Glycine Unit Converter

Glycine is the smallest and simplest amino acid. It is classified as conditionally essential, meaning the body can produce it, but under certain conditions demand may exceed what the body makes on its own.

Glycine is a building block for proteins, especially collagen, where it makes up roughly one in every three amino acids. It also serves as a precursor for glutathione, creatine, heme, and purines.

In the nervous system, glycine acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, helping to regulate neuronal excitability. Measuring plasma glycine can help identify metabolic disorders and assess overall amino acid status.

Glycine is produced in the body primarily from the amino acid serine, through a reaction catalyzed by serine hydroxymethyltransferase. It is also obtained from dietary protein, especially collagen-rich foods such as bone broth, gelatin, meat, and fish skin.