The simple answer is yes, there appears to be a link between glutamine and cancer. Many cancer cells seem to use glutamine to grow, survive, and multiply — so much so that they can become dependent on it.In fact, glutamine is believed to be such an important part of tumor progression that some researchers have studied it as a potential cancer treatment. Both healthy cells and cancerous cells need glutamine. So, cutting glutamine out of your diet isn’t recommended.Plus, your body makes its own glutamine, so dietary changes are likely to have little effect. But whether glutamine could help treat cancer or be a target for such treatment is a question that still needs to be answered. Although glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the blood, it’s considered nonessential. That’s because cells can create glutamine from other things in the body. It’s also found in various foods.Glutamine is used as a source of nitrogen and carbon. It helps to produce proteins and support the gut and immune system, providing fuel for the likes of white blood cells. It comes in two forms: L-glutamine and D-glutamine. The former plays all of the important roles mentioned above and is the name some glutamine supplements are sold under. But D-glutamine doesn’t seem to be anywhere near as important.