# Glycine

Category: Amino acids

Glycine is the principal amino acid in gelatin and collagen, and Ray Peat framed it as a primary antistress molecule whose generous intake counteracts the degenerative effects of consuming isolated muscle meats. Peat argued that eating only muscle meats produces an amino acid…

11 passages · 2 authors · 2006–2024 · Most-cited: [Georgi Dinkov](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/voices/georgi-dinkov/index.md)

Canonical page: https://bioenergeticoracle.com/concepts/glycine

## Synthesis

**Glycine** is the principal amino acid in gelatin and collagen, and Ray Peat framed it as a primary **antistress** molecule whose generous intake counteracts the degenerative effects of consuming isolated muscle meats. [Source 1, 3] Peat argued that eating only muscle meats produces an amino acid balance entering the bloodstream identical to that generated by extreme stress, where **cortisol** excess breaks down the body's own tissues. [Source 1] The excess tryptophan and cysteine from muscle meats suppress thyroid function and increase serotonin, while a generous supply of glycine prevents or corrects the range of injuries produced by this profile, including fibrosis, free radical damage, inflammation, and mitochondrial damage. [Source 1, 5] Peat therefore recommended traditional whole-animal eating—consuming skin, cartilage, and broths—to assimilate large amounts of glycine and gelatin, noting that gelatin is preferable to isolated glycine because it provides a balanced complex of associated biochemicals, including alanine, proline, and steroid hormones. [Source 1]

Glycine's protective actions operate through multiple mechanisms. Peat described it as an *inhibitory neurotransmitter* that stabilizes nerve cells electrically, increasing the amount of stimulation required to activate them, which is protective in epilepsy, stroke recovery, and the regulation of sleep, breathing, and heart rhythm. [Source 3] He noted that glycine and GABA share similar structures and actions, and that their receptors may be similar if not identical; both **progesterone** and **pregnenolone** act on the GABA and glycine receptors to reinforce their inhibitory effects, while estrogen has the opposite action, inhibiting GABA and antagonizing glycine's calming influence. [Source 5] Georgi Dinkov has extended this by specifying that glycine is a *chloride channel opener*, and that the resulting chloride influx hyperpolarizes the cell, allowing it to relax—a state of high cellular potential that antagonizes the excitotoxic influx of calcium, estrogen, and glutamate. [Source 7] Peat also emphasized glycine's powerful **antiinflammatory actions**, which oppose the NF-kappa-B pathway activated by estrogen and endotoxin, and its antitumor effects, including the inhibition of angiogenesis. [Source 1, 4]

Dinkov has elaborated on several additional dimensions of glycine's activity. He reported that glycine possesses a universal antiviral effect by inhibiting the formation of viral capsids, the protective shell without which newly produced viral particles are vulnerable to immune neutralization. [Source 6] He also described glycine as a functional antagonist to stress and cortisol, noting that it inhibits the receptor GPR158, which is activated by glucocorticoids and drives both depression and tumor development. [Source 9] Regarding glucose metabolism, Dinkov cited a human study showing that six grams of glycine blunted the postprandial blood glucose response by approximately 50%, with both glucose and insulin declining in parallel, suggesting glycine helps the body utilize glucose with less insulin, possibly by blunting the cortisol rise that follows a meal. [Source 10] He further noted that glycine is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord and regulates gastrointestinal motility, such that insufficient glycine impairs digestion even in the absence of gut inflammation. [Source 11]

Peat cautioned that chemically pure substances are often disturbing to tissues, and that a large amount of any single amino acid can interfere with protein synthesis. [Source 2] He preferred gelatin as a source, which delivers glycine alongside its normal biochemical context. [Source 1] Dinkov has observed that glycine's anti-aging and pro-health effects are unmatched by any other amino acid, and that some countries sell glycine as a regulated drug; in Russia, a combination pill of 100 mg glycine and 100 mg aspirin is recommended as a general anti-inflammatory for people over fifty, with the combination producing a stronger effect than either substance alone. [Source 8] He also noted that both glycine and taurine may eventually be reclassified as *essential amino acids* because without them the body cannot produce bile acids required for fat digestion. [Source 11]

## People also ask

### How does glycine counteract the stress-like effects of eating muscle meat?

Peat argued that muscle meats create an amino acid profile similar to that produced by extreme stress, while a generous supply of glycine prevents or corrects the resulting fibrosis, inflammation, and mitochondrial damage.

