Re: Glutamine- L_Cysteine - Lipioic Acid

April 4, 2006

,

Thanks for posting this, and also for letting us know that this has

worked for you. I'm glad to hear that you're seeing results.

Lately I'm printing out alot of posts regarding what's worked for

others so I can refer to them.

When is your surgery scheduled?

Sis

>

> This is what I read before taking these supplements. They have

worked

> wonders for me. Even the joint pains have diminished and that's

before

> explant. I intend to take it in a higher dose once explanted as

its aids

> recovery.

>

> The following is from Dr. Lands' forthcoming book, POSITIVELY

WELL: LIVING

> WITH HIV AS A CHRONIC, MANAGEABLE SURVIVABLE DISEASE.

>

> Glutamine

>

> Glutamine is an amino acid which is normally found in greater

abundance in

> the body than any other free amino acid. It is crucial for many

aspects of

> healthy body function, including maintenance of optimal

antioxidant status,

> building and maintenance of muscle tissue, maintenance of optimal

immune

> function, and repair and maintenance of intestinal tissue. Because

it has

> long been classified as " non-essential " -- meaning that the body

can

> normally synthesize what it needs -- little attention has been

paid to its

> importance in HIV disease. Luckily, the work of Judy Shabert,

M.D., M.P.H.,

> is changing that. She has shown that glutamine deficiency may

cause many

> serious problems, including inadequate antioxidant status in the

body,

> wasting, and loss of both intestinal and immune function. Dr.

Shabert points

> to the research showing that during the stress of infection or

injury, the

> demand for glutamine is very high. The muscles respond to this

demand by

> releasing their stored glutamine. In fact, the rate of release of

glutamine

> from the muscles is dramatically increased, to levels 3-4 times

normal.

> According to Dr. Shabert, the body does this in order to provide

glutamine

> to the intestinal tract, liver, kidneys, and immune system cells.

>

> With the short-term metabolic stress that is created by acute

infections,

> the body can soon return to normal rates of glutamine use. The

muscle

> glutamine levels are quickly restored and the muscles are not

damaged.

> Unfortunately, with the continuous metabolic stress that results

from the

> chronic infection of HIV disease, the demand for glutamine

continues and the

> concentration of this amino acid in the muscles falls rather

rapidly. This

> results in a decline in the synthesis of muscle tissue and,

eventually, a

> wasting away of the muscles. Since the muscles can no longer

provide

> sufficient glutamine, blood levels will also stay chronically low.

Only when

> glutamine levels are restored to normal will muscle synthesis be

able to

> work normally in order to restore the muscle tissue. Thus,

supplementation

> of this amino acid at levels sufficient to restore normal status

in the body

> is vitally important. Muscle loss may be restored or, better yet,

muscle

> wasting may be prevented in the first place. This, of course, makes

> glutamine crucial for the prevention of internal decline and

wasting.

>

> In addition, glutamine is very important for the maintenance of

immune

> function. It is the primary fuel source for lymphocytes and

macrophages.

> These cells consume glutamine at high rates even when there are no

special

> demands for immune system response to an infection. During an

immune

> response when the immune cells have to increase in number and do

their work

> of destroying pathogens, the rate at which glutamine is used

increases

> dramatically. When the body's supply of glutamine runs short,

immune

> function is compromised. Dr. Shabert notes that both the speed at

which T

> cells mature and the proliferative responses of T cells have been

shown to

> be positively affected by supplementation with L-glutamine.

Glutamine also

> increases the activity of natural killer cells and improves the

function of

> neutrophils. In addition, glutamine is critical for the immune

function of

> the respiratory tract, the genitourinary tract, and the intestinal

tract.

> The linings of these tracts produce secretory immunoglobulin A

(sIg-A), a

> type of antibody which works in and on the linings to provide

immune defense

> Glutamine is a required nutrient for sIg-A-producing cells. This

antibody

> provides the primary immunological defense of the intestinal

tract. Thus,

> supplementation with L-glutamine may help restore sIg-A production

in a way

> that will improve the immune defense of the gut lining and help

prevent

> infections... It may also help to restore the immune function of

the

> respiratory tract... For all these reasons, giving the body

sufficient

> L-glutamine to help restore adequate amounts of sIg-A to the

linings of the

> body might significantly boost immune defenses.

>

> Glutamine is also critical for maintaining the health of the

intestinal

> tract since it is required for the constant rebuilding of

intestinal cells.

