Glutathione plays an integral part in protecting cells from damage, while boosting the immune system and assisting with DNA repair. It is the body’s most important antioxidant and is a vital nutrient for cell health. As it is a mixture of three amino acids including glycine, glutamine and cysteine, it is naturally produced within the body. This also plays an essential role in shifting the metabolism from fat production to muscle growth.
Glutathione’s most important function is to bind to and neutralise dangerous free radicals. This is important as these free radicals can otherwise create oxidative stress that destroys tissue and contributes towards disease. The body handles this by recycling free radicals and passing them down a protective chain extending from Vitamin C to E, to lipoic acid to glutathione. This is then carried down into the bile and the stool.
When our body is performing at optimal health, the system efficiently recycles and reuses glutathione. However, when high levels of toxicity exist and the antioxidant isn’t properly recycled, then this is where problems begin. When the body has insufficient glutathione it isn’t capable of fighting free radicals, we become more at risk of cell destruction from oxidative stress, cancer, heart problems and infections to name just a few problems.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine analysing 636 patients with suspected CVry artery disease also found that those who had lower glutathione levels were 30% more likely to have a heart attack compared with people who had healthy levels of the antioxidant.
Low glutathione levels have also been associated with an increased risk of dementia. A study into the brain chemicals in Alzheimer patients found that there were reduced levels of glutathione within the hippocampus – the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory and that these are some of the first regions that can be affected by disease. The frontal cortices have also been shown to be affected later on in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. These decreases weren’t yet seen in the cortices of patients with mild cognitive impairment however. This is interesting research as it shows how glutathione could reflect or foreshadow the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
How to increase glutathione levels naturally?
It’s possible to obtain this antioxidant from your diet and by eating natural, organic foods containing it such as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale. However, many people only consume a small amount of glutathione – 35 milligrams as opposed to the 250 milligrams that are recommended. N-acetyl-cysteine, or NAC, is a glutathione precursor supplement that can help to support the body and efficient uptake and optimization of glutathione. For this reason, supplementing with Glutathione may be a good idea for anyone who is seeking considerable improvements.
Recommended Examples
Advanced Cellular Glutathione® Spray– This is a pure and high quality Glutathione spray that has been proven in clinical research to effectively increase intracellular levels of GSH by up to 10% in only 7 hours. Pure and high quality, ACG Spray has sub mucosal absorption for instant bioavailability and is highly recommended by leading practitioners worldwide.
