Success story: l-glutamine

Reproduced from marksdailyapple.com:

I dealt with perioral dermatitis for over a year before I fixed it. It is similar to seborrheic dermatitis. It was around my mouth, nose and chin.

I went very low carb as you did, thinking I had candida. I think this is what actually made my health in general, far worse. However, I started supplementing with l-glutamine daily on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. I’d wait at least 30 minutes to an hour before eating or drinking anything.

L-glutamine is an amino acid that lines our intestines. I’ve talked to Paul Jaminet at perfecthealthdiet.com and he actually told me that l-glutamine is treated like carbs by the body. I would have done just fine eating a potato. Mind = BLOWN!

Anyway, my dermatitis was gone within ONE MONTH of dosing with l-glutamine. I started with 5 grams a day and made my way up to 20. You must do this gradually, otherwise you will be in the worst abdominal distress of your life.

What science says

Epidemiological evidence shows a clear association between skin disorders and gut problems.

Small Intestinal Permeability in Dermatological Disease
Authors: I. Hamilton, G. M. Fairris, J. Rothwell, W. J. Cunliffe, M. F. Dixon, A. T. R. Axon
Journal: QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, Volume 56, Issue 3-4, 1 September 1985, Pages 559–567,
Abstract: Passive small intestinal permeability was investigated in 62 patients with atopic eczema, 29 with psoriasis and 18 with dermatitis herpetiformis, using the cellobiose/mannitol differential sugar absorption test. Urinary recovery of cellobiose and mannitol in patients with both psoriasis and ezcema were similar to values in a control population, and were not affected by the extent or activity of skin disease. The cellobiose/mannitol recovery ratio was abnormally high in seven patients with eczema, six of whom underwent jejunal biopsy. Jejunal mucosal morphology was normal in five, and one patient was found to have coeliac disease. Cellobiose/mannitol recovery ratio was also abnormal in seven patients with psoriasis, and in 11 with dermatitis herpetiformis, seven of whom had a normal jejunal biopsy. These findings demonstrate that the passive permeability of the small intestine is normal in the majority of patients with atopic eczema and psoriasis. Increased absorption of macromole-cules from the gut lumen cannot be ascribed to defective intestinal integrity, and is unlikely to be relevant to the pathogenesis of eczema. Abnormal intestinal permeability may be a more sensitive manifestation of gluten-sensitive enteropathy than jejunal biopsy in dermatitis herpeti formis.

The intestinal permeability discussed in the above paper is also known as ‘leaky gut syndrome’. It is basically a loosening of the junctions that stop undesired food components from getting through the walls of the intestine directly into the bloodstream. Intestinal permeability causes both systemic and local inflammation, which in turn contributes to skin disease. Thus, if you want to heal the skin, you have to heal the gut. L-glutamine is known to be very efficient in healing the ‘leaky gut’.

Role of Glutamine in Protection of Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junctions
Authors: Radha Krishna Rao, Geetha Samak
Journal of Epithelial Biology and Pharmacology, 2012, 5: 47-54
Abstract: Glutamine, a conditionally essential amino acid, is consumed predominantly in the gastrointestinal tract as a source of energy, particularly under the conditions of trauma, sepsis and surgery. In this article, we discuss the unique role of glutamine in the preservation of epithelial barrier function in the gastrointestinal tract. Glutamine supplementation protects the gastrointestinal mucosal homeostasis during total parenteral nutrition, diarrhea, radiation injury, starvation, sepsis and trauma. A significant body of evidence indicates that glutamine preserves the gut barrier function and prevents permeability to toxins and pathogens from the gut lumen into mucosal tissue and circulation. Recent studies demonstrated that the mucosal barrier protective effect of glutamine relates to its effect on preservation of epithelial tight junction integrity. The current understanding of glutamine-mediated protection of intestinal epithelial tight junction integrity and the potential mechanisms involved in this protective effect of glutamine are discussed.

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