A best-selling glutamine powder from NOW Foods.

Some supplements really do a lot for the time, money and trouble you go to take them. We’ve recently been discussing a few of them here such as alpha lipoic acid and coconut oil. Another good one is the amino acid L-glutamine. Strictly speaking, glutamine supplements are not usually clinically or nutritionally essential, but there are limits to how much the body can produce and how much can be obtained from food.  So since glutamine supports so many critical functions and structures in the body - muscle mass,  immune function, pH balance and many others - millions of people use daily glutamine supplements to support overall health by ensuring that there’s there’s plenty of glutamine  to go around at all times. (more…)

Wide-awake turkey approves of this blog entry.

Dear AllStarHealth,

You probably get this question around every Thanksgiving; what is it in turkey that makes people tired, is it really the tryptophan as everyone seems to suggest? I’ve tried taking tryptophan for insomnia and it didn’t seem to make me tired at all.

Thanks,

Frank Bucholz, Hanover, PA

A:  The idea that it’s the tryptophan in turkey, and not other factors, that induces the post-meal drowsiness has been around for a long time now. It arose in the early 80’s when a then-bestselling book familiarized and popularized  the amino-acid tryptophan as a dietary supplement for insomnia and mood support. (more…)