What Does A Lack Of Glutamate Do?

Have you ever been wondering, if you’re in Glutamate imbalance and if so – how will it affect you? Glutamate is an important brain chemical, responsible for normal brain function and a lack can cause health issues, which I can imagine most of us would like to avoid.

If you’re lacking Glutamate you may experience symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, difficulties concentrating, feeling mentally exhausted, etc. Glutamate is an amino acid but functions as a stimulating neurotransmitter in the brain – it’s important for memory, learning, and our senses. If we’re not producing enough Glutamate or precursors to Glutamate, it can have a serious impact on our health. On the flip side, producing too much Glutamate may lead to serious health conditions. Fortunately, it’s possible to balance Glutamate levels naturally through healthy lifestyle choices and supplementation.  

In order to address the importance of Glutamate, we’ll talk about what happens if we’re having too high or low levels of Glutamate, symptoms and the risk of diseases. Furthermore, we’ll go through natural remedies to balance out Glutamate.

What Is Glutamate?

Glutamate is one of the most abundant amino acids and plays a role in protein synthesis but most importantly, Glutamate functions as a neurotransmitter. 

Neurotransmitters are chemical ‘messengers’, sending signals through our nervous system from a nerve cell to a gland, muscle or nerve – here a receptor will receive the signal.

The optimal function of the nervous system and neurotransmitters are important because together they are responsible for:

• Regulating hormones
• Regulating stress response (sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system)
• Regulating sleep
• Regulating brain functioning (affecting how we think, learn, remember and feel)
• Regulating digestion 
• Regulating hunger and thirst signals 
• Regulating blood pressure, heartbeats and breathing patterns 
• Regulating our senses 

…and so on.

Glutamate is found in the brain as an excitatory neurotransmitter, this means its job is to stimulate nerve cells and make sure the chemical messages will reach the right places.

Glutamate works differently from other neurotransmitters. When a nerve cell sends a signal to a gland, for instance, Glutamate can bind to four receptors – other neurotransmitters can’t. This makes Glutamate more present and an important neurotransmitter that is responsible for 90% of the excitatory stimulation in the brain.

Glutamate is also transformed into other amino acids such as Glutamine and GABA. In the brain, glia cells help Glutamate convert into Glutamine – When you start taking Glutamine, it works as a multifunctional amino acid important for cell repair, energy production and digestion.

GABA is the neurotransmitter that has the opposite effect – it’s calming, promotes better sleep, regulates anxiety and muscle function.

Glutamate has several important jobs when it comes to our brain function – and if we’re lacking Glutamine, it can lead to negative side effects.

What Happens If You Have Too Much Or Too Little Glutamate?

Glutamate plays an important role in the network of communication in the brain. This means Glutamate sends signals between our brain centers for memory, hearing, movement, sight, etc. 

If there’s a problem with how much Glutamate is released during the process and it’s too low, it can lead to poor communication between the centers. If there’s too much Glutamate, it can damage nerve cells and the communication system.

Glutamate also occurs naturally in many foods, known as Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and is common in food additives. It’s usually made to enhance the flavor of sauces, dressings and soups but also naturally occurs in cheeses, nuts, processed meat, seafood, mushrooms, etc. 

According to WebMD, studies show that dietary MSG is safe in relative consumption. However, some people may be concerned that they will have too high levels of Glutamate – which may lead to health concerns.

Both too high or low levels of Glutamate can have a negative impact on our health and brain chemistry.

Disclaimer: If you’re concerned you may have high or low levels of Glutamate, I’ll recommend you to talk to your healthcare provider.

What Are The Symptoms Of Low Glutamate?

If you are experiencing low levels of Glutamate, you may have symptoms such as:

• Fatigue
• Low energy
• Mentally exhausted
• Brain fog 
• Difficulties concentrating 
• Insomnia 
• Restlessness 

When having low levels of Glutamate it may be connected to an imbalance in other neurotransmitters – especially GABA. As mentioned earlier, Glutamate is a stimulating neurotransmitter and GABA is a calming neurotransmitter. We want these to be in balance.

The issue in this equation is that Glutamic Acid helps Glutamate turn into GABA – and the process is dependent on the amino acid Taurine and vitamin B6.

This means when we’re lacking Glutamate we might experience a mental imbalance that can be related to the symptoms of ADHD.

Symptoms Of High Glutamate

If dealing with high levels of Glutamate, studies suggest your brain cells are ‘overstimulated’ which on a long term basis can lead to brain cell damage. 

Glutamate can be elevated due to:

• Too low GABA production
• Excess Glutamate remains between nerve cells 
• Nerve cells becoming over-sensitive

Often, high levels of Glutamate can lead to conditions such as:

• Multiple sclerosis
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 
• Parkinson’s disease
• Huntington’s disease 
• Stroke
• Fibromyalgia 
• Mood- and anxiety disorders
• Autism 
• Depression 
• OCD
• Schizophrenia 

If you have any concern if your Glutamate levels are too high, I recommend you talk to your healthcare provider.

However, if you’re considering balancing your Glutamate levels yourself, it’s possible to make a few changes naturally.

How Can I Balance Glutamate Levels Naturally?

If you’re curious about whether or not you’re lacking Glutamate – or if Glutamate levels are too high, I’ll recommend you to test your amino acid, neurotransmitter- and micronutrient status. 

Since Glutamate is naturally formed from amino acids, neurotransmitters and vitamins, testing the precursors (the substances that form Glutamate) will give you the bigger picture of how to balance Glutamate levels. 

It’s possible to increase Glutamate levels from a healthy diet and exercise, especially a diet containing:

• Eggs
• Cheese
• Beets
• Seafood
• Fermented soy products
• Asparagus 
• Nuts
• Mushrooms 

Furthermore supplementing with GABA (through exercise), 5-HTP, theanine and B-vitamins may help increase Glutamate.

If you however think your Glutamate levels are too high – conventional treatments including antidepressants can regulate glutamate receptor function. This is only to be discussed with a doctor.

A more natural approach to lowering Glutamate levels is limiting MSG-containing foods. It’s difficult to eliminate Glutamate completely since you can find Glutamate in most foods and many processed foods contain high levels of MSG, such as:

• Protein isolate
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein 
• Autolyzed- and hydrolyzed yeast
• Yeast extract 
• Soy extract and Asian sauces 
• Parmesan cheese
• Processed meat
• Eggs
• Nuts 

…and the list goes on.

Furthermore, including magnesium in your diet to reduce the stimulating effect and raise GABA levels may be beneficial.

According to studies, our mitochondria (energy creators) in the cells also play an important role in Glutamate metabolism. If we’re having increased levels of Glutamate, it’ll potentially damage brain cells and lead to mitochondrial dysfunction by free radical damage (oxidative stress). 

The glial cells that produce Glutamate are dependent on optimal mitochondrial function – in order to support mitochondria, CoQ10, omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins can be helpful in balancing Glutamate levels as well.

Final Thoughts

Glutamate is an amino acid turned into a neurotransmitter and works stimulating the brain – GABA is the opposite neurotransmitter, making us feel calm and relaxed. If these are imbalanced, they may manifest in symptoms such as exhaustion, fatigue, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, etc. 

If Glutamate levels are decreased, it’s important to address the root cause through testing to find the right treatment – if possible through natural remedies such as healthy diet, supplements and exercise.