### Why did Peat prefer gelatin over isolated glycine supplements?

Peat cautioned that chemically pure amino acids can disturb tissues and interfere with protein synthesis, so he recommended gelatin because it delivers glycine alongside a balanced complex of associated biochemicals like alanine and proline.

### What role does glycine play in calming the nervous system?

The corpus describes glycine as an inhibitory neurotransmitter that stabilizes nerve cells by opening chloride channels, which hyperpolarizes the cell and antagonizes excitotoxic signals, with progesterone and pregnenolone reinforcing this calming effect.

## Related concepts

- [Glycine-to-Methionine Balance](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/glycine-to-methionine-balance/index.md)
- [Aging](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/aging/index.md)
- [Beef](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/beef/index.md)
- [Endotoxin (Lipopolysaccharide, LPS)](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/endotoxin-lipopolysaccharide-lps/index.md)
- [GABA](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/gaba/index.md)
- [Gelatin](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/gelatin/index.md)

## Cited passages

Passage numbers match the `[Source N]` markers in the synthesis above.

### Source 1 — Gelatin, stress, longevity

Ray Peat · Article · 2009 · https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/gelatin.shtml

> When cells are stressed, they form extra collagen, but they can also dissolve it, to allow for tissue remodeling and growth. Invasive cancers over-produce this kind of enzyme, destroying the extracellular matrix which is needed for normal cellular differentiation and function. When collagen is broken down, it releases factors that promote wound healing and suppress tumor invasiveness. (Pasco, et al., 2003)
>
> Glycine itself is one of the factors promoting wound healing and tumor inhibition. It has a wide range of antitumor actions, including the inhibition of new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis), and it has shown protective activity in liver cancer and melanoma. Since glycine is non-toxic (if the kidneys are working, since any amino acid will contribute to the production of ammonia), this kind of chemotherapy can be pleasant. When we eat animal proteins in the traditional ways (for example, eating fish head soup, as well as the muscles, or “head-cheese” as well as pork chops, and chicken-foot soup as well as drumsticks), we assimilate a large amount of glycine and gelatin. This whole-animal balance of amino acids supports all sorts of biological process, including a balanced growth of children's tissues and organs.
>
> When only the muscle meats are eaten, the amino acid balance entering our blood stream is the same as that produced by extreme stress, when cortisol excess causes our muscles to be broken down to provide energy and material for repair. The formation of serotonin is increased by the excess tryptophan in muscle, and serotonin stimulates the formation of more cortisol, while the tryptophan itself, along with the excess muscle-derived cysteine, suppresses the thyroid function. A generous supply of glycine/gelatin, against a balanced background of amino acids, has a great variety of antistress actions. Glycine is recognized as an “inhibitory” neurotransmitter, and promotes natural sleep. Used as a supplement, it has helped to promote recovery from strokes and seizures, and to improve learning and memory. But in every type of cell, it apparently has the same kind of quieting, protective antistress action.
>
> The range of injuries produced by an excess of tryptophan and serotonin seems to be prevented or corrected by a generous supply of glycine.

### Source 2 — Ray Peat Email Advice Depository — Post 871

Ray Peat · Email · Dec 3, 2022

> **Question:** Tue, May 31, 12:06 AM Hello Dr. Peat After experimenting with glycine last night (1g in OJ) I heard a LOUD scream in my ear while I was sleeping. Woke me up and scared me :) I Knew it was "in my head" because my extremely alert dog was sleeping. I also woke up with an extremely dry mouth, grogginess and fatigue. It also seems that glycine clogs my nose even more. What do you think is behind this mechanism? Increasing glutamate? Methylation issues? Much love
>
> **Ray Peat:** A large amount of any amino acid can interfere with protein synthesis.
>
> **Question:** Do you think 1g is a large amount of glycine? I had a similar experience to hearing strange sounds (usually when I sleep) when I was using gelatin and some GABAergic teas. You think impaired protein synthesis could induce these symptomes?
>
> **Ray Peat:** Chemically pure substances are often disturbing to tissues.

