I read somewhere that Creatine and Glutamine should not be taken together because they compete for “receptors”. Please could someone shed some light on this? Please?
A lot of products have both creatine and glutamine in a “delivery system”. I have been using one of my own for the last two weeks:
2g Creatine
5g Glutamine
1g Sodium Chloride (salt)
1g Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking soda)
1 liter VERY VERY COLD water
I drink one of these during my workout, have some mid-workout protein shake, then drink another, and have more protein shake followed by my post-workout meal.
This feels like it works, and I’m 2kgs heavier when on this stuff than off it (morning mass). I have no gastric problems. Does anyone have any info on this? Am I doing something hopelessly wrong here, mixing all this stuff up in a single “delivery system”?
On a practical level, I don’t believe that glutamine and creatine compete. They’re both amino acids, yes. But the very large majority of glutamine is utilized by the gut as fuel for its energy requirements. That’s one of the main reasons I don’t supplment with glutamine. Most BBs take it for their muscles and to enhance recovery, when in reality, it does a great job of maintaining gut mucosal integrity.
With creatine, however, transport into the cell occurs against a concentration gradient with sodium. It’s just a case of dosing enough creatine at one time to create a high enough concentration in the extracellular space. Insulin further potentiates uptake.
So, no, I don’t feel that the two are competing. It’s just that the majority of glutamine is not being utilized for its intended purpose.
Issue 230 in the Article Archives had an article on glutamine you should read.