Hello Professor Wetter,
Per your reply: Welbourne is the author credited with associating asmall
2-gram glutamine bolus with increased release, however the studywas very
small suggesting more research is required to determine doseassociations
by a number subjects including response by age group,gender, and fitness
level. Physician Dr. Elmer Cranton MD generalizedby e-mail that hGH
release of response to oral dose amino acids(Glutamine-2 grams or
Arginine-pyroglutamate-Lysine-2.4 grams) ishigher in younger subjects,
positive, but less in older subjects. Inall age groups, growth hormone
release following any amino acid growthprohormone appears to decrease
with use after 15-20 daily doses.

WELBOURNE'S PAPER
Welbourne reported that 2,000 mg of glutamine per day (consumed orally45
minutes after a light breakfast) increased the release of humangrowth
hormone by up to 400% in eight out of nine (89% of) healthyadult men. It
was concluded that a surprisingly small oral glutamineload is capable of
elevating plasma human growth hormone levels (1).

OTHER PAPERS
Other papers also discuss the role of dietary glutamine and
itsassociation with release of growth hormone. Valencia et al., 2002
(2)published a paper on the effects of oral L-glutamine on
glutathione,glutamine, and glutamate blood levels. Bianda et al., 1996
(3) reviewhow insulin-like growth factor-I enhances lipid mobilization
andoxidation induced by a growth hormone pulse. Mjaaland et al.,
1993review the growth hormone response after abdominal surgery
attenuatedforearm glutamine, alanine, 3-methylhistidine, and total amino
acidefflux in patients receiving total parenteral nutrition (4). Powell
etal., 1994 report on growth hormone suppression and glutamine
fluxassociated with cardiac surgery (5).

References

1: Welbourne, T. C. Increased plasma bicarbonate and growth hormoneafter
an oral glutamine load. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
61(5):1058-1061, 1995. Department of Physiology, Louisiana
StateUniversity College of Medicine, Shreveport 71130, USA.

2: Valencia E, Marin A, Hardy G. Impact of oral L-glutamine
onglutathione, glutamine, and glutamate blood levels in
volunteers.Nutrition. 2002 May;18(5):367-70. PMID: 11985937 [PubMed -
indexed forMEDLINE]

3: Bianda TL, Hussain MA, Keller A, Glatz Y, Schmitz O, ChristiansenJS,
Alberti KG, Froesch ER. Insulin-like growth factor-I in manenhances
lipid mobilization and oxidation induced by a growth hormonepulse.
Diabetologia. 1996 Aug;39(8):961-9. PMID: 8858219 [PubMed -indexed for
MEDLINE]

4: Mjaaland M, Unneberg K, Larsson J, Nilsson L, Revhaug A.
Growthhormone after abdominal surgery attenuated forearm glutamine,
alanine,3-methylhistidine, and total amino acid efflux in patients
receivingtotal parenteral nutrition. Ann Surg. 1993 Apr;217(4):413-22.
PMID:8466313 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

5: Powell H, Castell LM, Parry-Billings M, Desborough JP, Hall
GM,Newsholme EA. Growth hormone suppression and glutamine flux
associatedwith cardiac surgery. Clin Physiol. 1994 Sep;14(5):569-80.
PMID:7820981 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Best wishes and kindest regards,

Dr. Bill Misner, Ph.D., C.S.M.T.
AAMA Board Certified Alternative Medicine Practitioner
Certification #38272409