Glycine

Some heroes don't need the limelight. Glycine is just such a silent companion – inconspicuous but indispensable. This amino acid, which is produced naturally in the body, provides support exactly where your well-being is based:

• In the skin and connective tissue, because glycine is a central building block of collagen – the structural protein that gives your skin its elasticity.
• In the nervous system, where glycine acts as a calming neurotransmitter – for relaxed signals in the brain.
• In metabolism, in the formation of important substances such as glutathione, creatine and bile acids – real key players for your inner balance.

Beautiful skin, strong connective tissue, shiny hair: it all starts with collagen – and glycine is at the heart of it. As one of the three main amino acids in the structural protein collagen, it provides a crucial building block for the foundation of your natural beauty.

But glycine can do more than just build – it also works in the background of your body's own protective mechanisms. As a building block of glutathione, one of the body's key antioxidants, glycine contributes to cellular protection against oxidative stress. In addition, initial scientific evidence also suggests that glycine influences inflammation-regulating processes in the body – another potential benefit for maintaining healthy tissue.

Collagen is a complex structural protein that gives various tissues such as skin, connective tissue, cartilage and muscles their shape, stability and elasticity. Approximately one in three amino acids in the collagen molecule is glycine. This makes it one of the central building blocks of collagen and forms the basis for structural strength from within, making it indispensable for the body's own collagen formation! If there is not enough glycine, collagen synthesis can come to a standstill – for this reason, combined intake of collagen and glycine can be beneficial.

As an inhibitory neurotransmitter, glycine has a calming effect on the central nervous system, helping you to switch off mentally and gently wind down at the end of the day.

Glycine supports your emotional balance, especially during stressful periods or in the evening when your body wants to switch to rest mode, helping you to fall asleep restfully and start the next day feeling more relaxed.

Glycine also provides valuable support in the intestine: it contributes to the formation and maintenance of the intestinal mucosa – precisely where a healthy intestinal barrier is created. Initial findings from animal studies also suggest that glycine may also have a protective effect in cases of intestinal inflammation. However, these exciting findings require further research in humans.

Glycine also plays an important role in fat digestion: together with taurine, it ensures that bile acids remain highly soluble – an important prerequisite for the absorption of fats and the excretion of cholesterol.

But glycine can do even more – and perhaps in areas where you would not expect it.

• Blood: Glycine provides building blocks for haem – a component of the red blood pigment haemoglobin.
• Liver: In the liver, glycine is involved in detoxification processes – it helps to bind and break down foreign substances.
• Muscles: Glycine is essential for the production of creatine, which is important for supplying energy to the muscles.
• Immune system: Your body's own defence system also relies on this amino acid. Initial evidence suggests that glycine can modulate inflammatory responses, among other things.

The female body dances to its own rhythm – hormonal, cyclical, individual. Although there have been no studies specifically focused on women and glycine to date, it is clear that this versatile amino acid often provides support in areas where many women desire more balance – in sleep, mental relaxation or cellular protection.

Can glycine be obtained from food or only from supplements?

Once commonplace, now rather the exception: in traditional diets, animals were used ‘from nose to tail’ – including glycine-rich parts such as connective tissue and bone marrow.

These components are usually missing from the modern Western diet. In vegetarian or vegan diets, the intake is often even lower. As a result, glycine, a building block of the body's own collagen synthesis, is absorbed less frequently. Targeted supplementation with high-quality supplements can therefore be useful – especially if glycine-rich foods such as bone broth or gelatine are rarely part of your everyday diet.

Supplement intake recommendation: How to take glycine correctly

Whether in powder or capsule form, glycine can be easily integrated into your daily routine. Many people prefer to take it in the evening, especially if they want to relax gently and fall asleep more easily.

How much glycine is right for you – and which other nutrients ideally complement this amino acid – depends on your individual circumstances and personal goals.

Glycine may often remain in the background – but that is precisely where its strength lies. A closer look reveals that this amino acid, which is produced naturally in the body, is involved in a wide range of processes and is an integral part of our natural balance. Quiet but present. Unexciting but versatile.