While the amino acid glycine may be the smallest and simplest of the amino acids, don’t let its unassuming nature fool you. The fact is that the “non-essential” amino acid glycine is beginning to gain the respect of scientific researchers who have come to find that the far-reaching metabolic effects of this compound are nothing short of amazing.
Gycine may not be a household word yet, but as the research into this previously neglected amino acid continues to grow, more and more of its therapeutic actions are coming to light – often exceeding the expectations of even the researchers themselves.
And as the ONLY whey protein isolate with added glycine, Integrated Supplements CFM Whey Protein Isolate is the only whey protein supplement that can bring you the benefits whey protein along with the benefits of glycine in a convenient and enjoyable form. And isn’t it nice when something you enjoy is actually BETTER for you than you previously thought?
In previous blog articles we’ve looked at the remarkable benefits of whey protein, and we’d like to turn our attention for a while to the actions of the amino acid glycine, and show you just how the synergistic combination of whey protein isolate and glycine delivers you health-promoting effects unmatched by any other protein supplement on the market today.
Glycine – Do We Get Enough?
Glycine is considered a “non-essential” amino acid because our bodies have the ability to produce it from other amino acids, but just because a nutrient is deemed non-essential doesn’t mean that dietary intake is unimportant, quite the contrary, in fact. Like so much else in the field of human nutrition, our bodies ability to produce glycine, and our bodies ability to produce glycine in optimal amounts are two different things entirely.
For example, glycine is involved in the production of collagen, the fibrous material of our skin, tendons, bones, cartilage, and all connective tissue, and for centuries many cultures have advocated the use of gelatin-rich broths to support healthy joints as gelatin is the richest food source of glycine.
And Glycine is also involved in the production of many other important biomolecules as well:
Creatine
Hemoglobin
DNA and RNA
Bile Salts
Glutatione (the immune-boosting and cellular protective chemical which whey protein also supports the production of)
And in situations of ill-health, stress, and injury our levels of glycine production can become largely inadequate to meet our bodies’ demands.
But the problem is only worsened by the relatively glycine-poor diet of many industrialized countries. We no longer eat the slow-cooked and gelatin-rich broths, and animal stocks which our ancestors ate. We eat predominantly muscle meats which are largely deficient in glycine. Mention gelatin to somebody these days and they immediately think of that jiggly dessert – an indulgence which is unfortunately not quite sufficient to meet our glycine needs.
Glycine and Inflammation
In addition to being an integral component of our structure, and many important molecules in our body, glycine also has the ability to significantly reduce inflammation.
Studies have repeatedly shown glycine’s ability to protect against the huge increase in inflammation involved in septic shock (toxins in the blood) resulting from surgery or injury, and organ rejection in cases of transplantation.
While you may not lose sleep at night worrying about septic shock or complications from organ transplantation, here’s the take home lesson for all of us:
We are all being slowly poisoned by the toxins in our gastrointestinal tract
Now, I know, you’ve seen the websites and late night infomercials where shady-looking characters try to convince you that you’re loaded with undefined “toxins” only to sell you crazy concoctions loaded with laxative herbs – but that’s not exactly what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about some legitimate mainstream science.
Just What Are These "Toxins?"
Septic shock is an extreme example of what happens when toxins – in particular toxic bacteria from our gastrointestinal tract, called endotoxin, are leaked into the bloodstream. While full-blown septic shock is commonly associated with surgery complications or massive injury, low level “endotoxin poisoning” is something which we all need to be concerned with to some extent, and should aim to reduce as much as possible. Even in seemingly healthy individuals, toxic bacteria can enter our bloodstream based on our level of gastrointestinal permeability.
Gastrointestinal permeability is an indication of how porous or “leaky” our intestines are. The higher the level of our gastrointestinal permeability the more undigested food and toxic bacteria can enter into our bloodstream leading to all sorts of immune and metabolic disturbances.
And it doesn’t take much – many seemingly mundane things can cause an increase in gastrointestinal permeability if they reduce blood flow to the intestines, (stress, exercise, or minor injury), or compounds can cause an increase in gastrointestinal permeability if they are directly toxic to the intestinal cells (food additives like carrageenan, and artificial colors), and yet other factors like infection, and estrogen can also increase gastrointestinal permeability.
Inflammation and Exercise
While you may think of injury or surgery as only occasional stresses, many activities which people engage in everyday can be similarly harmful. For example, excessive or improper exercise can have many physiological parallels with more obvious stresses such as injury and surgery.
Take for example this quote from a study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology:
"The clinical syndrome known as the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), which embodies uncontrolled inflammation in trauma and sepsis, is reproduced in its entirety by vigourous exercise. . ."
Study: The gut as a potential trigger of exercise-induced inflammatory responses
The training of athletes (endurance athletes in particular) can be a huge stress which often puts these individuals under a huge inflammatory burden. Their immune systems are notoriously weakened, and not only is their gastrointestinal permeability increased, but actual bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract has been observed in marathon runners.
Consequently, it’s not entirely uncommon for untrained athletes who push themselves too hard to have shock-like reactions. What’s happening in this situation is a whirlwind of inflammation in the blood is being caused by the foreign bacteria entering through a compromised digestive tract.
This over-reactivity of the immune system (i.e. inflammation) can cause serious damage, can lead to health complications (e.g. autoimmune disorders) and can sometimes prove fatal. So from a strictly biological perspective, exercise, if done improperly, can be decidedly harmful.
Glycine to the Rescue
In simple terms glycine helps to shut off the inflammation caused by the over-active white blood cells of the immune system. It has been shown to do this in endotoxin poisoning from surgery situations or injury, certainly; but it can also protect us from the more mundane inflammatory assault of exercise as well.
In a more technical sense, glycine reduces inflammation by inhibiting the production of an inflammatory chemical known as tumor necrosis factor-a, or TNF-a. Chronically increased levels of TNF-a are associated with a host of diseases, including diabetes, and ironically enough, cancer, so glycine taken regularly may have long-term health benefits as well.
And as we’ve previously stated Integrated Supplements CFM Whey Protein Isolate is the ONLY whey protein isolate supplement with added glycine, so not only do you get the immune-boosting, and muscle building benefits of the highest quality whey protein, but you get the anti-inflammatory and protective effects of glycine as well.
And did we mention it tastes GREAT?
It truly is an athlete’s best friend.
More info on the amazing glycine coming soon – stay tuned.
