L-Glutamine After Surgery

[greatlakes]

I am stocking up on healthy foods for the next two weeks after my surgery.


There are studies which show L glutamine amino acid speeds healing after surgery. What do you doc's think?

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

If you are healthy and eat a normal diet, then those supplements may not be necessary.

I caution my vegetarian patients, however, that they will require additional protein and vit C after surgery.

Dr Jacobs

[DrPensler]

To my knowledge no single protein has been show to accelerate wound healing by ingestion of more of the protein.A balanced diet with good hydration and a multi-vitamin should do the trick.

[greatlakes]

ht tp://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/9/2543S.full

Among others.

I decided to simply eat healthy. No sense messing with things right now while healing.

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

Smart move.

Dr Jacobs

[Litlriki]

I'm a fan of glutamine as a nutritional supplement, which I've used when I competed, particularly when dieting.  I'm familiar with the study you referenced as well as earlier studies.  I don't know that it would provide much benefit under the circumstances--most of the studies look at stressed individuals (trauma patients, burn patients, etc.), where many negative factors had the potential to overwhelm the body's healing efforts.  The study you cited looked at use in elective surgery and showed benefits, though I think the procedures were bigger and more traumatic to the body, which might account for benefits observed.  Bottom line, glutamine is not expensive, it has few down sides, and it may have benefits.  But without question, you should be eating a good balanced diet, and if you add some extra glutamine...who knows, you might recover 10 minutes faster.

Good luck,

Rick Silverman