three substances stimulate increases collagen synthesis, but P5C seems to act directly, while glutamine acts through its intermediates.One of the molecular mechanisms by which glutamine may exert this influence on connective tissue health is by increasing the expression of genes involved in collagen formation. Cultured human fibroblasts incubated with glutamine showed a dose-dependent effect of glutamine on collagen synthesis, showed a dose-dependent effect of glutamine on collagen synthesis, via increased transcription of collagen-specific mRNA. The mean increases in collagen and non-collagen protein synthesis were 63% and 18%, respectively. At 0.15 mm glutamine concentration, alpha 1(I) and alpha 1(III) collagen mRNA expression were increased by 1.7-and 2.3-fold respectively. So in addition to its structural role in protein, glutamine also serves a signaling functioning at the molecular level when it comes to collagen generation.Glutamine may also play a role in the maintenance of healthy bones. Here again, glutamine’s function seems to be one of signaling. Mouse osteoblasts cultured with either glucose alone or glucose plus glutamine showed increased mineralization with the added glutamine, but not with glucose alone. By itself, glucose stimulated osteoblast proliferation, but had no significant effect on osteocalcin expression. However, when glucose was combined with glutamine, there was significant increase in osteocalcin activity and mineralization.Owing to glutamine’s roles in skeletal muscle synthesis and supporting healthy connective tissue and bone, many diverse patient groups may benefit from supplemental amounts of this nutrient. One specific population group that might do especially well with extra glutamine is athletes, who experience above-average wear and tear on their joints, and whose muscles undergo constant micro-damage and repair. Compared to placebo, supplemental collagen hydrolysate led to significant improvements in joint pain in athletes while at rest, standing, walking, lifting, and carrying objects. And with glutamine playing such a critical role in collagen synthesis, glutamine supplementation or supplementation with bone- and joint-specific blends that include this amino acid could be beneficial for recovery from intense physical activity.
NOTE: In biochemistry, the glutamate–glutamine cycle is a sequence of events by which an adequate supply of the neurotransmitter glutamate is maintained in the central nervous system.[1] Neurons are not able to perform new synthesis of the neurotransmitter glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) from glucose. Discoveries of glutamine and glutamate pools within intercellular compartments led to suggestions of the glutamate-glutamine cycle working between neurons and astrocytes. The glutamate/GABA-glutamine cycle is a metabolic pathway that describes the release of glutamate or GABA from neurons and then taken up into astrocytes (star shaped glial cells). In return, astrocytes release glutamine to be taken up into neurons for use as a precursor to the synthesis of glutamate or GABA