Gluthathione

Glutathione is a dietary supplement used as an antioxidant to help protect the body from many diseases and conditions. It is also used to treat infertility (difficulty getting pregnant), cancer, cataracts, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Glutathione is used to detoxify various chemicals from the body.

Other names for Glutathione include: Gamma-glutamylcysteinylglycine and GSH.Glutathione peroxidase (GSH) is your body’s most abundant natural antioxidant. GSH protects your vision, boosts your immune system, helps turn carbohydrates into energy, and prevents the buildup of oxidized fats that may contribute to atherosclerosis.

Glutathione is a compound classified as a tripeptide made of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine. Glutathione is also found in every part of the body, especially the lungs, intestinal tract, and liver. The body produces and stores the largest amounts of GSH in the liver, where it is used to detoxify harmful compounds so that they can be removed from the body through the bile. The liver also supplies GSH directly to red and white blood cells in the bloodstream; it helps keep red blood and white blood cells healthy to maximize the disease-fighting power of the immune system. Glutathione also appears to have an anti-aging affect on the body. GSH levels decline with age, and a lack of glutathione has been shown to leave the body more vulnerable to damage by free radicals, thus speeding up oxidation (wearing down) of the body.

A glutathione deficiency can have a devastating effect on the nervous system, causing such symptoms as lack of balance and coordination, mental disorders, and tremors. Any illness (even a bad cold), chronic disorders such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, injury, or heavy exposure to pollutants can cause a GSH deficiency. This is because your body uses more GSH when it is supporting white blood cells and ridding the body of toxins.

Glutathione is found in almost all fruits and vegetables. Acorn squash, asparagus, avocado, cantaloupe, grapefruit, okra, orange, peach, potato, spinach, strawberries, tomato, watermelon, and zucchini are all good sources of GSH. Some vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, and parsley, not only provide GSH, but also actually stimulate the body produce more of this powerful antioxidant. Cooking destroys a lot of the glutathione in fresh fruits and vegetables, so you can get the most GSH from these foods by eating them raw or steamed. Eating foods high in glutamine, such as lean meats, eggs, wheat germ, and whole grains, can also stimulate the liver to produce more GSH.

There is no Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for GSH, but supplements have no known harmful side effects. Glutathione supplements can be expensive, but there is some question about the body’s ability to absorb GSH efficiently in supplemental form. If you want to take GSH supplements, just make sure to take them with meals to maximize absorption.

The benefits of Glutathione (GSH)

Glutathione is a substance, the levels of which in our cells are predictive of how long we will live. There are very few other factors, which are as predictive of our life expectancy, as is our level of cellular glutathione.

Glutathione has been called the "master antioxidant" and regulates the actions of lesser antioxidants, such as vitamin C and vitamin E within the body. "We literally cannot survive without this antioxidant."

"Without glutathione, other important antioxidants such as vitamins C and E cannot do their job adequately to protect your body against disease."

"No other antioxidant is as important to our overall health as glutathione. It is the regulator and regenerator of immune cells and the most valuable detoxifying agent in the human body. Low levels are associated with hepatic dysfunction, immune dysfunction, cardiac disease, premature aging and death."

"A review article published in the Annals of Pharmacology stated that glutathione is important in DNA synthesis and repair, protein and prostaglandin synthesis, amino acid transport, detoxification of toxins and carcinogens, enhancement of the immune system and protection from oxidation and enzyme activations."

Glutathione has potent anti-viral properties - if tissue and serum glutathione levels are significantly increased, the replication of most pathogens are slowed or stopped. Conversely, glutathione deficiency produces a pro-viral effect. Lymphocytes, cells vital for effective immune function, depend on GSH for their proper function and replication.

As we age, there is a precipitous drop in GSH levels. Lower glutathione levels have been implicated in many diseases associated with aging. Antioxidants are well documented to play vital roles in health maintenance and disease prevention. GSH is your cells' own major antioxidant.

GSH plays a role in eliminating many carcinogens, as well as maintaining immune function.

Strong muscular activity, such as that experienced by athletes, generates oxy-radicals (free radicals) leading to muscle fatigue and poorer performance. GSH neutralizes these radicals.

GSH detoxifies many pollutants, carcinogens and poisons, including many in fuel exhaust and cigarette smoke. It retards damage from radiation, such as seen with loss of the ozone