Ingredient profile
Amino Acids in Glyco Defender: Seven Blend Lines, Each Weighing About a Milligram
The amino acids in Glyco Defender are L-glutamine, L-tyrosine, L-arginine, beta-alanine, GABA, L-tryptophan and L-carnitine HCl. They fill places 14 to 21 of the 15.47 mg blend, minus place 18, so each holds at most 1.1 mg per dropperful. Studies of these amino acids used grams a day, at least a thousand times more.
Written by the Glyco Defender label deskUpdated
The group01
Which amino acids are in Glyco Defender?
Glyco Defender lists seven amino acid lines: L-glutamine, L-tyrosine, L-arginine, beta-alanine, GABA, L-tryptophan and L-carnitine HCl.
They sit at the end of the blend, places 14 to 21. Place 18 is the licorice compound monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, covered with the other blend lines.
Strictly, L-carnitine is an amino acid derivative, and GABA is not a protein building block. We group all seven because the label lists them together.
Label profiles02
How much of each amino acid is in one dropperful of Glyco Defender?
Each amino acid line holds at most about 1 mg per dropperful. The ceiling falls from 1.1 mg for L-glutamine to 0.74 mg for L-carnitine.
The line in place k of the 15.47 mg blend weighs at most 15.47/k mg (21 CFR 101.36 (eCFR)). The seven profiles below show each ceiling next to the research.
| Name on the label | L-glutamine |
|---|---|
| What it is | Amino acid |
| Place on the label | 14 of 21 in the 15.47 mg proprietary blend |
| Amount per mL (1 dropperful) | Not listed; #14 of 21 in the 15.47 mg blend, so at most 1.1 mg per mL |
| Extract footnote | None printed |
| Amount used in research | About 15-45 g a day (sports studies) |
| Strength of evidence | Not supported for performance |
| Marketed or traditional use | Amino acid |
| Main caution | Generally well tolerated in studied doses. |
| Name on the label | L-Tyrosine |
|---|---|
| What it is | Amino acid |
| Place on the label | 15 of 21 in the 15.47 mg proprietary blend |
| Amount per mL (1 dropperful) | Not listed; #15 of 21 in the 15.47 mg blend, so at most 1.0 mg per mL |
| Extract footnote | None printed |
| Amount used in research | No verified dose source |
| Strength of evidence | Not established |
| Marketed or traditional use | Amino acid |
| Main caution | No verified safety source found; ask your doctor if you take thyroid or MAOI drugs. |
| Name on the label | L-Arginine |
|---|---|
| What it is | Amino acid |
| Place on the label | 16 of 21 in the 15.47 mg proprietary blend |
| Amount per mL (1 dropperful) | Not listed; #16 of 21 in the 15.47 mg blend, so at most 0.97 mg per mL |
| Extract footnote | None printed |
| Amount used in research | 2-20 g a day (sports studies) |
| Strength of evidence | Little or no performance benefit |
| Marketed or traditional use | Amino acid |
| Main caution | Can lower blood pressure. |
| Name on the label | Beta Alanine |
|---|---|
| What it is | Amino acid |
| Place on the label | 17 of 21 in the 15.47 mg proprietary blend |
| Amount per mL (1 dropperful) | Not listed; #17 of 21 in the 15.47 mg blend, so at most 0.91 mg per mL |
| Extract footnote | None printed |
| Amount used in research | 1.6-6.4 g a day |
| Strength of evidence | Mixed (exercise only) |
| Marketed or traditional use | Amino acid |
| Main caution | Harmless tingling at 800 mg or more, far above this blend. |
| Name on the label | GABA (Gamma Aminobutyric Acid) |
|---|---|
| What it is | Amino acid |
| Place on the label | 19 of 21 in the 15.47 mg proprietary blend |
| Amount per mL (1 dropperful) | Not listed; #19 of 21 in the 15.47 mg blend, so at most 0.81 mg per mL |
| Extract footnote | None printed |
| Amount used in research | No verified dose source |
| Strength of evidence | Not established |
| Marketed or traditional use | Amino acid |
| Main caution | No verified safety source found. |
| Name on the label | L-Tryptophan |
|---|---|
| What it is | Amino acid |
| Place on the label | 20 of 21 in the 15.47 mg proprietary blend |
| Amount per mL (1 dropperful) | Not listed; #20 of 21 in the 15.47 mg blend, so at most 0.77 mg per mL |
| Extract footnote | None printed |
| Amount used in research | No blood sugar dose established |
| Strength of evidence | Not established |
| Marketed or traditional use | Amino acid |
| Main caution | Do not combine with MAOIs or other serotonin drugs without advice. |
| Name on the label | L-Carnitine HCl |
|---|---|
| What it is | Amino acid derivative |
| Place on the label | 21 of 21 in the 15.47 mg proprietary blend |
| Amount per mL (1 dropperful) | Not listed; #21 of 21 in the 15.47 mg blend, so at most 0.74 mg per mL |
| Extract footnote | None printed |
| Amount used in research | 2-3 g a day (type 2 diabetes studies) |
| Strength of evidence | Some glucose improvement; more trials needed |
| Marketed or traditional use | Fat metabolism |
| Main caution | Fishy odor and stomach upset at about 3 g. |
Dose gap03
Why are amino acid study doses so much larger than Glyco Defender's?
