Importance of Glutathione

For Detox and Much More!

 This time of year, you may be thinking of doing a detox. If you are really concerned about supporting your body for optimal detox then you should consider supporting glutathione, your master antioxidant. Glutathione (GSH) is crucial for detoxification and for liver health. 

Glutathione is called the master antioxidant. It is our cell’s major detoxifier and if depleted cell death occurs. Glutathione is made in our bodies from cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine.

Why would you need it, if your body makes it from other amino acids?  As with everything in life, what our body produces is impacted by age, diet, and stress.

Read on the see if you need to supplement with glutathione

Why you Need Glutathione and Why You May Have to Supplement

Glutathione is needed for healthy aging, energy, and toxin elimination. It is necessary for the protection of your proteins.

Your liver needs GSH because it is used by the liver to detoxify specific compounds. For instance, if you take acetaminophen and do not have adequate levels of GSH in the liver, you may not be clearing these compounds from your body.

It is found in every cell in your body. Your body makes its own (less effective in doing so as you age), and needs specific building blocks in order to do so such as the amino acids mentioned above. Not getting the key building blocks can lead to oxidative damage to your body.

It is in every cell in the body with a high concentration in the liver. It must be very important to the body since It is the 2nd most abundant molecule in the body (first is water)!

Glutathione binds to free radicals to neutralize them and thus prevents oxidative stress and disease. Free radicals can be inflammatory when in excess in the body thus your body will recycle them, and they get passed down to GSH which carries them out of the body in bile and stool. Too many free radicals in the body lead to oxidative stress which can contribute to many diseases with an inflammatory component such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and dementia to name a few.

Since our ability to produce GSH naturally as we age declines you may need to supplement. It is believed that it is an essential antioxidant for slowing down the aging process. This can mean consuming a grass-fed undenatured whey protein powder, which has the highest GSH concentration, and/or eating foods that contain the amino acids cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine along with getting the other co-factors via a nutrient-dense diet.

In order to manufacture GSH, co-factors are also needed. It is important to consume adequate amounts of folate and B12 foods and a supplement may be needed as well. Vitamin C, magnesium, and selenium are also needed for GSH production. Thus, eating a whole foods diet is crucial.

How to Know If Your Glutathione Levels Are Low

In addition to looking several sections below at the list as to what depletes GSH (such as the Standard American Diet) here are some signs that you may need some GSH support

  • Muscle cramps
  • General irritability
  • Frequent headaches
  • Brain fog
  • Anxiety
  • Insomnia, trouble sleeping
  • Rashes, itchy skin, skin problems

 

What to Take to Boost Glutathione levels

  • Vitamin C rich foods such as citrus and peppers, strawberries, kiwi, and broccoli
  • cysteine (chicken, turkey, cheese, eggs, sunflower seeds, legumes)
  • Lipoic Acid (red meats, organ meats, tomatoes, Brussel sprouts)
  • Sulfur rich foods such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, onions, garlic, shallots,
  • Selenium (brazil nuts, pork, beef, turkey, chicken)
  • Add in turmeric or curcumin
  • Cut back on alcohol consumption
  • Make sure to get adequate amounts of sleep
  • Add in a whey protein powder (grass-fed, undenatured if you can tolerate whey)
  • Add in a B complex
  • Add in exercise-shown to boost your levels naturally.
  • Milk thistle (liver supportive herb)

 

Supplementing with Glutathione

 

  • Glutathione is not readily bioavailable when taken orally
  • The best form to take is s-acetyl-glutathione or liposomal form.

What Glutathione Detoxifies From the Body

  • Xenobiotics (medications, food additives, environmental pollutants, found in plastics)
  • Acetaminophen
  • Heavy metals
  • Dyes and solvents
  • Insecticides
  • Plastics
  • Flavorings
  • Fungicides
  • Herbicides
  • Nitrates

We are exposed to so many toxins daily so you can see how vital GSH is in order to remove these from our bodies.

Who May Need Glutathione Supplementation

It is believed that low levels may be found in those with asthma, allergies, depression, psychosis, RA, and hypertension.

  • The aging population (your natural production decreases with age)
  • If you have HIV, AIDS
  • Advanced cancer
  • Chronic respiratory problems
  • Inflammation (all disease has inflammation as a component)
  • Autoimmune illness
  • After radiation treatment for cancer
  • Zinc deficiency
  • Tumor growth

Others that may benefit from added GSH support those with hair loss, psoriasis, COPD, diabetes, liver disease, or ulcers.

What Will Deplete Your Glutathione Levels

  • Poor diet, the Standard American Diet
  • Stress
  • Medications
  • Trauma
  • Aging
  • Infections
  • Radiation

As you can see as we age and with all the stress in our lives combined with the meds we take and the poor diet we consume, it is easy to deplete this master antioxidant.

 

Benefits of Having Ample Levels of Glutathione

  • Required for DNA synthesis and repair
  • Needed for protein synthesis
  • Needed for amino acid transport
  • Detoxification
  • Immune system support
  • Protects the body from free radical damage
  • Can diminish the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy
  • Prevents damage from strokes
  • Protects the liver
  • Helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease
  • For forming sperm cells
  • Helps the liver and gallbladder handle fats

Bottom Line: We could all benefit from either adding in a glutathione supplement or making sure we add in all the needed nutrients to manufacture glutathione to support our overall health.  If you choose to supplement make sure you purchase a reputable, high-quality brand in the acetyl or liposomal form.  Otherwise, you may be wasting your money.

Sources

https://www.terrytalksnutrition.com/health-articles/how-glutathione-can-save-your-life-2/

https://fullscript.com/blog/glutathione

https://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/12/what-is-glutathione-and-how-do-i-get-more-of-it/

Bauman, E. & Friedlander, J. (2015) Foundations in Nutrition. CA: Bauman College

Marz, R. (1999) Medical Nutrition. 2nd Edition. OR: Omni Press.