Glycine is an amino acid with various important functions within your body, including detoxification, DNA formation, the synthesis of hemoglobin, and as a part of brain neurotransmission pathways. Glycine and serine are interchangeable.
Low levels:
Possible generalized tissue loss, glycine being part of the nitrogen pool and important in gluconeogenesis. Supplement glycine.
Low plasma levels of glycine and serine can serve as markers for long term repletion of essential amino acids. In the liver, glycine helps to convert many potentially harmful substances, including toxic materials such as benzoic acid (benzoate) into harmless forms. If urinary benzoate levels are elevated, it suggests you may benefit from extra glycine. A second detoxification role of glycine is to serve as a necessary part of glutathione, a compound needed by the liver. Urinary pyroglutamate and a-hydroxybutyrate levels reflect glutathione demand and availability to the body that improves when extra glycine is provided.
High levels:
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Supplement vitamin B5, folic acid, and vitamins B6, and B2 for the efficient metabolism of glycine to pyruvic acid for oxidation and for glutathione synthesis or gluconeogenesis.
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