The Problem with Glutathione as an Anti-aging Supplement
Posted: Monday, February 11, 2008
by Merrill Noreen
In simple terms what is Glutathione?
Glutathione is a naturally occurring antioxidant that exists in every cell in the human body including the skin. It is said to be the world's most powerful antioxidant. While it does occur naturally, over time the natural production of glutathione declines with age and that deficiency causes age-related diseases.
How does Glutathione benefit me?The Glutathione in your skin helps protect your skin from sunburn and wrinkling. There is an old saying that goes like this: "As your skin goes, so goes the rest of your body".
Glutathione may help offset the physical effects and problems of aging. Adequate levels of glutathione are needed to help the immune system fight off free-radical damage, infection, and illness. Glutathione can prevent or diminish symptoms of conditions like asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
What are the results of Glutatione deficiency?Glutathione deficiency is a leading cause of oxidative damage in the human body, which plays an important role in aging and the devastating effects of many diseases including Alzheimers, Parkinsons, liver disease, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, HIV, AIDS, cancer, heart attack, and diabetes.
A Glutathione deficiency can have a debilitating effect on the nervous system, causing problems such as lack of balance and coordination, mental disorders, and tremors. Any illness such as the flu or even a bad cold, chronic conditions like asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, simple injuries, or heavy exposure to pollutants can cause a Glutathione deficiency. This is because your body uses more Glutathione when it is producing white blood cells and attempting to rid the body of toxins.
Can I get enough Glutathione in my diet?Glutathione is found in almost all fruits and vegetables. Winter (yellow) squash, asparagus, avocados, cantaloupes, grapefruits, okra, oranges, peaches, potatoes, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, and zucchini are all good sources of GSH. Some vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kale, not only provide the body with Glutatione, but also actually stimulate the body's production of more of this amazing antioxidant. Cooking destroys a lot of the glutathione in fresh fruits and vegetables. In order to get the most Glutatione from these foods is by eating them raw or steamed. Foods high in glutamine, such as lean meats, eggs, wheat germ, whey protein and whole grains, can also stimulate the liver to produce more Glutathione naturally.
How effective are naturally occurring forms of Glutathione?Although Glutathione is found naturally in many fruits, vegetables, and meats, absorption rates of glutathione from food sources in the human gastrointestinal tract are low.
Can I take a Glutathione supplement?Although glutathione is marketed as a nutritional supplement, there is no evidence that most Glutathione supplements actually increase the levels of Glutathione in the cells. However oral supplements of whey protein do appear to aid in the restoration of cellular levels of Glutathione.
Glutathione is also included in many multivitamin and multi-nutrient formulations, however their effectiveness come into question.
Are there any side effects of supplementing with Glutathione?There is no Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Glutathione, 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 most supplements efficiently.
There appear to be no risks associated with Glutathione supplementation, even using up to several grams a day.
What are the precautions?At this time, the only established precautions are sensitivity to any of the inactive ingredients in the various preparations of Glutathione or the products used to stimulate Glutathione levels. There are some studies that suggests supplementing it may be helpful to some cancer patients.
Conclusion
Increased levels of Glutathione (GSH) strengthen your immune system, increase your energy level, and enhance the body's fight against aging and the ailments of aging. Increased levels of GSH also result in a faster recovery from strenuous exercise regimens.Your enhanced immune system will make you less susceptible to illness and the effects and multiple ailments of aging. You will also experience a higher level of alertness and experience a more rapid recovery from strenuous exercise with shorter periods of soreness.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)I found this article to be very informative on the subject of Glutathione. I am still learning about this, and this article has given me new insight and knowledge. Thanks.
A precisely written article about glutathione. It is very informative and certainly one that all physicians should read. Thank you for sharing this. Best Regards, Mike
Very helpful, someone is trying to talk me into taking a Glutathione supplement so to have the facts on it really help someone decide if they should be wasting their money on something that your body produces anyway and you can get from most veggies and fruit that you eat. Thanks for the facts
nice articlle!!!
Many of the things you point out as to the functionality of GSH are good. But the proof is in the pudding. A measurement of intracellular GSH is absolutely necessary or you're waisting your money. The reason it has to be an intracellular measurementis due to the location of the mitochondria. If whatever you're taking doesn't become intracelluar, it's not going to benefit you. There is only one composition that I know of that has shown beneficial results and that's something being called, GBF. However, you won't find it for sale yet.Gil
In simple terms what is Glutathione?Glutathione is a naturally occurring antioxidant that exists in every cell in the human body including the skin. It is said to be the world's most powerful antioxidant. While it does occur naturally, over time the natural production of glutathione declines with age and that deficiency causes age-related diseases.How does Glutathione benefit me?Glutathione supplements can be expensive, but there is some question about the body's ability to absorb most supplements efficiently. MaxGXL is not Glutathione it is a patented product that is absorbed into the cells, enabling the cell to produce Glutathione. This increase in the Glutathione level of the cell can be monitored, presented by: Paul Kiehl
I just came across this article and since it was written 2 years ago..you may not have been aware of Max GXL..glutathione accelerator ...NOT glutathione, but accelerator that has the precursors to allow the body to increase it's own production of glutathione by about 300%. Gil...Dr. Keller developed a blood test, a test of the WBCs to measure intra cellular glutathione. Can't give you the website as this site will not allow it, but check out Max GXL.
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