### Source 3 — Gelatin, stress, longevity

Ray Peat · Article · 2009 · https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/gelatin.shtml

> At the time Selye was observing stress-induced bleeding, standard medicine was putting gelatin to use—orally, subcutaneously, and intravenously—to control bleeding. Since ancient times, it had been used to stop bleeding by applying it to wounds, and this had finally been incorporated into medical practice. The 1936 Cyclopedia of Medicine (G.M. Piersol, editor, volume 6) mentions the use of gelatin solution to quickly control nosebleeds, excessive menstrual bleeding, bleeding ulcers (using three doses of 18 grams as a 10% solution during one day), and bleeding from hemorrhoids and the lower bowel, and hemorrhage from the bladder.
>
> But since Selye's work relating the thrombohemorrhagic syndromes to stress wasn't known at that time, gelatin was thought of as a useful drug, rather than as having potentially far-reaching physiological effects, antagonizing some of the agents of stress-induced tissue damage. Skin cells and nerve cells and many other cells are “electrically” stabilized by glycine, and this effect is currently being described in terms of a “chloride current.” A variety of mechanisms have been proposed for the protective effects of some of the amino acids, based on their use as energy or for other metabolic purpose, but there is evidence that glycine and alanine act protectively without being metabolized, simply by their physical properties.
>
> A small dose of glycine taken shortly after suffering a stroke was found to accelerate recovery, preventing the spreading of injury through its inhibitory and antiinflammatory actions. Its nerve-stabilizing action, increasing the amount of stimulation required to activate nerves, is protective in epilepsy, too. This effect is important in the regulation of sleep, breathing, and heart rhythm. Glycine's antispastic activity has been used to alleviate the muscle spasms of multiple sclerosis. It is thought to moderate some of the symptoms of schizophrenia. A recent publication shows that glycine alleviates colitis; but the use of gelatin, especially in the form of a concentrated gelatinous beef broth, for colitis, dysentery, ulcers, celiac disease, and other diseases of the digestive system, goes far back in medical history. Pavlov's observation of its effectiveness in stimulating the secretion of digestive juices occurred because the stimulating value of broth was already recognized.

### Source 4 — Inflammation, endotoxin, estrogen, and other problems

Ray Peat · Article · 2006

> Glycine (the main amino acid in gelatin) is an important nutrient with powerful antiinflammatory actions (Zhong, et al., 1999; Wang, et al., 2004). Saturated fatty acids can help to reduce chronic inflammatory states, but it's essential to eliminate as far as possible the unstable polyunsaturated fatty acids, which suppress normal immune functions, besides contributing to the free radical lipid peroxidation burden. Cholesterol and ATP have been used therapeutically, but ordinarily their synthesis can be increased safely by using a diet that contains a significant amount of ordinary sugar (sucrose, from fruits) when the thyroid function is adequate.
>
> Since vascular leakiness is involved in the inflammatory syndromes, as well as in shock, I think it's reasonable to treat them similarly, keeping in mind the importance of normal blood volume and viscosity. Sodium and sugar help to lower adrenaline, and so they can make a contribution to preventing high blood pressure, while maintaining normal hydration of the blood. Estradiol and cholera toxin, which both increase vascular leakiness, probably exert some of their influence by lowering the osmotic tension of the extracellular fluid (Webster, et al., 1984; Witten and Bradbury, 1951). The enzyme activated by cholera toxin, estrogen, and hypotonic medium in the study by Webster, et al., was ornithine decarboxylase, which produces the polyamines. The polyamines promote cellular proliferation, and promote the actions of the excitotoxic amino acids. Histamine also activates excitotoxicity, and magnesium opposes it.
>
> The inflammatory states that produce the age-related degenerative diseases have many things in common with "pre-eclampsia" or pregnancy toxemia, and the same simple things can usually alleviate both kinds of problem. With aging, intracellular water tends to decrease, as the extracellular water increases (Lesser and Markofsky, 1979), probably because of reduced cellular energy, and increased vascular permeability. When albumin production is adequate, it "binds" sodium, and the combination osmotically increases the ability of the blood to retain water.

