L-Glutamine and L-Alanine: Why There Are Amino Acids in an Electrolyte Mix

Most electrolyte mixes stop at minerals. Atlas also includes two amino acids, L-glutamine and L-alanine. Here is what each one is, what the evidence says, and our reasoning.

Two amino acids, two jobs

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in your blood and muscles. Immune cells and the cells lining the intestine use it as a fuel source, and muscle releases it into the bloodstream, particularly under stress.

Alanine is a smaller player with a useful job: it carries nitrogen from muscle to the liver, where it can be used to make glucose during prolonged exercise or fasting. Your body makes both, which is why they are called non-essential, although glutamine is sometimes described as conditionally essential during heavy physical stress.

What the research does and does not show

Blood glutamine can fall after prolonged, intense exercise, and that observation is behind many supplement claims. But when researchers test glutamine supplements in athletes, the results are mixed. A widely cited review by Michael Gleeson found little consistent evidence that glutamine supplementation improves performance or reliably protects against the infections some athletes get after heavy training. Studies are often short and small, and doses vary.

That is why you will not see us promise faster recovery from a glutamine stick. The honest summary is that it is a well-tolerated amino acid with a plausible role and limited proof of a measurable training benefit.

The hydration angle

There is a separate reason amino acids show up in hydration research. In the small intestine, water follows sodium as it is absorbed, and sodium crosses the gut wall together with other molecules. Glucose is the classic partner. Several amino acids, including glutamine and alanine, use sodium-coupled transporters as well, and researchers have explored them in oral rehydration solutions for that reason.

The everyday evidence for athletes drinking an electrolyte mix is more limited than the laboratory mechanism suggests, so we treat this as a reasonable design choice rather than a guaranteed benefit.

Why we include them

We include 1,000 mg of L-glutamine and 200 mg of L-alanine in each stick because they fit a formula meant for use around training and travel, they add no sugar, and the amounts are printed on the label so you can judge for yourself.