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Glutamine avoidance

L

lucyhem

Messages
48
Location
Montague, MA
Hello all,
I am new here and have a question. I will introduce myself later when I have more time but i have a burning question regarding the methylation pathway and Yasko's work. She suggests that glutamate is an excitotoxin and that fits with my experience of anxiety, heart palpitations etc. within moments of eating trigger foods, which are many. Certainly food sensitivities are part of the picture and I have done extensive work around them. But the continue to spread.
I have been feeling some relief in finding a theory and maybe an approach that fits my experience (almost 20 years). Now I am disturbed and confused about a recent development. As part of my gut repair program with local CFS Doc, who is not very familiar w Yasko's work, I am taking 500 mg glutamine along w slippery elm and marshmallow root 2x/day and tolerating it well. They seem to be having a soothing and healing effect on my digestion w out any neuroexcitement. How does that make sense since glutamine is a form of glutamate. ( I just discovered)
Any thoughts would be welcomed. I know the picture is more complex than I would like it to be. Any clarity is welcome.
thank you
Lucy H.

PS I wonder if others find relief in avoiding glutamate rich foods or if this is more a part of the autism protocol and not necessary for CFS'ers.
 
R

richvank

Senior Member
Messages
2,732
lucyhem said:
Hello all,
I am new here and have a question. I will introduce myself later when I have more time but i have a burning question regarding the methylation pathway and Yasko's work. She suggests that glutamate is an excitotoxin and that fits with my experience of anxiety, heart palpitations etc. within moments of eating trigger foods, which are many. Certainly food sensitivities are part of the picture and I have done extensive work around them. But the continue to spread.
I have been feeling some relief in finding a theory and maybe an approach that fits my experience (almost 20 years). Now I am disturbed and confused about a recent development. As part of my gut repair program with local CFS Doc, who is not very familiar w Yasko's work, I am taking 500 mg glutamine along w slippery elm and marshmallow root 2x/day and tolerating it well. They seem to be having a soothing and healing effect on my digestion w out any neuroexcitement. How does that make sense since glutamine is a form of glutamate. ( I just discovered)
Any thoughts would be welcomed. I know the picture is more complex than I would like it to be. Any clarity is welcome.
thank you
Lucy H.

PS I wonder if others find relief in avoiding glutamate rich foods or if this is more a part of the autism protocol and not necessary for CFS'ers.
Click to expand...

Hi, Lucy.

Glutamine is a separate amino acid from glutamate. There is an enzyme called glutaminase (also one called glutaminase-2) that catalyzes a reaction that converts glutamine to glutamate by removing an ammonia molecule from it. Perhaps the activity of this enzyme is not as high in your body as it is in those who experience excitotoxicity from glutamine. There is also an enzyme called glutamine synthetase that catalyzes a reaction that converts glutamate to glutamine by adding an ammonia molecule to it. Perhaps this reaction is more active in your body. Glutamine is the main substrate for the cells lining the intestine, and has been beneficial for healing the gut in others, also.

Best regards,

Rich
 
L

lucyhem

Messages
48
Location
Montague, MA
thank you that is helpful.
Is there a list of glutamate content in foods somewhere? It would help to know the actual content since it is impossible to avoid glutamine containing foods entirely.
Also, what test would best tell me if glutamate metabolism is actually a problem for me?
thank you
Lucy
 
R

richvank

Senior Member
Messages
2,732
lucyhem said:
thank you that is helpful.
Is there a list of glutamate content in foods somewhere? It would help to know the actual content since it is impossible to avoid glutamine containing foods entirely.
Also, what test would best tell me if glutamate metabolism is actually a problem for me?
thank you
Lucy
Click to expand...

Hi, Lucy.

Dr. Amy Yasko's book "Autism, Pathways to Recovery" has a long list of glutamate and aspartate containing foods in the back of it. It's available from Amazon. A pragmatic test of whether you have a problem with glutamates is whether you have symptoms of excitotoxicity, which are anxiety, insomnia and "wired" feeling. You could also run a 24-hour urine amino acids test, such as the one offered by Doctor's Data Lab. This can be ordered by doctors, or you you can order it yourself from www.directlabs.com without a doctor's order. You can collect the urine sample yourself and ship it to the lab in the mailer provided. They will send the results directly to you via email and/or postal mail. On this test, you would look at the levels of glutamate and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). If you have a high ratio of glutamate to GABA, it's likely that glutamate will be a problem for you in terms of promoting excitotoxicity.

Best regards,

Rich
 
L

lucyhem

Messages
48
Location
Montague, MA
Rich,
I looked into some old labs. (I have been at this for 20 years.) I have a SpectraCell lab report that shows deficiency in B12, folate, glutathione and cycstein. None of them dramatically out of reference range but perhaps enough, over time, to wreak the havoc I am enduring. I also have a Neuro Sciences report, for what it is worth, that shows almost all neurotransmitters way out of range. Glutamate is way above the reference range by a factor of 2x above the highest range. GABA is more than two times high. It does not show their ratio. Is that the critical piece? I could give you numbers if that helps. My GABA is 10.5 and my glutamate is 48.3
I thought my doc just ordered a Organic Acid test but the box says "Metabolic Analysis Profile, Cellular Energy Profile. it is from Genova. Are you familiar with that test? Will it give the info about Glutamate and GABA?

These are old reports and needless to say it is frustrating to see the information was there but my docs dropped the ball somehow or did not know what to do with it. I do not tolerate glutathione well either in IV or nebulizer. What might that indicate? Is that the detox reaction or the substance itself that causes this excitement in my nervous system?

I am currently trying coffee enemas again in a very dilute form since I hear they help to increase glutathione. Any thoughts about that?

I have looked at Dr Yasko's book and it does not really help one discern how much glutamate one might be getting in those foods. It is a balancing act since I am a big meat eater. It would help to have more specific info. For the most part I have already eliminated those foods because I eat only freshly prepared organic food, or at least 90%. I can feel the difference.


thank you again for your kind and swift attention.
Lucy H
 
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