Monday, January 29, 2024

RANT: Malic Acid and Glycine Interaction

 As stated earlier, my only goal for 2024 is to do better than 2023, which is not asking for much.  So far, it is NOT happening.  I rang in the New Year recovering from the flu.  Then, 2 days later, an adrenal spike hit, which forced me to take mega doses of Thym-Adren.  That’s to be expected after solving a major problem (Candida) and it died down after 20 days just as quickly as it sprang up.   Nevertheless, improvement was strong and steady for the first 3 weeks of the year.  Every 1 Mile time trial was faster than the previous attempt, by a wide margin.  Same with the 2 mile and the 5K. 

In spite of minimal training and moderate drinking in Punta Cana, I still showed improvement.  My 2.5 mile pace was slightly faster than my previous 2-miler and though it wasn’t pretty, I finished a 5-miler without a total meltdown.  Hopes were beginning to rise, and I had aspirations of being ready for a couple of local races by early Spring.  I didn’t expect to set the world on fire but a time around 26-27 minutes for the 5K would have been nice.  I even looked into international races and was pleased to see that 3 bucket list races (Rio, Santiago, Cape Town) have companion 10Ks in addition to the full and half marathon distances.    

That’s my history in recent years.  Just as hopes begin to rise, I get slammed down when I least expect it.  A relapse because the adrenal spike went down?  Fine.  That’s totally understandable and it’s good news in the long run because I’m less dependent on one pill.  Taking adrenal suppressants when your function has slowed will leave any person very sluggish.  It’s the same as taking thyroid meds when you are already hyper.  A 1–2-day blip after I realize what’s happening followed by a quick rebound?  Nope!  Glycine intolerance flared up out of nowhere. 

After a week of trial and mostly error, I finally realized that I am getting a negative interaction between Malic acid and Glycine.  I found no evidence that this is normal.  Upping my Cytokine suppressants (Autoimmune) did nothing to help.  Neither did Probiotics or detox spray.  The form of Magnesium that I had been taking is Magnesium Malate, but I had only been taking it occasionally.  I discovered this weekend that if I don’t take the Malate, I NEED the Glycine.  If I do take the Malate, I CANNOT TOLERATE the Glycine.   WHAT THE _____________________!!!!!!!  Nothing new for me but I’ve never heard of anything like this from others!   It’s not just the pills either.  I cannot even eat strawberries because they are rich in malic acid. 

Lots of people take Magnesium Glycinate. Yes, indeed I have read that it's NORMALLY FINE to take Malate and Glycinate together but it’s obviously NOT an option for me.  It must be one or the other.  I will opt for the Malate.  If I take the Glycinate instead, I could end up intolerant to certain fruits with Malic acid such as apples and strawberries.  Again, WHAT THE __________________!!  What could be causing this if it’s not Cytokine dysregulation?  Possible malabsorption is the only thing that I suspect. 

I will try again to get my diet back on track then see if the intolerance and interactions have improved.  If that fails, I don’t see how I can manage this on my own.  Can’t I just avoid the Glycine especially if I may not even need it?  No.  Inexplicable negative reactions to minerals or amino acids will not be tolerated.  In the future, I will most probably develop a sudden intolerance to something that I really do need as a key part of my treatment.    I must harass the Rheumatologist until I get an appointment but I’m not very confident in their treatment plan either. 

UPDATE:

I saw a big improvement after taking B12.  Perhaps, it really is malabsorption due to a severe vitamin deficiency.  


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