10 Health Benefits of Glycine for your Well-being

Many diets these days use bone broth as a staple to promote gut health. Bone broth is high in glycine and glycine is excellent for your gut. The amino acid heals the gut lining of those who struggle with Leaky Gut or SIBO. Glycine also helps manage gastric acid, helps repair ulcer complications, and treats other inflammatory gut issues.

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Like melatonin, glycine is a great natural sleep aid if taken roughly an hour before you intend to turn in for the night. Glycine focuses on quality sleep by making you fall asleep slower than usual and getting you into a deep sleep quicker. Many people report that after using glycine for sleep, they are less tired and have more mental clarity the following day.

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Glycine appears to have a fantastic effect on skin elasticity, based on studies of older women. The amino acid shares some qualities in common with collagen. Glycine is also known to speed skin wound healing and skin ulcers while decreasing the pain of scratches, scabs, and other wounds. It's just an overall good weapon in the quest for great skin.

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Free fatty acids in the blood are not a good thing; glycine can help by reducing glycated hemoglobin, which leads to poor glucose management in people with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, glycine stimulates glucagon, which helps insulin remove glucose from the body. If you have diabetes, you would be well-served to speak to your doctor about adding glycine to your diet. People with diabetes often have considerably lower glycine levels than those without diabetes.

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The liver is essential to many of the body's fundamental functions, and glycine is known to promote a healthier one. Studies in rats have shown that glycine can be particularly useful to those to indulge in alcohol more than the recommended amount -- the amino acid reduces the accumulation of bad cholesterol, free fatty acids, and triglycerides in the blood, liver, and brain. Glycine can also slow the damage caused by liver injuries or disease.

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The human body is a vessel of connective tissue that affects everything. Healthy connective tissue equals healthy skin, tendons, blood vessels, and more. Knowing you are strengthening these vital parts of the body is enough reason to consider glycine supplements or a high-glycine diet.

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It is necessary to have anti-inflammatories coursing through your system to fight inflammatory cytokines, the activation of transcription factors, and free radical formation. Glycine reduces the oxidative stress on the body and has low, almost non-existent, toxicity.

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Without glycine, the body cannot create creatine. Bodybuilders naturally choose creatine-supplemented diets to gain both muscle strength and mass. The human joint system is primarily made up of cartilage, and glycine, along with proline and hydroxyproline, forms the proteins in our joints.

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The mind is a tremendous muscle in its own right, and glycine doesn't forget about it while strengthening the rest of your body. Studies show glycine can significantly reduce symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) when combated with glycine. Additionally, glycine has been shown to reduce symptoms associated with schizophrenia, due to its part in NMDA-receptor-mediated neurotransmission. Furthermore, glycine can work hand-in-hand with traditional schizophrenia medications.

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You have only one set of teeth. However, people still overlook oral hygiene and health because other conditions considered more serious dominate the conversation. However, taking care of your teeth is vital to overall good health, and lab studies found glycine reduced cavities in rats by nearly 70% after a year of supplementation.

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