What are the benefits of supplementing with glycine?

Glycine is a non-essential amino acid that may be used as a dietary supplement, primarily to improve sleep quality, support muscle health and recovery, and protect the liver. Furthermore, dietary glycine supplementation may increase the availability of glutathione (GSH) and confer metabolic benefits such as weight reduction, decreased fat mass, improved insulin resistance, reduced markers of oxidative stress, and enhanced mitochondrial function. Research indicates that restricting dietary leucine intake and supplementing with glycine may also be employed in treating patients with isovaleric oxyacetonuria (isovaleric acid coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency, E.C. 1.3.99.10). Under stable leucine restriction, 150 mg glycine/kg/day represents the optimal supplementation dose, whilst doses exceeding 250 mg/kg/day may reduce isovaleric glycine production. When isovaleric acid accumulation increases, elevating glycine supplementation to 600 mg/kg/day promotes isovaleric glycine synthesis. The phenotypical expression of isovaleric ocaemia correlates not only with the degree of isovaleric coenzyme A dehydrogenase dysfunction but also depends on the detoxification capacity to convert accumulated isovaleric coenzyme A into isovaleric glycine. In addition, glycine has been reported to protect the intestine from the harmful effects of radiotherapy during cancer treatment.

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