WHY ORNITHINE ALPHA-KETOGLUTARATE AND NOT GLUTAMINE?
"Why should we go to the trouble of using ornithine alphaketoglutarate: why not use glutamine itself? Oral glutamine certainly maintains muscle in catabolic patients. There are six reasons all of them important to athletes. First, as we saw in Chapter 23, ammonia is toxic to the body in numerous ways. The most important finding for athletes is: the higher the ammonia level created by exercise, the poorer your performance. If you use glutamine, you whack your body with ammonia.
"Unless kept absolutely dry, glutamine powder degrades into ammonia and pyroglutamic acid. It degrades even if you put it in solution only a few minutes before you drink it, and even in the stomach if you take it dry. Consequently, glutamine is not used with catabolic patients because it adds to their ammonia burden and jeopardizes recovery."
"To overcome this problem researchers in France developed alpha-ketoglutarate, which has the same carbon skeleton as glutamine, that is, provides a substrate for glutamine, but contains virtually no ammonia. Far from adding to the ammonia burden, alpha ketoglutarate acts in the body as an ammonia scavenger. Ornithine also acts as an ammonia scavenger. The combination of the two is a potent way to reduce your ammonia burden."
"Second, as we saw in Chapter 30, ornithine alphaketoglutarate produces a much larger release of growth hormone in patients and in healthy subjects than either compound used alone."
"Third, the body can make glutamine from both ornithine and alpha-ketoglutarate. Animal studies show that oral ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate increases the muscle glutamine pool and reduces muscle catabolism. Oral ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate also reduces muscle catabolism in burn and surgery patients. So it is a strong anti-catablic agent."
"Fourth, ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate increases insulin secretion in patients and in healthy subjects. In a recent study, the pioneers in use of this compound, Dr. Luc Cynobar and colleagues of the Laboratoire de Biochemie at the Hospital Saint Antoine in Paris, fed healthy males oral doses of 10 grams of ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate or a placebo. Ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate caused a marked increase in insulin levels. So it is a potent stimulus to the insulin drive."
"Fifth, arginine is the end product of ornithine in the body's urea cycle. So ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate can add to the arginine pool available for growth hormone release. IN cases of severe muscle catabolism such as that caused by overtraining, arginine may become an essential amino acid. Availale ornithine would then b e used to create additional arginine in order to preserve muscle."
"Sixth, as we saw in Chapter 22, muscles provide a continuous supply of glutamine to the immune system. Proliferation of immune cells requires glutamine buy they cannot make it. Studies show that the traumatic effects of intense training on the muscles and on the immune system easily overwhelm your body's ability to make glutamine. Without supplemental glutamine it is likely both muscle cells and immune cells will be poorly supplied."
"This problem is likely whenever you step up your training. It is most obvious in the over training syndrome. Without adequate glutamine, strength and immunity gradually decline, and health and performance go to hell in a handbasket. Ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate may be a key to prevention."
"To sum up, ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate provides a strong releaser of growth hormone, a ready source of glutamine, an anti-catabolic, a big stimulus to the insulin drive, a source of arginine, a support for the immune system, and a great ammonia scavenger. Any athlete who doesn't use it giving away a potent edge. Rule 5 for maximum anabolism: Each meal should include 2-4 grams of ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate."
From Optimum Sports Nutrition - Your Competitive Edge - Dr. Michael Colgan
"Why should we go to the trouble of using ornithine alphaketoglutarate: why not use glutamine itself? Oral glutamine certainly maintains muscle in catabolic patients. There are six reasons all of them important to athletes. First, as we saw in Chapter 23, ammonia is toxic to the body in numerous ways. The most important finding for athletes is: the higher the ammonia level created by exercise, the poorer your performance. If you use glutamine, you whack your body with ammonia.
"Unless kept absolutely dry, glutamine powder degrades into ammonia and pyroglutamic acid. It degrades even if you put it in solution only a few minutes before you drink it, and even in the stomach if you take it dry. Consequently, glutamine is not used with catabolic patients because it adds to their ammonia burden and jeopardizes recovery."
"To overcome this problem researchers in France developed alpha-ketoglutarate, which has the same carbon skeleton as glutamine, that is, provides a substrate for glutamine, but contains virtually no ammonia. Far from adding to the ammonia burden, alpha ketoglutarate acts in the body as an ammonia scavenger. Ornithine also acts as an ammonia scavenger. The combination of the two is a potent way to reduce your ammonia burden."
"Second, as we saw in Chapter 30, ornithine alphaketoglutarate produces a much larger release of growth hormone in patients and in healthy subjects than either compound used alone."
"Third, the body can make glutamine from both ornithine and alpha-ketoglutarate. Animal studies show that oral ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate increases the muscle glutamine pool and reduces muscle catabolism. Oral ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate also reduces muscle catabolism in burn and surgery patients. So it is a strong anti-catablic agent."
"Fourth, ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate increases insulin secretion in patients and in healthy subjects. In a recent study, the pioneers in use of this compound, Dr. Luc Cynobar and colleagues of the Laboratoire de Biochemie at the Hospital Saint Antoine in Paris, fed healthy males oral doses of 10 grams of ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate or a placebo. Ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate caused a marked increase in insulin levels. So it is a potent stimulus to the insulin drive."
"Fifth, arginine is the end product of ornithine in the body's urea cycle. So ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate can add to the arginine pool available for growth hormone release. IN cases of severe muscle catabolism such as that caused by overtraining, arginine may become an essential amino acid. Availale ornithine would then b e used to create additional arginine in order to preserve muscle."
"Sixth, as we saw in Chapter 22, muscles provide a continuous supply of glutamine to the immune system. Proliferation of immune cells requires glutamine buy they cannot make it. Studies show that the traumatic effects of intense training on the muscles and on the immune system easily overwhelm your body's ability to make glutamine. Without supplemental glutamine it is likely both muscle cells and immune cells will be poorly supplied."
"This problem is likely whenever you step up your training. It is most obvious in the over training syndrome. Without adequate glutamine, strength and immunity gradually decline, and health and performance go to hell in a handbasket. Ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate may be a key to prevention."
"To sum up, ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate provides a strong releaser of growth hormone, a ready source of glutamine, an anti-catabolic, a big stimulus to the insulin drive, a source of arginine, a support for the immune system, and a great ammonia scavenger. Any athlete who doesn't use it giving away a potent edge. Rule 5 for maximum anabolism: Each meal should include 2-4 grams of ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate."
From Optimum Sports Nutrition - Your Competitive Edge - Dr. Michael Colgan
