The Best Anti-Aging Advice I Wish I Knew
In a Nutshell
Glycine deficiency—caused by modern diets lacking collagen-rich nose-to-tail animal parts—shortfalls us by ~10g daily (body makes 3g, diet provides 1.5-2g), despite the body triaging it for critical uses like heme production, glutathione, GABA, bile salts, immune regulation, and structural tissues (skin, bones, arteries). Chronic shortages drive inflammation, arthritis, poor sleep, weak bones/tendons, leaky gut, and premature aging. Fix by consuming collagen (food or powder) with vitamin C, mimicking ancestral eating.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
I am 61 years old, and I want to give you the best advice that I wish I knew in my 40s. Most people don't know this. It has nothing to do with avoiding starch, sugar, or seed oil, or missing a workout. It's a nutrient deficiency, classified as non-essential, but actually very essential. There's no RDA for it. Based on hardcore data, we need 15 g per day. The body makes 3 g. In the diet, most people get 1.5-2 g. This leaves us short by 10 g every day. The nutrient is glycine.
Glycine is classified as non-essential merely because the body makes it. Any amino acid the body makes is considered non-essential. They never asked how much you actually need.
You don't get much glycine from meat, eggs, fish. Most glycine comes from collagen. Ancestors consumed animals nose-to-tail. Now we eat tender meat with little collagen: an average tender steak has 1-3% collagen. 30% of body protein is collagen, but we're not getting it.
Glycine is a foundational amino acid, the smallest, oldest (3.8 billion years ago). Dr. Alan Jackson from University of Southampton states there are 20 amino acids and only three should be called non-essential; glycine is not one of them. 95% of adults are chronically short on glycine.
The body triages nutrients, allocating to most important survival purposes first.
Sign in to read the full notes
Get access to AI-generated notes, topic timestamps, and more.