In this podcast, we’ll discuss a very important amino acid: glycine. Collagen is a main component of connective tissues, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. About ⅓ of collagen is made by glycine.
Your body can make glycine, but unfortunately, it doesn’t make very much. If you're not getting it from the diet, you could be deficient. Unless you’re eating the skin and cartilage from meat, you’re probably not getting enough glycine.
Glycine is needed to make the most important antioxidant for all of your cells, glutathione. Without enough glycine to make glutathione, you can’t detoxify your body. This can cause a buildup of toxicity, leading to inflammation.
Glycine is a potent anti-inflammatory agent and is an essential building block for many enzymes and proteins.
Here are some of the many important functions of glycine:
• Makes heme in your blood
• Important for gum health
• Essential for DNA
• Building block for catalase
• Supports sleep
• Supports the liver
• Can help fix a leaky gut
• Detoxifies uric acid
• Supports blood sugar
• Helps with weight loss
• Reduces visceral fat
Glycine can also turn into glucose to be used as fuel. Certain parts of the body, especially the brain, need a certain amount of glucose. If you’re not consuming glucose, your body can make it. Glycine is a precursor for glucose, but don’t worry about it bumping you out of ketosis. Glycine stimulates the hormone glucagon, which opposes insulin.
If you’re not eating animals nose-to-tail, if you’re under stress, taking medication, drinking alcohol, or exposed to toxins, you can become deficient in glycine.
You can increase your glycine intake by consuming gelatin! Try making your own gelatin using Knox Blox and using a natural sweetener like stevia. You can also take a glycine supplement. The average person needs about 4 to 10 grams of glycine per day.
Bone broth and pork rinds can increase your glycine intake, but you need to consume a lot to get enough glycine.
As we age, we need more glycine. Increasing glycine intake can potentially help people with osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, hair thinning, insomnia, gout, and kidney stones.
DATA:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20093...
https://openheart.bmj.com/content/1/1...
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