Glycine is an amino acid that your body uses to make proteins. It helps transmit chemical signals in the brain, protects the liver from the effects of too much alcohol, and is typically used to treat schizophrenia.
Have you or a loved one ever had schizophrenia? If so, chances are, you might be aware of glycine or even heard of it. Thanks to its numerous potential health benefits, this amino acid has various uses. They range from helping with memory, stroke to wounds.However, it is important to note that limited evidence supports some of the claimed uses. So, to find out more about glycine, what it is, the uses, the benefits, side effects, and the precautions to take when using it, kindly keep reading.
What is Glycine?
This is an amino acid that your body uses to make proteins. Naturally, the body can produce it from other amino acids. Alternatively, you can get it from your diet, especially protein-rich foods. Some of the food sources of glycine include;
- Meat
- Fish
- Dairy
- Legumes
Also, you can obtain glycine from dietary supplements. The good news is the sweet taste, making it easy to incorporate into your diet. For instance, if you have your coffee, tea, soup, yogurt, protein shakes, or pudding, don’t be scared to add the supplement.
Glycine has varied uses, some of which include treating stroke, schizophrenia, and certain inherited disorders of the metabolism. Nonetheless, it can aid in the prevention of risks of cancer, protecting your kidneys from adverse side effects of certain drugs, especially after undergoing an organ transplant.
Notably, you can take glycine by mouth or apply it directly to your skin. It all depends on the effect you want and the condition you want to address. For instance, using it as a treatment for schizophrenia requires you to take it orally, while using it for your wounds would mean you apply it directly on your skin.
The Benefits and Uses of Glycine
The following are some of the benefits and uses of taking glycine;
Helps Make Creatine
Your body utilizes glycine to make creatine, which helps with your muscle performance. Therefore, if you want increased muscle strength, size, and power, you can take glycine supplements for our workout sessions.
Helps Make a Glutathione
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect you from oxidative damage resulting from free radicals. Your body uses glycine to make it, meaning that it requires it in great amounts so it can effectively handle oxidative stress. Additionally, as you grow older, ensure you get more glycine for increased glutathione levels.
Can Help Improve Your Sleep
If you have been craving quality sleep for the longest time now, glycine can help. You might find it difficult to fall or stay asleep, which interrupts your night’s sleep. Therefore, you can look for means of improving the sleep quality you get, and glycine is a great method to give a shot. The amino acid creates some calming effect in your rain, making it easy for you to stay asleep.
So, if you struggle with sleep issues, you can replace those sleeping pills with 3g of this amino acid before you go to bed.
Can help protect the Liver From Too Much Alcohol
Too much alcohol intake damages your liver. The alcohol-induced damages you can have on your liver range from having fatty liver, alcoholic cirrhosis to alcoholic cirrhosis. Remember, all of them have harmful effects on your liver. However, when you take glycine, you can help reduce the same. Besides, if the damage is moderate, the amino acid can help in the recovery process.
Unfortunately, most of the findings are from animal research, meaning that the effects do not directly translate to humans and that more evidence is necessary.
May Aid With leg Ulcers
Some users apply glycine as a topical cream to enhance the faster healing of certain leg ulcers. The available research indicates that a cram with this amino acid, when applied topically, may help treat leg ulcers resulting from disorders like Klinefelter syndrome and deficiency in prolidase. Unfortunately, the available evidence is not enough, especially in treating leg ulcers caused by diabetes, vascular diseases, or other infections.
May Improve Your Heart Health
Heart health is among the major health concerns. To avoid developing heart disease, you can take glycine. This amino acid prevents a compound linked to the development of atherosclerosis from accumulating in your system. Besides, glycine helps your body use nitric acid more effectively, and this means
Can Help Reduce Muscle Wasting
As you age, you can experience muscle wasting. The condition can also result from being malnourished or when your body is subjected to cancer, severe burns, or any other kind of stress. When you have the condition, your muscle strength and mass get reduced, and they no longer become effective in their functioning as before. What’s more, you are at risk of developing other conditions.
The good thing is, the available research available on mice shows that glycine can help reduce muscle wasting. However, more research on humans is necessary to determine how effective it is.
The Side Effects of Glycine
Most people can safely use glycine without any potential side effects. Whether they take it by mouth or apply it topically on their skin, they experience no reactions. However, there are a few cases of reported side effects such as;
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Drowsiness
- Stomach upset
Importantly, if you are a pregnant woman or a breastfeeding mother, it is best to avoid using glycine altogether to stay on the safe side. This is because the available evidence on its effects while in this state is still limited.
Conclusion
Glycine is an amino acid the body uses to produce proteins. You can obtain it from protein food sources such as meat, legumes, fish, and dairy. The beauty of this amino acid is in its numerous health benefits and uses. It can aid with memory, treat schizophrenia, help with powerful antioxidants, prevent muscle wasting, help improve heart health and the quality of your sleep. However, more research and evidence are still necessary. The good news is, most people can use it safely without any side effects. However, some have reported experiencing nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, and drowsiness.
MS, University of Latvia
I am deeply convinced that each patient needs a unique, individual approach. Therefore, I use different psychotherapy methods in my work. During my studies, I discovered an in-depth interest in people as a whole and the belief in the inseparability of mind and body, and the importance of emotional health in physical health. In my spare time, I enjoy reading (a big fan of thrillers) and going on hikes.
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