Tier 4 — mechanistic

GlyNAC (Glycine and N -Acetylcysteine) Supplementation Improves Impaired Mitochondrial Fuel Oxidation and Lowers Insulin Resistance in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Results of a Pilot Study

Sekhar RV
Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) 2022 11(1):154

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 35052658
PubMed Central
PMC8773349
DOI
10.3390/antiox11010154
Funding
Seed funding from Baylor College of Medicine.
Competing interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignExploratory human intervention
ModelAdult humans
Sample10 adults with type 2 diabetes and 10 unsupplemented nondiabetic controls
InterventionGlyNAC supplementation; combined glycine and NAC
Duration14 days
EndpointsMitochondrial fuel oxidation; Insulin resistance; Free fatty acids

What the study showed, in plain terms

A small diabetes pilot reported changes in fuel oxidation and insulin resistance after GlyNAC. The study supplies proof-of-concept for the combined precursors rather than a definitive diabetes treatment.

Key findings

  • Fasted mitochondrial fat oxidation increased by a reported 30%.
  • The insulin-resistance estimate decreased by a reported 22%.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Uncontrolled treated group, brief exposure and surrogate outcomes.

Control participants did not have diabetes; neither placebo control nor glycine-only attribution is available.

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