Amino acid studies use grams because the body already handles grams of them from food. A milligram is one-thousandth of a gram.
Arginine was tested at 2-20 g a day, beta-alanine at 1.6-6.4 g, and carnitine at 2-3 g in type 2 diabetes trials (NIH ODS, Exercise & Athletic Performance) (NIH ODS, Carnitine).
The low carnitine dose, 2 g, is 2,000 mg. A dropperful holds at most 0.74 mg, so matching it would take more than 2,700 dropperfuls.
L-carnitine04
Does L-carnitine in Glyco Defender help blood sugar?
Not at this dose. A meta-analysis of type 2 diabetes trials using 2-3 g of carnitine a day found lower fasting glucose, and larger trials are still needed (NIH ODS, Carnitine).
The body makes its own carnitine, so healthy people rarely need more. About 3 g a day can bring nausea and a fishy body odor, a dose thousands of times above the drops.
Glyco Defender: from $49 a bottle30 mL · 1, 3 or 6 bottles · free US shipping on 6 · 60-day money-back guarantee
See packsL-tryptophan05
Is the L-tryptophan in Glyco Defender safe?
At most 0.77 mg per dropperful is a tiny amount, but L-tryptophan has two cautions worth knowing.
In 1989, contaminated L-tryptophan supplements were tied to eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome. More than 1,500 people were affected and 37 deaths were attributed to it; nearly all cases traced to one maker (NORD, Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome).
L-tryptophan should not be combined with MAO inhibitors, tramadol or other serotonin-raising products without medical advice (Drugs.com, L-tryptophan). Keep taking prescribed medicine exactly as directed, and ask your pharmacist before adding the drops.
The others06
Do arginine, glutamine, beta-alanine, tyrosine and GABA do anything here?
At about a milligram each, probably not. Even at gram doses, exercise research found little benefit from arginine or glutamine (NIH ODS, Exercise & Athletic Performance).
Arginine can lower blood pressure at large doses (MSKCC, Arginine). Beta-alanine causes harmless tingling only from 800 mg. We found no verified dose source for tyrosine or GABA. See supplements and diabetes medicines.
Next ingredient07
Where do the amino acids fit in the Glyco Defender formula?
They are the last seven of 22 label lines and the lightest part of the blend.
See all 22 on the ingredients page or the Supplement Facts panel.
FAQ08
Amino acid questions
How much L-carnitine is in Glyco Defender?
At most 0.74 mg per dropperful. L-carnitine HCl is the last of 21 blend lines, so it cannot outweigh any line above it. Type 2 diabetes trials of carnitine used 2-3 g a day, thousands of times more. The body also makes its own carnitine.
Is the L-tryptophan in Glyco Defender linked to the 1989 EMS outbreak?
No link to this product is known. The 1989 outbreak came from contaminated L-tryptophan, and nearly all cases traced to one manufacturer's products. Glyco Defender lists at most 0.77 mg per dropperful. Its manufacturer is not named on the label, only the distributor in Ogden, Utah.
Can I take Glyco Defender's L-tryptophan with an antidepressant?
Ask your doctor or pharmacist first. L-tryptophan should not be used without medical advice alongside MAO inhibitors, tramadol and other serotonin-raising products. The dose is tiny, at most 0.77 mg per dropperful, but a professional should still check your full medicine list against the label.
Will the beta-alanine in Glyco Defender cause tingling?
Very unlikely. Harmless tingling shows up with single beta-alanine doses of 800 mg or more. A dropperful of Glyco Defender holds at most 0.91 mg, nearly 900 times less than that threshold. Safety data for beta-alanine cover 1.6-6.4 g a day.
Does the L-arginine in Glyco Defender affect blood pressure?
Not at this dose, as far as studies show. Arginine can lower blood pressure, and slightly lower readings appeared at 9-30 g a day. A dropperful holds at most 0.97 mg, more than nine thousand times less than 9 g. Ask first if you take blood pressure pills.
Why are amino acids listed last in the Glyco Defender blend?
Because they weigh the least. Blend lines must be listed from most to least by weight, so the amino acids in places 14 to 21 hold the smallest shares. Each one is at most about 1 mg per dropperful, and an even split would give about 0.74 mg.
Who wrote this09
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the label, the sales page and linked NIH, FDA, CDC, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is run by a licensed U.S. retail desk for Glyco Defender, not by the manufacturer or the label's distributor. Buying through our order links earns us money.
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