Common Name: Glyceine

Overview

Glyceine is a non-essential amino acid (the body can make glyceine). It is also one of the simplest. Glyceine is important:

1. In creating muscle tissue. This is done by boosting the body’s creatine levels. Creatine is a compound that helps to build muscle mass.
2. In maintaining healthy connective tissues and the collagen in the skin.
3. In converting glucose into energy.
4. In maintaining a healthy nervous system.
5. As a protection against cancer. Recent research has shown that glyceine is an antioxidant.

Without glyceine the body could not repair damage to tissue and skin caused by exposure to UV radiation and free radical damage. It would also make wounds almost impossible to heal. Glyceine is also important in regulating blood sugar levels, in the central nervous system as a neurotransmitter and in stimulating the pituitary gland to release HGH (human growth hormone).

Benefits

Research is beginning to show how beneficial glyceine is in health maintenance.

1. Studies from Japan have shown that 30gms of glyceine raised the HGH levels in healthy adults as well as in those who had undergone gastric surgery. This study showed that glyceine stimulated the pituitary gland to release HGH.
2. Glyceine has been used a calming effect on the central nervous system. It has been successfully used to treat seizure disorders and show great promise treating schizophrenia when used with standard medications for this debilitating disease.
3. Because it is an antioxidant, it can give a needed boost to the immune system and has shown anti cancer possibilities.

Dosage

The typical dose of glyceine used as a supplement use up to 1gm daily in divided doses.
The doses used in helping to manage schizophrenia range from 40-90gm per day.

Precautions

Because of its anti-seizure properties, glyceine could have an additive effect when used in conjunction with:

1. Baclofen
2. Diazepam
3. Dantrolene sodium
4. tizanidine

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should consult a health care provider before using any supplements. The affects of this supplement has not been tested on children and those suffering from liver or kidney disease. It is recommended that in children and people with liver or kidney disease this supplementation not be used.

Web References

1. http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdrugprofiles/nutsupdrugs/gly_0127.shtml
2. http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=e0498803-7f62-4563-8d47-5fe33da65dd4&chunkiid=21751
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycine

Printed Reference Material

1. Barbeau A. Preliminary study of glycine administration in patients with spasticity. Neurol. 1974; 24:392.
2. de Kooning JT, Duran M, Dorling L, et al. Beneficial effects of L-serine and glycine in the management of seizures in 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase deficiency. Ann Neurol. 1998; 44:261-265.
3. Heresco-Levy U, Javitt DC, Ermilov M, et al. Efficacy of high-dose glycine in the treatment of enduring negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1999; 56:29-36.
4. Olsson J, Hahn RG. Glycine toxicity after high-dose i.v. infusion of 1.59 % glycine in the mouse. Br J Anaest. 1999; 82:250-254.
5. Rose ML, Cattley RC, Dunn C, et al. Dietary glycine prevents the development of liver tumors caused by the peroxisome proliferator WY-14, 643. Carcinogenesis. 1999; 20:2075-2081.
6. Rose ML, Madren J, Bunzendahl H, Thurman RG. Dietary glycine inhibits the growth of B16 melanoma tumors in mice. Carcinogenesis. 1999; 20:793-798
7. Simpson RK Jr, Gondo M, Robertson CS, Goodman JC. The influence of glycine and related compounds on spinal cord injury-related spasticity. Neurochem Res. 1995; 20:1203-1210.
8. Simpson RK Jr, Robertson CS, Goodman JC. The role of glycine in spinal shock. 1996; 19:215-224.
9. Smith JE, Hall PV, Galvin MR, et al. Effects of glycine administration on canine experimental spinal spasticity and the levels of glycine, glutamate, and aspartate in the lumbar spinal cord. Neurosurg. 1979; 4:153-156.
10. Toth E, Lajtha A. Glycine potentiates the action of some anticonvulsant drugs in some seizure models. Neurochem Res. 1984; 9:1711-1718.
11. Wheeler M, Stachlewitz RT, Yamashina S, et al. Glycine-gated channels in neutrophils attenuate calcium influx and superoxide production. FASEB J. 2000; 14:476-484.
12. Wheeler MD, Ikejema K, Mol Life Sci. Enomoto N, et al. Glycine: a new anti-inflammatory immunonutrient. Cell Mol Life Sci.1999; 56:843-856.
13. Yagasaki K, Funabiki R. Effects of dietary supplemented amino acids on endogenous hypercholesterolemia in rats. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol. 1990; 36 Suppl 12:S165-S168.