Open Food Labels. Search 352 ingredients⌘K

E640

Glycine and its sodium salt

What the research shows

Prototype

No concerns

none of the findings here link it to harm

3 health findings on this page, 2 in people · See the findings

A building block of proteins that tastes sweet.

It is used as a food additive and nutritional supplement.

Written from English Wikipedia1

  • May not be vegan
  • May not be vegetarian
  • EU permitted

What research says

Studies in people

  • Benefit

    Aging and physical function2

    In older adults, a supplement with glycine and NAC improved signs of aging and physical function.

  • Benefit

    Aging and muscle health3

    In older adults, taking glycine with NAC improved strength, walking speed and memory, but benefits faded after stopping.

Animal and lab studies only

  • Open question

    Body's antioxidant defenses5

    In animal studies, glycine raised glutathione, but scientists do not yet know whether it does the same in people.

Study type not stated

  • Open question

    Muscle strength and recovery4

    Glycine may help muscle strength and recovery, but scientists do not yet know if it truly works in people.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Regulatory status

Checked Sep 2026

Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating. A country appears here once we've found this ingredient on its official list.

How we check

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 251 products on Open Food Facts that list glycine and its sodium salt.

  • Super Orange Flavored Fizzy Drink Mix Emergen-C · 9.1 g 6 additives
  • Bisglycinate de magnesium Webber 3 additives
  • Mama Vihanneksenmakuinen nuudeli MAMA · 60 g 7 additives
  • Raspberry Emergen-C · 0.32oz 9.1 g 5 additives
  • Emergen-C Emergen-C · 30 sachets x 9.1 g 7 additives
  • Sogokimyun Samyang · 120 g 10 additives

References

  1. 1Glycine. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026.
  2. 2Kumar P, Liu C, Suliburk J, et al. Supplementing Glycine and N-Acetylcysteine (GlyNAC) in Older Adults Improves Glutathione Deficiency, Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Inflammation, Physical Function, and Aging Hallmarks: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2023;78(1):75-89. doi:10.1093/gerona/glac135
  3. 3Kumar P, Liu C, Hsu JW, et al. Glycine and N-acetylcysteine (GlyNAC) supplementation in older adults improves glutathione deficiency, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, genotoxicity, muscle strength, and cognition: Results of a pilot clinical trial. Clin Transl Med. 2021;11(3):e372. doi:10.1002/ctm2.372
  4. 4Ramos-Jiménez A, Hernández-Torres RP, Hernández-Ontiveros DA, et al. An Update of the Promise of Glycine Supplementation for Enhancing Physical Performance and Recovery. Sports (Basel). 2024;12(10). doi:10.3390/sports12100265
  5. 5McCarty MF, O'Keefe JH, DiNicolantonio JJ. Dietary Glycine Is Rate-Limiting for Glutathione Synthesis and May Have Broad Potential for Health Protection. Ochsner J. 2018;18(1):81-87.