### Source 5 — Gelatin, stress, longevity

Ray Peat · Article · 2009 · https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/gelatin.shtml

> The similarity between the structures and actions of glycine and GABA suggest that their “receptors” are similar, if not identical. For years, it has been known that progesterone and pregnenolone act on the GABA receptor, to reinforce the protective, inhibitory effects of GABA. Estrogen has the opposite effect, inhibiting GABA's action. Since GABA opposes estrogen and inhibits the growth of breast cancer, it wouldn't be surprising if glycine, alanine, etc., did the same. Recent research shows that progesterone and its metabolites also act on the “glycine receptor,” increasing inhibition, and that the “phytoestrogen,” genistein, antagonizes the inhibitory effect of glycine.
>
> The inhibitory systems are opposed by excitatory systems, especially by the excitatory amino acid system, activated by glutamic and aspartic acid. Progesterone and estrogen act on that system, too, decreasing and increasing excitation, respectively. I have previously discussed the arguments for viewing progesterone as a “cardinal adsorbent” (as in Ling and Fu, 1987, 1988, Ling, et al., 1984, a steroid alters glycine's influence on the cell's electrical behavior) which increases the lipophilic, fat-loving property of the cytoplasm, and estrogen as having the opposite action, increasing the water-loving hydrophilic quality of the cytoplasm. If we think of the proteins known as the GABA and glycine receptors as having some regions in which the basic amine of lysine associates with the acidic group of aspartic or glutamic acid, then the action of glycine, or other amino acids would be to introduce additional lipophilic carbon atoms into those regions (with the amino acids' polar ends pairing with their opposites on the protein), where the cardinal adsorbents exert their influence.
>
> Generally, biologists seem puzzled by such facts, because they don't fit into the “lock and key” model of molecular biology. But I think they make the organism easier to understand, since these constellations of facts illustrate simple and general physical principles. They suggest the idea that estrogen and progesterone and glycine, GABA, etc., will be active in any functioning cell, at a suitable concentration.

### Source 6 — #39: Low Testosterone and PUFA | Vitamin D is Anabolic and Anti-Cortisol | High Metabolism and Aging

Georgi Dinkov · Interview · Nov 15, 2020 · https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ydUK0ut0jy7L37VbyLUmX

> **Georgi Dinkov:** So, I mean, glycine has a universal antiviral effect. I actually haven't seen Ray recommend glycine for viral conditions, but he's written extensively about it's beneficial effects for health, especially inflammation, right? Opposing estrogen, opposing nitric oxide, opposing potentially lowering prolactin and serotonin. But I didn't know about this, and I saw the article. I was pretty surprised. It wasn't about COVID-19. It wasn't about the coronavirus, but it was done with preparation that eventually they will be studying the coronavirus as well. So what they did is – They essentially use the porcine kidney virus, I think they call it. And in that article, it says that apparently glycine, by being an osmolite, controlling the osmolarity of the cell and of the serum outside of it, actually has a... Well-known, according to them, universal antiviral effect, which has to do with inhibiting the formation of capsids, which is the shell around the virus. So every virus, when it hijacks the cell, so basically it gets – it basically forces the machinery, the DNA, the RNA machinery of the cell to start producing the viral particles, right? But the viral particles themselves – if they're not encapsulated in this shell called the capsid, they're actually pretty vulnerable. And they can by themselves infect another cell. Not only that, but once they get into the bloodstream in their so-called naked form without a capsid, they're very quickly recognized by the immune system and they're quickly neutralized. So the capsid formation is vital not for the initial infection of virus getting into a cell and hijacking it, but for basically triggering the subsequent production of the virus, production of new viruses by the cell, and throwing them onto the bloodstream and making sure that they infect other cells as well.

