Glycine and Alanine: What Amino Acids Do for Metabolism

Two of the newest additions to the formula are amino acids most people have never thought about outside a biology class — here's what they're actually doing.

Amino acids, briefly

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Some are "essential" (the body can't make them and must get them from food), while others — including glycine and alanine — are "non-essential," meaning the body can synthesize them internally as well as obtain them from diet.

What glycine does

Glycine is abundant in gelatin and collagen. Research interest in the metabolic-support category centers on its studied role in gut-hormone signaling and glucose metabolism — some evidence suggests it may influence insulin secretion and how the body handles glucose after meals.

What alanine does

Alanine plays a well-established role in the glucose-alanine cycle, a metabolic pathway that shuttles nitrogen from muscle tissue to the liver, supporting glucose production — particularly active around protein-rich meals and physical activity.

Why both, together

Glycine and alanine approach glucose metabolism from related but distinct angles. Including both reflects a formula strategy of covering a mechanism (blood sugar handling) from multiple directions rather than relying on a single amino acid.

The honest evidence caveat

Most of the research behind both amino acids uses doses higher than what's typically found in a gummy supplement, and human evidence at food-derived doses remains preliminary for both. They're reasonable, low-risk additions with plausible mechanisms — not proven standalone solutions.

Read the full Glycine ingredient page → · Read the full Alanine ingredient page →