Glutamine supplements in the critically ill

Abstract

Glutamine is a five-carbon neutral aminoacid containing two carboxyl groups one of which is bound to nitrogen, forming an amide group. It is the most abundant free aminoacid in the body.1 In the extracellular fluid it constitutes about 25% of the free aminoacid pool, in skeletal muscle more than 60%.1 A healthy 70 kg man contains 80 g of glutamine and the concentration of glutamine in his blood is 500–700 μmol/L.