The Science Behind the Glycine Protocol
This is the science behind the Glycine Protocol.
Signs you need to pay attention to your glycine status to fix a health problem include any of the following: anxiety, poor sleep (lack of deep sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, trouble falling asleep or long sleep latency), poor memory, excessive startle response, increased muscle tension and discomfort, poor muscle tone leading to poor posture, poor joint alignment, poor joint health, poor skin quality, excessive aging of the skin, osteopenia or osteoporosis, slow wound healing, intolerance to methylated B vitamins, intolerance to glycine supplements, blood sugar problems, brain fog, lack of alertness, unusually persistent hiccups or episodes of temporary breathing cessation (during the day or as sleep apnea), attention deficit, hyperactivity, schizophrenia, weakness, jerks, or seizures.
One or more of these are sufficient to suspect the relevance of glycine. Some are common, others are rare and extreme. No one will have all of them.
Animal experiments show glycine extends lifespan, so if you are healthy and simply looking to optimize for longevity, this alone should be a reason to optimize your glycine status.
Glycine supplementation is very safe according to existing studies. However, many people anecdotally report adverse effects from glycine supplements such as insomnia, overstimulation, or headaches.
Even if you do not notice any adverse effect from a glycine supplement, it could be generating oxalate, which is a mitochondrial toxin and probably nullifies the benefits of glycine toward lifespan. Oxalate could crystallize in the kidney, joints, or brain, contributing to long-term loss of function in those organs over time.
Hypothetically, excess glycine could also generate methylglyoxal, which could aggravate oxidative stress, accelerate aging, and cause diabetes.
Most glycine is synthesized from carbohydrate using an input of nitrogen from the amino acid glutamate and an assortment of vitamin and mineral cofactors. Thus, it is important to consume enough protein and carbohydrate to maintain endogenous glycine synthesis, and it is probably much safer to default to promoting robust endogenous synthesis than to jump straight into taking glycine supplements.
The ability to tolerate glycine supplements depends on robust nutritional support for two primary ways to convert glycine to carbon dioxide instead of oxalate, ensuring also that excessive glycine does not accumulate, which could lead to an awkward mix of excess neurological excitation and inhibition and general neurotoxicity.
This Article Accompanies The Glycine Protocol
The Glycine Protocol is my 7-Page quick guide to optimizing glycine status that guides you step-by-step through all the reasons your glycine levels or glycine tolerance could need improvement.
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In This Article
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Glycine: So Simple, So Important
What We Can Learn From Human Trials
What We Can Learn From Disorders of Glycine Synthesis, Clearance, and Receptor Function
The Relation of Glycine to Serine, Glucose, and Its Derivatives
How the Conversion of Glucose to Glycine is Regulated
The Importance of Total Protein
How We Break Down Excess Glycine
How We Dispose Of Extra One-Carbon Units
Balancing Methionine and Glycine
The Possible Conversion of Glycine to Methylglyoxal
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