> The cells lining the intestine function to absorb nutrients and to

block the

> uptake of pathogens. These cells are regenerated every 3-4 days.

The energy

> which allows this process to occur comes from glutamine. If

glutamine

> concentrations are low, the result is intestinal tissue atrophy and

> decreased absorption, with resulting lack of uptake of nutrients

vital to

> the body's function. Glutamine is also necessary to maintain the

barrier

> function of the intestines, the body's ability to block the uptake

of

> pathogens, improperly digested food particles, and so on. As is

readily

> apparent, glutamine's ability to help repair the intestines is

among its

> most important benefits for people living with HIV.

>

> For those on intravenous nutrition (total parenteral

nutrition/TPN), it may

> be important to add glutamine to the IV solution. In an extensive

review

> article on the role of glutamine in critically ill hospitalized

patients, it

> is suggested that supplemental glutamine in either enteral or

parenteral

> feedings may greatly improve nutrition management and increase the

speed of

> recovery, thus shortening hospital stays. In part, this is almost

certainly

> due to its capacity to heal the intestines or prevent their

atrophy. Dr.

> Shabert points out that the usual failure to replete lean tissue

that is

> seen when standard TPN or most oral nutritional formulas are used

in an

> attempt to address wasting is due to the fact that most such

formulas fail

> to provide the rate-limiting amino acid for muscle tissue

building, L-

> glutamine.

>

> Restoring glutamine sufficiently to achieve optimal blood levels

can also be

> critically important for maintaining the antioxidant status in the

body.

> Glutathione is one of the body's best antioxidant defenses against

the

> oxidative damage of HIV disease. The reason that L-glutamine is

important to

> maintain glutathione levels is somewhat complicated but the simple

version

> is this. The amino acid cysteine is generally the rate-limiting

factor in

> the production of glutathione in the body. In other words, the

amount of

> glutathione that you can produce will be dependent on the amount

of cysteine

> that is available for that process. That's why N-acetylcysteine

(NAC),

> discussed below, is important for glutathione synthesis. However,

once you

> ve provided all the cysteine that's necessary, glutamine becomes

the

> rate-limiting factor in the production of glutathione. Thus, in a

body

> depleted of glutamine, glutathione production will never be

optimal.

> Supplementing with both NAC and L-glutamine can greatly improve

the chances

> for full glutathione replenishment, with all the benefits that

come from

> that. It will also help to ensure that your body remains capable

of properly

> breaking down all the drugs you may be taking. The liver uses

glutathione

> for the detoxification of drugs. When levels of glutathione in the

liver are

> too low, its ability to properly break drugs down may be

compromised.

>

> Dr. Shabert believes that the combination of all these needs for

glutamine

> results in a demand for it that is well beyond what the body can

possibly

> provide for itself. Thus, supplementation with sufficient amounts

of

> L-glutamine to provide the body what it needs for all these

important

> functions is very crucial. The L-glutamine can be given either

orally or

> intravenously to accomplish this. Glutamine normally makes up 5-8%

of

> dietary protein so the average person eating approximately 100

grams of

> protein per day is getting around 5-8 grams daily. However, this

level

> appears to be inadequate even for maintenance of glutamine levels

in someone

> living with HIV who is asymptomatic. For someone in more advanced

disease

> stages or in need of intestinal repair or muscle rebuilding, it is

> hopelessly insufficient. It appears that even those in early,

asymptomatic

> disease stages may need approximately 10 grams per day to protect

their

> bodies. As the disease progresses, moving toward 15 grams per day

is

> probably appropriate. When there are already existing problems,

increasing

> to even higher doses may be necessary.

>

> Charlie Smigelski, R.D., a registered dietitian and researcher at

Harvard

> University, has suggested that doses of 40 grams per day may be

useful for

> those who need to repair the intestines or gain weight and muscle

tissue.

> Based on his work and that of other researchers, it appears that

doses of

> 30-40 grams per day (30,000- 40,000 mg), spread out over five

doses of 6-8

> grams each (6,000-8,000 mg), continued for at least 7-10 days may

be helpful

> Lengthier periods on this higher dosage may be necessary for some,

> especially if the need for intestinal repair coincides with the

need to

> restore wasted muscles. Substantial amounts of L-glutamine are

necessary for

> both of these so when these two problems coincide, it may be

necessary to

> continue higher dosage levels until both the intestines and the

muscles are

> well restored. It is only when all the extraordinary demands for

glutamine

> needed to effect intestinal and muscle repair are met that the

body will be

> able to return to meeting day-to-day needs for maintenance of

those tissues

> and of proper antioxidant status in the body with lower levels of

> L-glutamine.

