Glycine Supplements Could Improve Metabolic Syndrome

To further explore, Dr H. Hossenzadeh and Dr M.Imenshahidi reviewed the current evidence supporting the role of glycine in the development and treatment of metabolic syndrome components. They searched the Scopus, PubMed and EMBASE databases for papers concerning glycine and metabolic syndrome.

Key findings of the study:

• The researchers noted that the amount of glycine synthesized in vivo is insufficient to meet metabolic demands in these species.
• Upon analysis, they found that plasma glycine levels were lower in patients with metabolic syndrome than in healthy individuals.
• They also found that interventions such as lifestyle modification, exercise, weight loss, or drugs that improve manifestations of metabolic syndrome remarkably increase circulating glycine concentrations.

The authors concluded, "Glycine supplementation improves various components of metabolic syndrome including diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. In the future, the use of glycine may have a significant clinical impact on the treatment of patients with metabolic syndrome."

For further information:

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-021-01720-3