Alopecia or hair loss can occur and recur due to various factors. It could be a temporary or permanent condition and might also be related to genetics, stress, trauma, or even your diet. They say that what you eat is what you become, and it even has something to do with hair growth quality. What you do to your hair and eat every day affects your hair count and density.
Hence, your diet and hair care products need to have a substantial amount of glycine, an essential nutrient that can ultimately prevent your locks from suffering hair loss problems. Explore more about glycine and its power to win against alopecia.
All About Glycine: 3 Things to Remember about Glycine
Proteins are molecules mainly responsible for the formation, growth, development, and functions of all cells, tissues, and organs in the body. When you consume proteins, they are broken down into amino acids to be used by the liver to produce and allocate proteins to different tissues and organs.
Your body needs tons of amino acids, with glycine being one of the essentials to create new proteins. What is glycine? First, glycine is an amino acid that not only aids tissue formation but also interacts with hormones and enzymes in the body. Second, it is naturally produced by the liver and kidneys and obtained from food intake. And of course, it is also an amino acid that aids in keratin formation, the protein that makes up your hair strands.
However, glycine has something to do with more than just being an amino acid. Why is glycine a significant asset for boosting hair growth? How can it prevent hair loss from occurring? Below are the following benefits your hair can get from glycine.
Glycine and Antioxidants: How Are They Related?
Glycine is best known for being an instigator in the production of various antioxidants in the body. Check out how glycine assists the following antioxidants in their functions.
1. Glutathione
Hair loss can happen when oxidative stress causes free radicals to attack and shrink your hair follicles. What you need then is a powerful antioxidant to thwart oxidative activities from harming your hair. For instance, glutathione has become a popular antioxidant for most women, for it helps them have glowing skin, healthier hair, and a sturdier immune system. It is, in fact, a substance made up of different amino acids, with glycine being one of its primary building blocks.
Most supplements claim to have glutathione, but in reality, your liver can naturally produce this antioxidant to protect most of your cells from oxidative activities. However, without the amino acids glycine, cysteine, and glutamic acid, your body won’t be able to produce and reproduce glutathione.
2. Collagen
You can also find a high amount of glycine in collagen, the most copious protein in your body. Glycine is the chief amino acid for collagen production. Having abundant collagen in the body is essential because it is mainly responsible for connective tissue formation. However, the appearance of free radicals serves as a threat to health. They can attack your cells and break them apart, resulting in any or all of the following: saggy skin, hair loss, brittle bones, and organ malfunction.
But don’t worry, for collagen does not only connect tissues and organs but is also associated with antioxidant activities. In fact, collagen protects your connective tissues from free radical damage, and because of this, your body also naturally synthesizes collagen to keep things in order. However, without enough glycine in the body, less collagen will be produced and drastically affect your health and overall appearance.
3. Soy Protein
Your body does not produce all antioxidants. In fact, you can obtain proteins from fruits, vegetables, and herbs. For instance, soybeans contain soy proteins which also happen to have antioxidant properties against free radical damage. However, these beans don’t just happen to be called Glycine max L for nothing. Soybeans are among the richest sources of amino acid glycine. Protein makes up 95% of soy, which calls for glycine's aid to synthesize these soy proteins.
The Glorious Effects of Glycine on Hair Growth
How does glycine affect the hair growth process? Here are the things you should know about glycine and its wondrous repercussions on hair growth.
1. It protects your hair follicles against oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress triggers free radical formation, resulting in hair follicle miniaturization, stunted hair growth, or worst – hair loss. Glycine can help solve these hair-related problems since it serves as a building block of various proteins that can keep free radicals at bay.
2. It assists in the growth of new and healthy hair strands.
Glycine also assists in the formation of new hair strands. Keratin is the fibrous building block of every hair strand, and so is glycine. Hence, for keratinization to happen and form your hair strands, your body needs enough amino acids, especially glycine.
3. It can also help prevent stress-induced hair growth issues.
Stress is a threat to hair growth because it can induce various hair growth issues, the worst one being alopecia. Hence, one needs to evade any means of suffering from chronic stress.
Studies show that glycine aids in the production of serotonin or hormones that calm a person's mood. In turn, glycine stimulates high-quality sleep by reducing the cortisol or stress hormone levels in the body.
How Can You Raise Your Body’s Glycine Levels?
Your body may have some lapses and end up having inadequate glycine in the body, which could inhibit antioxidant activities in the long run. Here are the following glycine-enriched sources that can help raise your body’s glycine levels for protein synthesis.
1. Soy Products
As mentioned earlier, soybeans contain high glycine levels, and incorporating soy products into your diet will suffice your body’s need for this amino acid.
2. Animal Meat
Glycine is an essential amino acid of proteins, which means that protein-packed animal meat is also rich in amino acids, including glycine. Hence, always include chicken, duck, pork, or beef in your meals if you want a good serving of glycine.
3. Fish
Fish also has proteins with glycine, plus it has lesser calories compared to animal meat. Not only that, but you’ll also obtain fatty acids and collagen which are also crucial to healthy hair growth.
4. Bone Broth
Boiling animal bones in hot water allows you to make your soup. However, bone broth does more than warming your body and enriching flavors. The good news is that bone broth has been considered a rich source of glycine because the bones are very abundant with collagen, and so is glycine in every connective tissue and bone.
5. Seeds and Nuts
Glycine has also been known for promoting plant growth, which explains why it is also present in most plants. Studies show that glycine-enriched proteins are present in plant cell walls. Not only that, but most seeds also contain more than three grams of glycine per 100-g serving. Some edible seeds that contain glycine are pistachio, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and chia seeds. On the other hand, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, Macadamia nuts, and walnuts can serve as your nutty sources of glycine.
6. Dairy Products
Milk and other dairy-based foods and drinks such as cheese, butter, yogurt, condensed milk, and ice cream have glycine since milk has proteins, too. Glycine is also one of the reasons why lukewarm milk can make your sleep better because it stimulates serotonin production, making you feel calm and comfortable.
Can Collagen Supplements Help Increase Glycine Intake?
It is rare for someone to have low glycine levels since glycine is naturally produced in the body. However, certain conditions such as genetic mutations, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity can cause glycine levels to drop drastically. The decrease can adversely affect various bodily functions that depend on amino acids.
In this case, you will need high-protein meals with substantial dosages of glycine, but if you suffer from glycine deficiency, you will need more than those. Besides eating nutritious meals made from glycine-enriched foods, collagen supplements have been taken into account as instigators of glycine absorption in the body. Yes, collagen’s primary amino acid is glycine, and consuming these supplements may also increase glycine levels in your body. In turn, you are also helping your body produce glutathione, another antioxidant that needs glycine as an amino acid.
Glycine Can Give The Protection Your Hair Needs Against Hair Loss.
Glycine might not be as popular as other components, but it is an essential nutrient that your body should adequately produce to boost keratinization. Glycine also promotes epithelial cell proliferation that your scalp also needs. Therefore, it would be best to ensure that your diet is rich both in animal and plant proteins, especially those with glycine, to help instigate keratinization.
Stimulate Hair Growth with the Help of Amino Acids.
No one should experience hair growth problems such as thinning hair and alopecia. Hence, always treat your hair like no other with the best protein-enriched hair growth shampoo and conditioner. You may also opt to take some hair supplements with glycine and vitamins for hair growth.