Question
I took your advice a couple of weeks ago and started taking glycerine before bed to minimize having to wake up to use the washroom multiple times each night and it’s been working great so far!
Two quick questions I have however are:
1.) Is two teaspoons of glycerine (approx. 10g on my kitchen scale) too high of a dose?
2.) Are there any downsides to long term use especially in the context of a lower carbohydrate diet?
Answer
First, I’m glad you’re finding this tip useful. In all the years I’ve done this show and all the tips I’ve given, this is the one I get the most positive feedback on.
In any case, NO I don’t think 2 teaspoons of glycerine is too high of a dose. In fact, I was using two TABLESPOONS at one point.
More on Glycerine
NOTE ON THAT: Glycerine is sickly sweet, and too much in the stomach isn’t fun. You need to either dilute it in water or gradually build up to using amounts more than say, a teaspoon.
It’s considered to be very safe though.
For example: In 1959, Glycerine was first given GRAS status (generally recognized as safe) by the (FDA) under a “miscellaneous food additive” heading.
In 1961, it was reclassified as a miscellaneous and general purpose food additive.
In 1977, it was reclassified and recodified as a multiple purpose GRAS food substance.
Glycerine is currently listed as GRAS in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) as a multiple purpose GRAS food substance (21CFR 182.1320) and as a substance migrating from paper and paperboard products: (21CFR 182.90) for use in certain food packaging materials.
Like everything else though, just go slow as GI distress and that sickly sweet thing can be quite unpleasant.
Downsides
Downsides to using on a low carb diet?
Well, it’s a carbohydrate. But as we know, all carbs sure aren’t the same.
The real question in my mind is: Will consuming some glycerine kick you out of ketosis and keep you from losing fat?
Not from what I’ve seen. At least not in those using it prior to bed and/or training.
It’s said that glycerine doesn’t impact blood sugar, or at least not noticeably. There may be some truth in that, although I’m sure it depends how much you use.
What I do know is that in general, it hasn’t stopped people from losing fat (who are otherwise doing everything else right).
This is possibly due to its limited impact on blood sugar but also its general propensity to make one appear more vascular (if already lean).
I also consider it great to consume alongside creatine, as it can mitigate the “bloat” some people get from creatine mono.
Remember, it has the ability to draw water from beneath the skin into the muscle, so anything that works via cell volumization should likewise benefit.
