Review: All American EFX Liquid Glutamine Elite
Note: Glutamine Elite is discontinued.
“Lighting Fast Absorption! Once again we give you a ground breaking formula that uses our liquid delivery technology to help you recover and grow faster.
Benefits Include:
– Excellent for muscle recovery from training
– Convenient, fast-acting liquid
– Great taste
– Uses the same multi-patented pHCD (pH-Controlled Delivery) technology as Liquid Kre-Alklayn EFX”
I was idly scanning the “What’s New” list over at bodybuilding.com…when this one caught my eye. I had to do a double take, because I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing.
LIQUID L-GLUTAMINE???!!!
Permit me to explain…
Back in my research daze, I used to do cell culture experiments. A LOT of cell culture experiments. And in addition to the experiments, I maintained the cell stocks and supplies—including the growth media.
Preparing a bottle of “complete” media involved several steps: we started with various basal formulas, which had names like DMEM and RPMI-1640, then added “standard issue” stuff like penn/strep (antibiotics), fetal calf serum and…glutamine.
Growing cells need amino acids, of course, but most were included in the basal formula…excepting glutamine. The glutamine was ALWAYS added separately, just before use.
Why?
Because L-glutamine is notoriously unstable in solution. It slowly, but steadily decomposes to ammonia (toxic) and pyroglutamate at room temperature (and more rapidly at incubator temps).
Our lab’s glutamine was purchased frozen, in small, 100 ml bottles—and it stayed frozen until a bottle was needed. Once thawed, it stayed in the refrigerator for 2–3 weeks, max—then was discarded.
So hopefully, you understand my reaction…Glutamine Elite appears to be free form L-glutamine dissolved in (mostly) water + a few additives, and is being sold unrefrigerated, let alone unfrozen.
Active Ingredients
L-Glutamine 3000mg
Calories 20g
Total Carbohydrates 5g
Fat 0g
Sugars 0gInactive Ingredients
A Proprietary Oral Delivery System Containing Purified Water, Glycerine, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Red Beets, And Potassium Sorbate As A Stabilizer
This is all that’s on the product page. Elsewhere on the site, there’s a certificate of analysis, which is unrevealing w/respect to shelf stability.
It states on the form that the product is “heat and cold stable,” and has a 36 month shelf life, but no proof of either is provided.
This is especially remarkable, since All American claims Glutamine Elite is made using the same pH-controlled delivery techology as “Liquid Kre-Alkalyn EFX.”
Kre-Alkalyn EFX is buffered—and presumably has the high (alkaline) pH characteristic of regular Kre-Alkalyn. Yet glutamine is LESS stable at high pH, not more.
I’m equally puzzled by the logic behind this supplement. L-Glutamine—in powder form—is a common addition to many bodybuilding stacks. I’ve yet to hear of any problems with either the powdered free form amino acid or glutamine peptides. So even if the stability of Glutamine Elite was proven, why bother with a liquid? Seems to me that Glutamine Elite is a solution (no pun intended) in search of a problem.
And it’s a relatively expensive solution at that. One 32 serving bottle sells for close to $20.00 on bodybuilding.com…at a mere 3 g L-glutamine per serving, this adds up to a paltry 96 grams.
As Paul notes, L-glutamine can be a useful supplement…but in larger amounts. At the 10–15 g he recommends, a bottle would not last long. You could buy 4–5 times as much powder for a similar price.
Overall, there are unanswered questions—and potential liabilities—associated with this product. I see no reason to prefer it over other, more conventional offerings, and good reasons to avoid it.
