Tier 4 — mechanistic

Glycine Metabolism and Its Alterations in Obesity and Metabolic Diseases

Alves A, Bassot A, Bulteau AL, Pirola L, Morio B
Nutrients 2019 11(6):E1356

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 31208147
PubMed Central
PMC6627940
DOI
10.3390/nu11061356
Funding
No dedicated funding statement was identified in the retrieved full text; this does not establish absence of funding.
Competing interests
No dedicated competing-interest declaration was identified in the retrieved full text; absence of a statement is not evidence of no conflicts.

Study snapshot

DesignNarrative review
ModelHuman and preclinical literature
SampleReview of glycine in obesity, diabetes and fatty-liver research
InterventionGlycine metabolism and strategies to alter availability
DurationNot applicable; review
EndpointsOne-carbon metabolism; Glutathione; Obesity-associated hypoglycinemia

What the study showed, in plain terms

This review connects low circulating glycine with obesity-related metabolic pathways and discusses possible reasons for reduced availability. It distinguishes a metabolic biomarker from an established treatment target.

Key findings

  • Diet, liver metabolism and gut microbiota may influence glycine availability.
  • Low glycine is repeatedly observed in metabolic disease.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Narrative review spanning experimental and clinical evidence.

Observed deficiency does not establish that supplementation corrects disease outcomes.

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Insulin resistance and glycine metabolism in humans
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Alterations in glycine metabolism in obesity and chronic metabolic diseases - an update on new advances
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Glycine as a conditionally essential amino acid and its relationship to l-serine
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Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

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