Glycine is an amino acid, one of the basic building blocks of proteins, which may have a variety of health benefits. What does the science say?<\/p>\n
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Glycine is one of many amino acids that are used to produce proteins. It is the smallest of all amino acids and is incredibly important for the synthesis of other amino acids, glutathione, creatine, heme, RNA\/DNA, and it can also help with the absorption of calcium in the body (R<\/a>, R<\/a>).<\/p>\n Glycine is sometimes called a semi-essential nutrient because it is made by the body, but not in sufficient quantities to supply various tissues (including bone, muscle, and skin) with what they need. Therefore, we need to get quite a bit of glycine from our diets to stay healthy.<\/p>\n The average person usually can make roughly 3g of glycine, and usually consume 1.5 – 3.0 g from food, making their daily intake from roughly 4.5 – 6g (R<\/a>).<\/p>\n Some researchers believe that the amount of glycine available in humans might not be enough to meet metabolic needs and that a dietary supplement is appropriate (R<\/a>).<\/p>\n One study suggests that humans may fall significantly short of the amount needed for all metabolic uses – by about 10 g per day for a 70 kg (154 lbs) human (R<\/a>).<\/p>\n Despite the presence of glycine in most protein-containing foods, glycine supplements have not been approved by the FDA for medical use and generally lack solid clinical research. Regulations set manufacturing standards for them but don’t guarantee that they’re safe or effective. Speak with your doctor before supplementing.<\/p>\n Glycine (through the consumption of collagen) significantly improved skin elasticity in elderly women and improved skin moisture and water loss (R<\/a>, R<\/a>).<\/p>\n Collagen peptide, which contains a lot of glycine, suppressed UV-B induced skin damage and photoaging (R<\/a>).<\/p>\n Women taking 2.5g of collagen peptide for 4 weeks significantly reduced eye wrinkles by 20%, with positive effects lasting after the study ended (R<\/a>).<\/p>\n At 8 weeks, collagen significantly improved skin content of procollagen type I by 65%, and elastin by 18%.<\/p>\n Glycine nearly doubles the speed at which skin ulcers heal in 89 diabetic patients across 23 long term care facilities (R<\/a>).<\/p>\n Glycine enhanced wound healing in diabetic animal models as well (R<\/a>).<\/p>\n Glycine in combination with l-cysteine and dl-threonine topically applied to leg ulcerations significantly improved the degree of wound healing and decreased pain (R<\/a>).<\/p>\nDietary Requirements<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Benefits of Glycine<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
Possibly Effective For<\/span><\/h3>\n
1) Skin Health<\/h4>\n
Diabetic Ulcers<\/h5>\n
2) Mental Illnesses<\/h4>\n