Glycine has the simplest chemical structure amongst the amino acids but it is one of the most versatile of them. As the body can synthesize this amino acid so it is a non-essential amino acid. Glycine is glycogenic and antiketogenic.
Glycine is a sweet tasting; non-essential amino acid that was first isolated in 1820 from gelatin and is also found in good quantity in silk fibroin. This nonessential nutrient can be manufactured from serine and threonine; so dietary intake is not essential.
Glycine is the simplest amino acid and is the only amino acid that is not optically active (it has no stereo isomers). The body uses it to help the liver in detoxification of compounds and for helping the synthesis of bile acids. It has a sweet taste and is used for that purpose. Glycine is essential for the synthesis of nucleic acids, bile acids, proteins, peptides, purines, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), porphyrins, hemoglobin, glutathione, creatine, bile salts, one-carbon fragments, glucose, glycogen, and l-serine and other amino acids.
By the use of labeled glycine, it has been observed that the alpha carbon and nitrogen atoms of glycine are used in the synthesis of porphyrine moiety of haemoglobin. It also helps in the synthesis of purine, it provides carbon atoms. It also helps in the synthesis of glutathione.
Sources of glycine
High protein food contains good amounts of glycine and is present in fish, meat, beans, and dairy products.
Benefits of glycine
It is required to build protein in the body and synthesis of nucleic acids, the construction of RNA as well as DNA, bile acids and other amino acids in the body. It is further found to be useful in aiding the absorption of calcium in the body.
It helps in retarding degeneration of muscles since it helps to supply extra creatine in the body. Glycine has been found to be helpful in the treatment of low pituitary gland function and, because it supplies the body with additional creatine, it has also been found effective in the treatment of progressive muscular dystrophy.
It is also used for the treatment of hypoglycemia. Glycine stimulates the release of glucagon, which mobilizes glycogen, which is then released into the blood as glucose.
It is also found in fairly large amounts in the prostate fluid and may for this reason be important in prostate health.
The glycine amino acid is also used by the nervous system and its function as an inhibitory neurotransmitter makes it important to help prevent epileptic seizures and it is also used in the treatment of manic depression and hyperactivity.
Glycine supplies additional creatine to muscles and is used to construct DNA and RNA. It functions in skin, connective tissues, the central nervous system and prostrate.
A proper level of cellular glycine produces more energy, but too much glycine can cause fatigue.
Deficiency symptoms of glycine
Few people are glycine deficient, in part because the body makes its own supply of the non-essential amino acids, and because it is abundant in food sources.
Symptoms of high intake
No clear toxicity has emerged from glycine studies, however individuals with kidney or liver disease should not consume high intakes of amino acids without consulting a medical physician.
When more in needed
In a study where men were given extra glycine over a period of time, it reduced the symptoms of prostatic hyperplasia.
Daily requirement
The daily requirement is given in the recommended daily allowance but be aware that this dosage is the minimum that you require per day, to ward off serious deficiency of this particular nutrient. In the therapeutic use of this nutrient, the dosage is usually increased considerably, but the toxicity level must be kept in mind.
Some other points
Primary hyperoxaluria is a metabolic disease in which excess oxalic acid is excreted in the urine. The excess oxalate is of endogenous origin due to deficiency of alanine. Transaminase together with some impairment of oxidation of glyoxylate to formate may be the biochemical explanation foe the inherited metabolic disease- the primary hyperoxaluria. In vitamin B6 deficiency, excess oxalate is excreted in the urine if excess glycine is fed.
Glycine in conjugation with benzoyl CoA, forms the hippuric acid. In the presence of cholic acid, it also forms the bile acid known as glycholic acid.
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