Glutathione

From Wikipedia:
Glutathione (GSH) is a tri-peptide. It contains an unusual peptide linkage between the amine group of cysteine and the carboxyl group of the glutamate side chain. Glutathione, an antioxidant, protects cells from toxins such as free radicals.[2]   Supplementing has been difficult, as research suggests that glutathione taken orally is not well absorbed across the GI tract. In a study of acute oral administration of a very large dose (3 grams) of oral glutathione, Witschi and coworkers found that “it is not possible to increase circulating glutathione to a clinically beneficial extent by the oral administration of a single dose of 3 g of glutathione.”[11][12]

Glutathione’s many important properties are:

  • It is found in almost all living cells.  The liver, spleen, kidneys, pancreas, and the lens and cornea, have the highest concentrations in the body.
  • It is a POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT and thus neutralizes free radicals and prevents their formation.
  • It plays an important role in immune function via white blood cell production and is one of the most potent anti-viral agents known.
  • It is one of the strongest anti-cancer agents manufactured by the body.
  • It is used by the liver to detoxify toxins including formaldehyde, acetaminophen, benzpyrene and many other compounds
  • It is an antioxidant necessary for the protection of proteins; is involved in nucleic acid synthesis and plays a role in DNA repair; and it maintains the cellular redox potential
  • Glutathione levels decrease with age. It is involved in cellular differentiation and slows the aging process.
  • Protects the integrity of red blood cells
  • Glutathione is involved in maintaining normal brain function.

Therapeutically, Glutathione is used for:

  • Detoxification/Chelation -Heavy metal toxicity including mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium.   Common toxins that glutathione may help protect against are car exhaust, cigarette smoke, aspirin and alcohol (Marz, p. 78, 1997) -Pesticide and industrial chemical exposure -Steroids -   Bacterial toxins (Clostridia difficile) -Pharmaceuticals (very long list that need to be detoxified by the liver) (Marz, p. 79, 1997)
  • Immune enhancement: 1-3 g per day. This is especially effective against clostridium in the GI.  It helps prevent trans-location.
  • Psoriasis
  • Diabetes mellitus: Especially in ketosis as DM patients will generally excrete increased amounts of sulfur containing amino acids.
  • Liver disease including cirrhosis and fatty liver disease caused by alcohol: Clinical Research and Case studies show significant improvement in as little as 2 weeks.
  • Ulcers (intestinal or stomach): In patients with stomach ulcers low levels of GSH have been found.
  • Aspirin or phenacetin overdose (useful for rheumatoid arthritis patients or chronic pain sufferers on 8 or more aspirin/day)
  • Hematological conditions: myelofibrosis, acute leukemia, chronic myelocytic leukemia, lymphoma, polycythemia vera
  • Alcoholism
  • Before radiation therapy
  • Cataracts
  • Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, ALS (Lou Gherig’s disease), Multiple Sclerosis, other neurologic conditions including Autism/Pervasive Developmental Delay and Chronic Kidney Failure.  Although many have touted the benefits of this product, it was sold for many years as an oral supplement. However, it is well known that ORAL SUPPLEMENTATION OF ALL FORMS OF GLUTATHIONE DOES NOT RAISE TISSUE LEVELS OF GLUTATHIONE.

Your body can’t live without Glutathione… The World’s Most Powerful Antioxidant

Have you have been feeling more tired, run down, coming down with colds or the flu, have a lack of energy, increased aches and pains that weren’t there a couple of years ago, or you’re unable to recuperate as quickly from exercise and physical activity as you once were?
How would you like to get your hands on a naturally occurring substance that acts as a powerful antioxidant, an immune system booster, and a detoxifier? A substance that can help your body repair damage caused by stress, pollution, radiation, infection, drugs, poor diet, aging, injury, trauma, and burns? It’s called Glutathione.

What is Glutathione?

Also called GSH, Glutathione is the most powerful, prevalent antioxidant in your body. The most well known antioxidants are vitamins C and E. Glutathione is a tripeptide molecule composed of the amino acids glutamic acid, cysteine and glycine, which exists in almost every cell of our body. Our glutathione level actually indicates our state of health and can predict longevity. Scientific evidence has found that glutathione is needed by the body to enhance the immune system response. There are more than 60,000 published papers on the beneficial effects of glutathione replacement, unfortunately, it is still largely ignored by mainstream medicine. Normal glutathione levels are important for good health because they neutralize free radicals, which can build up in cells and cause damage.

