Could glycine amino acid help people with mental health disorders such as schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder where someone suffers from the inability to tell the difference between what is real and what is not (delusional thoughts). The symptoms of schizophrenia can include hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, disorganized speech and thinking. These symptoms of this mental health problem disrupt work and social life.

A recent study was conducted at Harvard Medical School to determine if oral intake of glycine amino acids contributed to the treatment of schizophrenia. Previous studies showed that subjects who consumed glycine for two weeks showed signs of improvement.

Glycine is an amino acid, a natural compound that is produced by the consumption of protein in your diet. The amount of it in your diet is, however, very small.

For this specific study, the researchers at Harvard Medical School monitored oral glycine intake in 11 healthy adult men. The glycine intake in these subjects was monitored by using a non-invasive proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy technique to measure brain glycine changes.

The results showed a 38% increase in brain glycine ratio. The purpose of this study was to further understand the glycine dynamics in the human brain. Therefore, the findings are significant to future treatments of schizophrenia and other glutamate system dysfunctions.

The glutamate system is made up of neurotransmitters in the nervous system and glutamate receptors found throughout the brain and spinal cords. The glutamate system plays a huge role in normal physiological functions.

The results of this study suggest that people with schizophrenia and people with other physiological dysfunctions can benefit from oral glycine intake to help them control the mental disorder.

In other words, by taking glycine orally as a glycine dietary supplement, you may be able to control the symptoms of schizophrenia and other mental disorders.

To read further about the study, visit http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Oral%20glycine%20administration%20increases%20brain%20glycine%2Fcreatine%