What Is Glycine?
Glycine is an amino acid we often overlook. It is considered an un-essential amino acid; however, Glycine is important as it is the building block for making proteins in the body. Why is that important? Well, for your tissues to be healthy and not break down, Glycine is needed to help create proteins that prevent just that. It also is partially responsible for regulating hormones and enzymes.
Glycine promotes mind, body, and soul health! There are so many health benefits of Glycine which we will dive into.
Getting In That Glycine
Glycine is naturally produced in your body from the other essential amino acids.
Glycine is also found in a variety of protein-rich foods. Below is a list of some foods which are high in Glycine:
- Spinach
- Seaweed
- Bone broth
- Sunflower seeds
- Soy sauce
- Tuna
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Gelatine Powder
If you feel you are not getting enough Glycine, it is also available in a variety of dietary supplements. Often Electrolyte drinks (such as ReVitalise) contain Glycine, which makes it a nice and convenient way to add Glycine into your lifestyle.
The Benefits Of Glycine
Helps Those Muscles Grow
Glycine helps to strengthen and repair muscle tissues. Your body uses Glycine for the biosynthesis of creatine, which provides your muscles with a direct energy source. Your muscles use this to build muscle tissue, and strength and prevent muscle wasting. For people who have had surgery or suffer from immobility, Glycine has been used to help as it prevents muscle wasting.
For all the workout lovers out there, Glycine essentially promotes fast recovery. Want to increase muscle mass and performance? Make sure to get in more Glycine. Train hard and recover harder.
Improves Digestion
Glycine supports healthy digestion. It helps regulate the synthesis of the bile acid used to digest fats. If you have insufficient Glycine levels, your body will not be able to perform key digestive functions. And since your digestive system has a lot of action, it can be prone to damage. For example, chemicals in drinking water. This can damage the cells in your digestive system and lead to leaky gut syndrome.
Glycine has amazing anti-inflammatory properties and can repair the lining of the digestive system
Happy, Healthy Heart
Want a healthier heart? Well, Glycine helps to produce Nitric Oxide in your body and Nitric Oxide helps with blood flow and blood pressure. By regulating blood flow and pressure in your body, you are protecting your body from cardiovascular diseases. Poor blood flow means that your brain may not be getting the blood it needs to perform its functions optimally. This can be caused by plaque build-up in your artery walls.
If you have poor blood flow or high blood pressure, it will be a good idea to up your intake of Glycine.
Boosts The Brain
Did you know that Glycine, together with Taurine and Gamma-amino butyric acid in the central nervous system, produce an inhibitory neurotransmitter? Simply put, this help to regulate stimulation in the brain. Research has shown that increasing Glycine has helped people not get over-stimulated, which is beneficial to those who suffer from Epilepsy and ADHD.
Mental health has become a huge focus lately, and for good reason. How we function primarily rests on the state of our mood. The brain is very complex and sometimes requires extra help. With the help of Glycine, Gamma-amino butyric acid is replaced and helps those happy, feel-good hormones in your brain to be released.
Fights Fatigue
Have you ever noticed how you feel after not getting a good night’s sleep? Well not getting good quality sleeps can have detrimental effects on your body. For example, you can’t think, have heart palpitations, and weakened immune system.
Now there are a lot of factors that play a role in falling asleep and having a good sleep. But what research has found is that Glycine, when taken before you bed, relaxes the body. When your body is relaxed, you stand a better chance of having a good night’s rest. Consequently, your mood and overall health will improve as your body recovers while you sleep.
Protects The Liver
The Liver maintains the body’s metabolic balance. It regulates chemical levels in your bloodstream and excretes bile. Through this, the liver assists the body by carrying out waste products. But, since the liver works on eliminating toxic waste, it takes a bit of a beating. The good news is that liver can regenerate and recover when taken care of.
Studies have found that taking Glycine if you have alcohol poisoning reduces the accumulation of cholesterol and free fatty acids in the blood, liver, and brain. It has also been found to maintain Vitamin D in the blood. This means that you can reverse liver disorders and reduce the long-term effects of alcohol poisoning! Preventing liver injury is always the first choice, so ensure that you are getting in enough Glycine.
To Sum Up
All in all, we need to give our body what it needs to function at an optimal level. Adding Glycine to your diet is easy and inexpensive AND has far-reaching health benefits. With improved sleep, better muscle recovery, and liver protection, the benefits of Glycine are invaluable.
Include more foods in your diet that are high and have high, naturally occurring glycine. It has been found that we are missing out on this because of the typical Western diet. Of course, taking Glycine through electrolyte drinks is easier and aids in giving your body what it needs.
Whether you are living an active lifestyle or are completely sedentary, Glycine has impressive health benefits and decreases mortality rates. Go Glycine!