The Bad News…. Your body’s cellular supply of glutathione begins to decline 10% to 15% per decade beginning with the age of 20. If you are over age 20, you have a glutathione shortage! Lower levels of glutathione can result in chronic illness such as… lower energy or fatigue, a weakened immune system, cellular damage, accelerated aging, and higher cellular inflammation, which results in increased muscle and joint aches and pains. Free radicals constantly are attacking our cells, which is why antioxidants are so vital to protecting our health. Glutathione has been called the World’s Most Powerful Antioxidant, and is found in every cell in the body, but, most people need some help.

The Good News!…. Research shows that increasing your Glutathione levels has the following benefits:

  • Increase Your Energy
  • Slow Down the Aging Process
  • Detoxify Your Body and Improve Liver Function
  • Reduce the Risk of Cancer
  • Strengthen Your Immune System
  • Improve Mental Function and Clarity
  • Fight Inflammation of Organs and Muscles
  • Improve Heart and Lung Function

Uncontrolled inflammation is a root cause of most major health issues ranging from heart conditions to joint and muscular conditions.   Abundant glutathione levels will off-set the effects of this inflammation at the cellular level.   Because glutathione is in every cell, it can regulate inflammation through out the body.    Adding antioxidants to your diet is a tremendous help, but it is Glutathione…. the world’s most powerful natural antioxidant – that is Most Important for Protecting Healthy Cells.

(Article)
Glutathione: The mother of all antioxidants… (Video…Click Here)

It’s the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent disease — yet you’ve probably never heard of it.  It’s the secret to prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia, and more, and necessary to treat everything from autism to Alzheimer’s disease.    There are more than 76,000 medical articles about it — but your doctor doesn’t know how to address the epidemic deficiency of this critical life-giving molecule. What is it?   I’m talking about the mother of all antioxidants, the master detoxifier and maestro of the immune system.

It is GLUTATHIONE (pronounced “gloota-thigh-own”).

The good news is that your body produces its own glutathione.   The bad news is that poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, aging, infections, and radiation all deplete your glutathione.   This leaves you susceptible to unrestrained cell disintegration from oxidative stress and free radicals, and to infections and cancer. And your liver gets overloaded and damaged, making it unable to do its job of detoxification.

Then what happens?

Well, let me tell you what I’ve learned.  In treating chronically ill patients with Functional Medicine for more than 10 years, I have discovered that glutathione deficiency is found in nearly all very ill patients.   These include people with chronic fatigue syndrome, heart disease, cancer, chronic infections, autoimmune disease, diabetes, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, asthma, kidney problems, liver disease, and more.   At first I thought that this was just a coincidental finding, but over the years I have come to realize that our ability to produce and maintain a high level of glutathione is critical to recovery from nearly all chronic illness — and to preventing disease and maintaining optimal health and performance.  And so have the authors of 76,000 medical articles on glutathione!

So what exactly is glutathione?

Glutathione is a very simple molecule that is produced naturally all the time in your body.   It is a combination of three simple building blocks of protein or amino acids — cysteine, glycine, and glutamine.   The secret of its power is the sulfur (SH) chemical groups it contains. Sulfur is a sticky, smelly molecule. It acts like fly paper and all the bad things in the body stick onto it, including free radicals and toxins like mercury and other heavy metals.  Normally glutathione is recycled in the body — except when the toxic load becomes too great. And that explains why we are in such trouble.In my practice, I test the genes involved in glutathione metabolism. These are the genes involved in producing enzymes that allow the body to create and recycle glutathione in the body.  These genes have many names, such as GSTM1, GSTP1, and more.

So why are these genes impaired in some people?

Well, humans evolved in a time before the 80,000 toxic industrial chemicals of today were introduced into our world, before electromagnetic radiation was everywhere, and before we polluted our skies, lakes, rivers, oceans, and teeth with mercury and lead.   That is why most people survived with just the basic version of the genetic detoxification software encoded in our DNA, which is mediocre at ridding the body of toxins.   We just didn’t need more.   Who knew we would be poisoning ourselves and eating a processed, nutrient-depleted diet?    Because of this, almost of half of the population now has a limited capacity to get rid of toxins — they are missing GSTM1 function.   Nearly all my very sick patients (including me, which is why I became mercury poisoned and suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome) are missing this function. This is the one-third of our population that suffers from chronic disease.

So why is glutathione so important?

