Tier 2 — strong

Glycine treatment decreases proinflammatory cytokines and increases interferon-gamma in patients with type 2 diabetes

Cruz M, Maldonado-Bernal C, Mondragón-Gonzalez R, Sanchez-Barrera R, Wacher NH, Carvajal-Sandoval G, Kumate J
Journal of endocrinological investigation 2008 31(8):694-699

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 18852529
DOI
10.1007/bf03346417
Funding
Funding was not specified in the indexed abstract; the full funding disclosure has not been verified.
Competing interests
The accessible abstract does not establish the authors' competing interests; absence of a statement is not evidence of no conflicts.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized controlled human intervention
ModelAdult humans
Sample74 adults with type 2 diabetes
InterventionGlycine 5 g three times daily, 15 g/day total, versus placebo
Duration3 months
EndpointsHbA1c; TNF receptor I; Interferon-gamma

What the study showed, in plain terms

This trial reported lower HbA1c and selected inflammatory changes with glycine in people with type 2 diabetes. It provides a clinical signal requiring confirmation, rather than evidence to replace standard treatment.

Key findings

  • HbA1c and TNF-receptor I were lower in the glycine group after treatment.
  • Interferon-gamma responses differed between groups.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Single modest-sized study with disease-specific participants and several biomarkers.

The indexed dose wording is awkward; the three-times-daily regimen corresponds to 15 g/day, not 5 g/day total.

Related papers in the corpus

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Effect of glycine on insulin secretion and action in healthy first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients
González-Ortiz M et al. · Hormone and metabolic research = Hormon- und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones et metabolisme · 2001
Tier 2
Oral supplementation with glycine reduces oxidative stress in patients with metabolic syndrome, improving their systolic blood pressure
Díaz-Flores M et al. · Canadian journal of physiology and pharmacology · 2013
Tier 4
Metabolic impact of dietary glycine supplementation in individuals with severe obesity
Tan HC et al. · Scientific reports · 2025
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De Novo Glycine Synthesis Is Reduced in Adults With Morbid Obesity and Increases Following Bariatric Surgery
Tan HC et al. · Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022
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Low serum glycine strengthens the association between branched-chain amino acids and impaired insulin sensitivity assessed before and after weight loss in a population with pre-diabetes: The PREVIEW_NZ cohort
Lim JJ et al. · Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2024

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction