Glutamine and carbohydrate supplements reduce ammonemia increase during endurance field exercise.
Blood ammonia concentration increases during endurance exercise and has been proposed as a cause for both peripheral and central fatigue. We examined the impact of glutamine and (or) carbohydrate supplementation on ammonemia in high-level runners. Fifteen men in pre-competitive training ran 120 min (approximately 34 km) outdoors on 4 occasions. On the first day, the 15 athletes ran without the use of supplements and blood samples were taken every 30 min. After that, each day for 4 d before the next 3 exercise trials, we supplemented the athletes' normal diets in bolus with carbohydrate (1 g.kg(-1).d(-1)), glutamine (70 mg.kg(-1).d(-1)), or a combination of both in a double-blind study. Blood ammonia level was determined before the run and every 30 min during the run. During the control trial ammonia increased progressively to approximately 70% above rest concentration. Following supplementation, independent of treatment, ammonia was not different (p>0.05) for the first 60 min, but for the second hour it was lower than in the control (p<0.05). Supplementation in high-level, endurance athletes reduced the accumulation of blood ammonia during prolonged, strenuous exercise in a field situation.
Carvalho-Peixoto
Jacqueline
J
Laboratório de Bioquímica de Proteínas, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Alves
Robson Cardilo
RC
Cameron
Luiz-Claudio
LC
D000328:Adult; D000641:Ammonia / Q000097:blood*; D019540:Area Under Curve; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology*
D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D005973:Glutamine; D000641:Ammonia