TikTok's Boasting The Gut Health Benefits Of L-Glutamine, But Is The Trendy Supplement Effective?
The world of TikTok can be wonderful, depending on the side you land on. Whether it is funny videos or feel-good stories, social media is a great way to learn new hacks and tips in any area of life you want. While this is great for helping to make your life easier, it can come with some dangerous tips. TikTok, like all social media, is a hub for disinformation that can spread like wildfire. This is especially true when it comes to the fitness and lifestyle industries. Long before social media, there seemed to be new gurus and coaches who claimed to have the solution for all of your health issues. Nowadays, social media makes these rumors and myths easier to believe. The latest rumor comes on the heels of the popularity of other fitness routines like a 'hot girl' walk. Although exercise is always great, this latest supplement rumor can be a waste of time.
According to wellness TikTok, L-glutamine is the newest way to help your gut become healthier, and as a result, you can lose weight more quickly. Taking your vitamins and supplements is a fundamental way of making sure your body can continue to operate at its best. However, the latest TikTok videos don't present the entire picture when it comes to L-glutamine. To get the most out of your supplements, it's vital to research your intended vitamins before taking them.
What you need to know about L-glutamine
Before you start taking L-glutamine, it's essential to know what is behind this supplement and what it can do in your body. L-glutamine, otherwise known as glutamine, is an amino acid that is typically used by those who want to quickly heal sore and aching muscles. Commonly used by athletes, glutamine also has benefits in other areas of the body. Centre Spring MD explains that this supplement can have positive impacts on those suffering from gut problems. If you have a leaky gut, IBS, or malabsorption, adding glutamine to your day can improve the signs and symptoms of these issues. While it's true that the supplement of this amino acid can help in cases of those suffering from gut issues, there's no proof that it can improve healthy guts. For those who don't suffer from these gut problems, adding glutamine could have little to no impact on aiding your digestion.
Although many videos on TikTok swear by glutamine, the truth is that it's not a permanent solution for helping your gut health. Dr. Josh Axe explains that glutamine is a great repair supplement that can help both your muscles and digestive system repair and heal from dealt-with challenges. Once it's fixed or remedied, it's difficult to prove that there is any improvement by adding glutamine to a healthy gut. Most of the cases that claim to have seen a major difference are likely seeing results from other factors or a placebo effect.
Improving your gut health
If you're looking to improve your gut health and better your digestive system, you'll want to take a different approach with your supplements. To improve your gut health, the easiest solution is to add fermented foods to your diet. Fermented foods like kimchi, yogurt, and sauerkraut contain good bacteria that aid the digestive system. This good bacteria can help your gut move things along and keep the area in good shape. As well, these types of foods can help prevent inflammation and create a healthy microbiome in your gut.
Johns Hopkins Medicine adds that other lifestyle factors like sleep, stress, and exercise can create big problems for your digestive system. Getting the right amount of sleep, keeping stress to a minimum, and getting your recommend physical activity will help lower or prevent problems like bloating, which is directly correlated to your gut health. You'll also want to add more fiber throughout your meal, to ensure that your food is properly digested and moves along throughout the body. All of these factors in combination are the easiest ways to ensure your gut remains healthy and working the way it should.