>

> There is a blood test available that can measure glutamine levels

as part of

> an assay of amino acids in plasma. Unfortunately, blood levels can

be

> somewhat misleading because the body will attempt to keep blood

levels

> normal even when the level in the muscles is low...

>

> Glutamine is available in both capsules (usually 500 mg each) and

powdered

> form. However, in general, the powdered form is preferable since

far too

> many capsules would be required to meet the dosage levels

necessary for the

> best results. For those in need of higher dosages, the powdered

form is a

> must. It will be much easier to take and is considerably less

expensive than

> the encapsulated forms. In addition, you'd never want to take 80

gelatin

> capsules per day of anything. The gelatin in the capsules could

cause

> diarrhea. With most products, each teaspoon of L-glutamine powder

contains

> approximately 4 grams. If you're doing the higher dose of 40 g per

day, this

> would mean taking approximately 2 teaspoons, five times per day.

After the

> intensive therapy period, the dosage can be reduced to 3/4 to one

teaspoon

> (3-4 grams), 3-4 times per day. The powder can be mixed in a half

a cup of

> water or juice or, if you prefer, in a warm liquid such as soup or

tea. Do

> not, however, add it to hot liquids.

>

> Individuals who are on protein-restricted diets because of

advanced liver or

> kidney disease should not take glutamine without their physician's

approval

> since it would have to be considered part of the limited amount of

protein

> allowed.

>

> Lipoic Acid (Thioctic Acid)

>

> Alpha-lipoic acid (also known as thioctic acid) is an important

antioxidant

> which quenches many different reactive oxygen species, including

hydroxyl

> radicals, hypochlorous acid, and singlet oxygen. It readily

crosses cell

> membranes and works as an antioxidant in both lipid and aqueous

parts of the

> body. In other words, it can counter many different forms of

oxidative

> stress and prevent the cellular damage they might cause. It both

directly

> reduces oxidative stress in the body and indirectly spares or

recycles or

> regenerates the other major antioxidants, raising their levels in

the

> bloodstream. It can recycle vitamin E from its oxidized form back

to its

> reduced form (in which it again becomes an antioxidant), thus

helping to

> protect cell membranes. Vitamin C can also be regenerated through

reaction

> with alpha-lipoic acid, as can glutathione. In fact, alpha-lipoic

acid has

> been shown to protect against the symptoms of vitamin E or vitamin

C

> deficiency in animals fed diets deficient in those nutrients. One

small

> study (10 HIV+'s in CDC Stage 4) showed a combination of effects

from

> supplementation with alpha-lipoic acid including increases in

blood levels

> of vitamin C and glutathione, increases in CD4 cells, and

decreases in the

> body compounds that result from oxidative stress. The latter shows

that it

> was indeed working well as an antioxidant. Although most of the HIV

> community has focused in the past on NAC as a way to raise

glutathione,

> research carried out by Dr. Lester Packer at the University of

California at

> Berkeley has shown that alpha-lipoic acid may be the best way to

raise

> glutathione levels in people living with HIV.

>

> Alpha-lipoic acid is very important to the liver cell metabolic

pathways and

> can be rapidly depleted when the liver is under stress. In Europe,

it has

> long been used in the treatment of hepatic disorders because of its

> liver-sparing effects which can help the liver repair. Although

later

> research has shown that it is not specifically helpful for mushroom

> poisoning or alcoholic liver degeneration (two things for which it

had been

> used in the past), there are other causes of liver damage for

which it may

> be quite useful. Its effectiveness in raising cellular glutathione

levels is

> probably very important for liver repair with a disease like HIV

that

> induces glutathione deficiency. Especially when used in

combination with

> silymarin, I have seen it work quite well to reduce elevated liver

enzymes,

> even in some people in whom the levels had been elevated for quite

some time

> Some of my clients, in fact, have successfully used this

combination to

> lower enzymes sufficiently to get into clinical trials of various

drugs,

> where too-high liver enzymes would have otherwise excluded them.

Its

> combined usefulness in repairing the liver and working as an

antioxidant has

> led to its extensive use in Europe for radiation sickness, drug

poisonings,

> and chemical overdoses. It may provide some protection against the

damage

> induced by radiation therapy during cancer treatment.