### Source 7 — #97: Nightmares | Vitamin D | Suicide | Benefits of Aspirin? | Glycine with Georgi Dinkov

Georgi Dinkov (with Georgi Dinkov) · Interview · Feb 18, 2023 · https://open.spotify.com/episode/7CaTyC1si8GOn27LtfcTmj

> **Danny Roddy:** Maybe you can talk about this glycine article and we can wrap it up. But the glycine is funny because I think the carrot is kind of like the ultimate gateway drug to Ray's work. But I think glycine is like a close second because it seems like so many people... Take that, and then they notice the calming effects or the GABA-nergic effects of it.
>
> **Georgi Dinkov:** GABA-nergic, and also it's a chloride channel opener, and basically the chloride flooding into the cell hyperpolarizes the cell, and that's what allows the cell to relax. Really, a healthy cell is a cell of high potential. And a cell of high potential is the relaxed cell, not the cell that's excitotoxic through the influx of calcium and estrogen and glutamate and whatnot. And glycine happens to antagonize all of these.
>
> **Danny Roddy:** Oh, yeah, that's a really important. So a question I get all the time is, well, I shouldn't take thyroid before bed, right? It's like a cup of coffee, right? Nope, absolutely not.

### Source 8 — Georgi Dinkov: Why Sugar Is Healthy, Cutting Calories Is Harmful, and Obesity Is A Hormonal Issue

Georgi Dinkov · Interview · Jan 26, 2023

> **Georgi Dinkov:** So really, glycine is this versatile molecule, despite its simplicity, that has wide-ranging anti-aging, pro-health effects that is not matched by any other amino acid. Now, they're probably similar, but weaker. Hydroxyproline, even less so. So it's the glycine really in collagen that really gives you many of these effects. And some countries sell glycine actually as a regulated drug. In Russia, you can buy a special pill that combines glycine and aspirin. And they sell it as a general anti-inflammatory, which they recommend everybody over the age of 50 to take that one pill daily. In the States and most other countries, you have the baby aspirin. But the Russians have found out that even a small amount of glycine, which is 100 milligrams, that's nothing. It's the equivalent of the baby aspirin. So their pill contains 100 milligrams of aspirin and 100 milligrams of glycine. And they have discovered that the anti-inflammatory effect of this composition is much stronger than the same amounts of glycine or aspirin taken separately. Wow. Yeah. So really it's the chronic inflammation in our body to which many of these essential amino acids and the polyunsaturated fats greatly contribute. That's kind of results in our eventual rundown and we literally start falling apart. And conversely, inhibiting a lot of those inflammatory reactions or preventing them to start with by restricting the inflammatory amino acids or restricting the dietary intake of PUFA, we can prevent a lot of these things happening in old age. In other words, we can increase at least the health span. We don't have to be frail and weak when we're 80. We can be robust and agile and healthy. There are people like that. I usually live in the mountains, right? You know, very, very natural lifestyle. Guess what? They don't need seed oils. They don't need processed foods, and certainly they don't take supplements that have like 20 ingredients in the label.

