Home | Alphabetical Index | Conditions & Cures | Anti-Aging | Articles | Forums | Where to Buy

Glutathione

Proposed Uses: Antioxidant

Glutathione, a protein made from the amino acids cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine, is one of the most important elements of the body’s  defense system to hold antioxidants in check.

Glutathione does much of its work in the liver, although it is also found elsewhere in the body. Besides fighting free radicals, it helps keep various essential biological molecules in a chemical state called “reduced”. In addition, glutathione can act on toxins such as pesticides, lead, and dry cleaning solvents, transforming them in such a way that the body can excrete them more easily.

Nutrients such as vitamin C and vitamin E also help neutralize free radicals. In the 1990s, such antioxidant supplements were widely promoted for preventing a variety of diseases, including cancer and heart disease. During this period, oral glutathione became popular as an additional antioxidant supplement. Unfortunately, glutathione is not absorbed when taken by mouth, so such supplements are almost certainly useless. It may be possible, however, to raise glutathione levels in the body by taking other supplements, such as vitamin C, cysteine, lipoic acid, and N-acetylcysteine. Whether doing so would offer any health benefits remains unclear.

Requirements/Sources
There is no dietary requirement for glutathione. The body makes it from scratch, utilizing vitamins and common amino acids found in food.

Glutathione levels in the body are reduced by cigarette smoking. Various diseases are associated with reduced levels of glutathione, including cancer, cataracts, and diabetes.

Therapeutic Dosages
A typical recommended dose of oral glutathione is 50 mg twice daily. However, as noted above, when glutathione is taken by mouth it is destroyed. Therefore, no matter what the dose, it won’t make any difference.

It is possible that some glutathione may be absorbed if it is held in the mouth and allowed to dissolve, but this has not been well studied.

A more promising method for raising glutathione levels in the body involves taking supplemental cysteine or antioxidant supplements. Evidence suggests that cysteine (often supplied in the form of whey protein, which is high in cysteine) can raise glutathione levels in people with cancer, or hepatitis.

In addition, because vitamin C has overlapping functions with glutathione, vitamin C supplements may spare some of the body’s glutathione from being used up, thereby increasing its levels in the body. The antioxidant supplement lipoic acid appears to raise glutathione levels as well.

Therapeutic Uses
Various websites promote glutathione for a wide variety of health problems, from preventing aging to enhancing sports performance. However, oral glutathione supplements are almost certainly useless for any condition since they are not absorbed.
There is a bit of evidence that injected glutathione might offer a few heath benefits, such as preventing blood clots during surgery, reducing the side effects and increasing the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapy drugs.

Safety Issues
Oral glutathione should be entirely safe, since it is not absorbed.

Feature Article

The Fountain of Youth?

What if I told you that it may be possible for you to live to age 100 or even longer, in better health than you are in right now? And, if you are already experiencing the ill effects of aging, what if I told you that it may be possible for you to look and feel 20 years younger and stay that way beyond the age of 100.

Aside from the fact that you'd probably call me crazy, I have to tell you that we have never been as close as we are today to actually being able to extend human life!

Read More