>

> In addition, both in vivo and in vitro research has shown

potential for

> alpha-lipoic acid to serve as an antiretroviral agent. It has been

shown to

> inhibit replication of HIV in both acutely and chronically

infected cells by

> a mode of action different than that of nucleoside analogues. In

vitro,

> alpha-lipoic acid has been shown to have synergistic effects when

combined

> with AZT, with the combination of the two showing stronger

inhibition of HIV

> replication than either had when used alone. In vitro research

done at

> Kumamoto University in Japan has shown that alpha-lipoic acid

significantly

> depresses both HIV tat gene activity and HIV infectivity, and is

active in

> both acute and chronically infected cells. Other in vitro research

done in

> the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of

California

> Berkeley, has shown that alpha-lipoic acid inhibits NF-kappa B

activity.

> German in vitro research has also shown that alpha-lipoic acid

inhibits the

> infectivity of virus particles and suppresses viral replication,

and

> follow-up in vivo studies by the same researchers showed that it

does have

> antiviral effects in HIV+'s, reducing viral titers just as had been

> predicted by the in vitro research. Since NF-kappa B is, in

essence, an

> on-off switch for the activation of HIV, and tat inhibition is

considered a

> promising antiviral approach, and anything non-toxic that

effectively

> suppresses viral replication and reduces infectivity is immensely

desirable,

> alpha lipoic acid may be a very important part of a comprehensive

antiviral

> approach. So why haven't other researchers been rushing to pursue

its

> antiviral possibilities? Gee, it couldn't be because it's

unpatentable and,

> thus, unlikely to be profitable, do you think?

>

> Alpha-lipoic acid has long been used in Europe for the treatment of

> peripheral neuropathy in diabetics. A number of controlled

clinical trials

> have shown its usefulness for reducing both the pain and numbness

suffered

> by those with diabetic neuropathy, and its use for this condition

is

> approved in Germany. Its antioxidant properties may help protect

the nerves

> from the inflammation and oxidative damage that HIV induces, as

has been

> shown to be true with diabetic neuropathy. Alpha- lipoic acid is

also a true

> oral chelating agent that has been widely used in Europe in the

treatment of

> heavy metal toxicity caused by chemicals such as arsenobenzoles,

mercuric

> chloride, and carbon tetrachloride. Thus, it is possible that it

might be

> removing something that is toxic to nerves. Because of its liver

protective

> and antioxidant benefits, it has been included as a component of

the

> programs of many of my clients for several years now. It may have

> contributed to the success of the multi-nutrient neuropathy

elimination

> programs some of them have used.

>

> Alpha-lipoic acid may also be useful for cognitive dysfunction in

HIV

> disease. Tissues of the central nervous system are known to be

particularly

> vulnerable to oxidative stress because of their high rate of oxygen

> consumption and high mitochondrial density. The mitochondria

produce lots of

> free radicals during normal oxidative metabolism and, especially

without

> sufficient antioxidant protection, the mitochondrial tissue may be

damaged.

> It is believed that this sort of oxidative stress damage may be

partially

> responsible for neurodegenerative diseases. In animal studies,

alpha-lipoic

> acid has been shown to improve memory, apparently by reversing the

damage

> that had been induced by oxidative stress. Although no research

has been

> done to look at the possible usefulness of alpha-lipoic acid for

> neurocognitive degeneration in people living with HIV, it is

certainly an

> interesting possibility.

>

> Because it not only appears to be non-toxic but also may improve T-

cell

> function, while helping keep the liver healthy (especially where

there is

> long-term drug usage that may adversely affect the liver), serving

as a

> powerful antioxidant, and possibly protecting the nerves, it seems

like an

> extremely useful part of a total integrated approach. If it also

has an

> antiviral effect, so much the better.

>

> Many people take 100-200 mg, three times per day with meals,

sometimes increasing the amounts when liver enzymes are elevated or

neuropathy is present. There is no known toxicity, but one report

shows possibility of thrombocytopenia (decreased platelets) from

higher doses. Because it is an effective mineral chelating agent,

some writers have raised the question of whether alpha lipoic acid

might remove important minerals; although no problems have been

observed at the doses listed here, to err on the side of safety, its

use could be accompanied by the daily intake of a good multiple

vitamin/mineral supplement and an iron supplement, and blood cell

tests (RBC and platelets) could be monitored while it's being taken.

>

April 4, 2006

Wow! . . . Thanks ! Great information! - Rogene

April 4, 2006

amanda

what exactly were you taking? In what amounts? Was it one product

or separate products for each thing you listed? Thanks

Kathy