Glutathione recycles antioxidants.  You see, dealing with free radicals is like handing off a hot potato. They get passed around from vitamin C to vitamin E to lipoic acid and then finally to glutathione which cools off the free radicals and recycles the other antioxidants.   Then the body can “reduce” or regenerate another protective glutathione molecule and we are back in business.   The problem occurs when we are overwhelmed with too much oxidative stress or too many toxins.  Then the glutathione becomes depleted, leading us toward illness.  We can no longer protect ourselves against free radicals, infections, or cancer and we can’t get rid of toxins, leading to further sickness.   But that’s not all.   Glutathione is also critical in helping your immune system do its job of fighting infections and preventing cancer.  That’s why studies show that it can help in the treatment of AIDS.   Glutathione is also the most critical and integral part of your detoxification system. All the toxins stick onto glutathione, which then carries them into the bile and the stool — and out of your body.   And lastly, it also helps us reach peak mental and physical function. Research has shown that raised glutathione levels decrease muscle damage, reduce recovery time, increase strength and endurance, and shift metabolism from fat production to muscle development.   If you are sick or old or are just not in peak shape, you likely have glutathione deficiency.    In fact, the top British medical journal, “The Lancet,” found the highest glutathione levels in healthy young people, lower levels in healthy elderly, lower still in sick elderly, and the lowest of all in the hospitalized elderly. (i)

Keeping yourself healthy, boosting your performance, preventing disease and aging well depends on keeping your glutathione levels high.  I’ll say it again.  Glutathione is so important because it is responsible for keeping so many of the keys to UltraWellness optimized.  It is critical for immune function and controlling inflammation. It is the master detoxifier and the body’s main antioxidant, protecting our cells and making our energy metabolism run well.

Now, the good news.

You can do many things to increase this natural and critical molecule in your body.

You can eat glutathione-boosting foods:

  • Sulfur-rich foods. The main ones in the diet are garlic, onions, and the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, cauliflower, watercress, etc.).
  • Bioactive whey protein.  This is great source of cysteine and the amino acid building blocks for glutathione synthesis.   As you know I am not a big fan of dairy.  But this is an exception — with a few warnings.  The whey protein MUST be bioactive and made from non-denatured proteins (denatured means the breakdown of the normal protein structure). Choose non-pasteurized and industrially produced milk that contains no pesticides, hormones, or antibiotics.  Immunocal is a prescription bioactive non-denatured whey protein that is even listed in the Physician’s Desk Reference.

You can exercise.

  • Exercise boosts your glutathione levels and thereby helps boost your immune system, improve detoxification, and enhance your body’s own antioxidant defenses. Start slow and build up to 30 minutes a day of vigorous aerobic exercise like walking or jogging, or play various sports. Strength training for 20 minutes 3 times a week is also helpful.

You can take glutathione-boosting supplements.

It would be easy just to take glutathione as a pill. But the body digests protein — and you don’t get the benefits. The production and recycling of glutathione in the body also requires many different nutrients.

Here are the main supplements that need to be taken consistently to boost glutathione. (In fact, besides taking a multivitamin and fish oil, supporting my glutathione levels is the most important thing I do every day for my health.)

  • N-acetyl-cysteine. This has been used for years to help treat asthma and lung disease and to treat people with life-threatening liver failure from Tylenol overdose. In fact, I first learned about it in medical school and while working in the emergency room. It is even given now to prevent kidney damage from dyes used during x-ray studies.
  • Alpha lipoic acid. This is a close second to glutathione in importance in our cells and is involved in energy production, blood sugar control, brain health, and detoxification. The body usually makes it, but given all the stresses we are under, we often become depleted.
  • Methylation nutrients (folate, vitamins B6 and B12). These are perhaps the most critical to keep the body producing glutathione. Methylation and the production and recycling of glutathione are the two most important biochemical functions in your body (see my blogs on methylation for more details). Take folate (especially in the active form of 5 methyltetrahydrofolate), B6 (in active form of P5P), and B12 (in the active form of methylcobalamin).
  • Selenium. This important mineral helps the body recycle and produce more glutathione.
  • A family of antioxidants including vitamins C and E (in the formed of mixed tocopherols), work together to recycle glutathione.
  • Milk thistle (silymarin) has long been used in liver disease and helps boost glutathione levels.

So follow this plan, and see how it works for you.

To your good health,
Mark Hyman, M.D.
(1) Nuttall S, Martin U, Sinclair A, Kendall M. 1998. Glutathione: in sickness and in health.? The Lancet 351(9103):645-646 (end article)

Article: Glutathione: The Body’s Master Detoxifier and Antioxidant

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