### Source 9 — STUDY: Glycine may treat depression; MEDIA: Glycine may cause depression

Georgi Dinkov · Article · May 26, 2023 · https://haidut.me/?p=2254

> The level of misreporting in mainstream media is reaching criminal levels. For example, there have been many studies discovering that an increase in the activity of the serotonin transporter (SERT), which results in lower levels of extracellular serotonin, results in alleviation of depression or resilience to its onset. In other words, LOW (extracellular) serotonin is therapeutic for depression. Invariably, the media took those studies and reported “High serotonin good for depression”, so basically the exact opposite of what the studies said. It looks like this charade is not isolated to serotonin (and estrogen), but is probably a general rule that media follows at the orders of its pharma sponsors. Case in point – the study below. It demonstrated that the activation of a specific receptor contributes to the development of depression, and animals lacking that receptor were remarkably resilient to developing depression. Ergo, a substance that inhibits said receptor would be therapeutic for depression. The amino acid glycine was found to be an inhibitor of that receptor and as such is expected to be therapeutic for depression, as well as anxiety and other mood disorders. The study authors even started a company developing synthetic inhibitors of said receptor as treatment for various mental disorders, and another article quoted the study author saying that the reason they are not pursuing glycine (or taurine) as antidepressant treatment is the lack of “selectivity” of those molecules for the receptor in question (GPR158). What did mainstream media report? You guess it – “glycine…likely contributing to major depression, anxiety and other mood disorders“. I think we are in a desperate need for a change in the laws protecting media for misleading the public on important health matters. While most people saw clearly the media failure in properly informing the public during the pandemic, the pandemic misdeeds of media are small peanuts compared to issues like the one discussed in this post since the latter affect the health of hundreds of millions of people around the world for decades, considering mental disorders are typically chronic conditions. Deliberately misreporting on such issues of public health should have legal repercussions. A doctor can lose his/her license for engaging in such misinformation repeatedly, even if the acts were not deliberate. Why should the media be treated any differently?

### Source 10 — #86: Reductive Stress | Exercise, Stress, and Weight Loss | Gelatin | The Collapse of Society with Georgi Dinkov

Georgi Dinkov · Interview · Jul 17, 2022 · https://open.spotify.com/episode/2oIATjMZiw9oqwtSKCyWz2

> **Georgi Dinkov:** I don't think that's from the insulin response, though. Glycine can actually lower the blood glucose, and that's one of the reasons why older studies use it for diabetes. But it's not the same mechanism as if you're injecting more insulin. I'll show you. The human studies showed lower insulin and... lower glucose response after a meal, which doesn't make any sense because you would expect basically, okay, if glycine, if that six grams of glycine lowered the glucose by increasing insulin, you would expect it to see the high insulin in the blood. Not only did it rise, it actually declined parallel to the glucose. So something in those amino acids helps the body utilize the glucose with less insulin. It could be somehow blunting the effects of cortisol, which rises after you eat, probably because of the rising endotoxin, which happens after almost every meal, especially in people over 30 with compromised gut barrier, et cetera. So it could be that, right? Because insulin and cortisol, they kind of go hand in hand. If you lower cortisol, you'll usually lower insulin as well. That drug, RU486, the abortion pill, which was actually developed as a cortisol blocker, it still is cortisol blocker, but when they gave, they actually, now they use it off-label for treating diabetes type 2, and it shows you basically that when you take that drug and it blocks the effects of cortisol, insulin levels decline. So the high insulin after a meal is probably, I mean, it could be just amino acids. The essential amino acids do have an insulinogenic effect, right? But basically, the high effect, the rise of insulin after a meal could also be just that, because of the elevated cortisol. And if you find a way to block the effects of cortisol, lower that rise in cortisol, maybe insulin doesn't need to rise as much. I don't know. Very interesting study, but human study, and not that high of a dose of glycine.

### Source 11 — How Your Microbiome Influences Your Dietary Recommendations - Discussion between Georgi Dinkov and Dr. Mercola

Georgi Dinkov · Interview · Apr 28, 2024 · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie7TLgKicN0

> **Georgi Dinkov:** There is a proposal now to make both taurine and glycine to be relabeled essential amino acids because without each one of them, we cannot produce bile acids. And without bile acids, there's no digestion, at least of the fats and the fat-soluble nutrients. So that may happen. They may actually become officially essential. But I agree with you that I think they're very, very essential regardless of their official classification.
>
> **Dr. Joseph Mercola:** Yeah, and if you can't afford it and you want to at least take a step in the right direction, then glycine will give you a lot of benefit. But, you know, it's the largest concentration of amino acids in collagen, for sure. But it's still not less than optimal.
>
> **Georgi Dinkov:** And one other thing about glycine, not many people realize it, but it's an actual neurotransmitter. That's kind of what proves its essentiality. Glycine is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord, and it's basically one of the major neurotransmitters that regulates gastrointestinal motility. So without sufficient amounts of glycine in the body, you'll have problems with digestion, even if you don't have an inflamed gastrointestinal tract.

_Generated 2026-07-20 from the Bioenergetic Oracle corpus._