Quick answer

The FDA label for prescription L-glutamine reports safety and effectiveness in children aged 5 and older with sickle cell disease, and says they are not established below age 5. NIH says in most cases only adults should use performance supplements. Ask your doctor before giving glutamine to a child or teen.^1,2

Key facts

The label's pediatric section covers patients aged 5 and older with sickle cell disease, based on two placebo-controlled studies that enrolled 110 pediatric patients.¹
It says safety and effectiveness in patients with sickle cell disease younger than 5 have not been established.¹
NIH says in most cases only adults should use performance supplements, and teenagers should talk to an expert first.²
NIH's trials of glutamine supplements for exercise enrolled adults, and NIH notes much supplement research is not in teenagers.^2,3

What the prescription label says about children

The label's pediatric section is the most direct official statement about glutamine in young people. It says safety and effectiveness have been established in patients aged 5 and older, and that this rests on two placebo-controlled studies in people with sickle cell disease. Those studies enrolled 110 pediatric patients: 46 children from 5 up to 12 years old and 64 adolescents from 12 up to 17.¹

The same section says safety and effectiveness for patients with sickle cell disease younger than 5 have not been established. This is a statement about a prescribed medicine for one serious condition, taken at doses that depend on body weight, and it was not written for sports or general use.¹

What NIH says about teens and supplements

NIH's consumer fact sheet on performance supplements says teenagers should talk to an expert before taking one, that much of the research is done in young healthy men and not in teenagers, and that in most cases only adults should use performance supplements. It adds that the American Academy of Pediatrics states these products do not raise teen athletes' abilities beyond what proper nutrition and training give them.²

For glutamine specifically, NIH reports trials in adults and says that studies have not reported side effects at up to 45 g a day for several weeks. It also says research to date does not back taking glutamine alone for exercise purposes. None of that was tested in teens or children.^2,3

What side effects are on record

No side effects were reported in the exercise trials summarized by NIH, which used up to 45 g a day for several weeks.^2,3

In 48-week trials of the prescription powder at 10 to 30 g a day, constipation, nausea, headache, abdominal pain, cough, and pain in the arms, legs, back or chest were each reported by more than 10 percent of people. Constipation, headache, abdominal pain and cough were nearly as common on placebo; limb, back and chest pain were more common on glutamine.^1,4

These figures come from trials that included children from age 5 up to adults aged 58, mixed together. The label does not report them separately for young patients.¹

Who should ask their doctor

Ask your doctor before a child or teen takes glutamine. NIH advises care in giving a supplement to a child unless a health care provider recommends it, because many have not been well tested in children, and a 2022 safety review lists childhood among the circumstances that need further research. Ask especially if the child has liver or kidney problems, takes medicines, or has a condition that already involves a prescription form of L-glutamine.^5,6

Questions people ask

Is L-glutamine safe for kids?

The most direct official pediatric statement is the prescription label, which covers children aged 5 and older with sickle cell disease and says nothing is established below age 5. Ask your doctor before giving a child glutamine.¹

Is L-glutamine good for teens?

NIH says research to date does not back taking glutamine alone for exercise purposes, and that in most cases only adults should use performance supplements. A doctor can speak to a particular teen.^2,3

Is L-glutamine safe for teens who work out?

NIH's trials were in adults, and it advises teens to talk to an expert before taking a performance supplement. The sources checked do not include a trial of glutamine in teen athletes.^2,3

Is L-glutamine good for kids who are picky eaters?

The sources checked do not address that use. NIH says adults eat about 3 to 6 g of glutamine a day from protein foods, and that the body makes the rest, so a doctor or dietitian can look at a child's actual diet.³

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Sources

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.