Glutathione continues to gain attention and be the subject of increasing research. It is considered the ‘master’ anti-oxidant in the human body, with a multitude of key functions for keeping the body healthy. The mission of this blog is to highlight research and articles to help people make informed decisions on glutathione supplementation.
Glutathione is a tripeptide bond of glutamate, cysteine and glycine that is produced naturally in the body. It is a powerful and key anti-oxidant that helps protect cells, and more specifically mitochondria, and keep them functioning properly.
Our bodies are under constant attack from environment, stress, aging, viral threats and poor diet which results in build up of radical oxygen species (ROS) in the body. If adequate levels of anti-oxidant nutrients are not available, this results in damage to our cells.
While our bodies produce glutathione naturally, the above mentioned factors result in deficiencies. Someone following a healthy diet might get 100-150mg per day of glutathione through eating uncooked meats and vegetables, and unpasteurized dairy products. Unfortunately that’s not going to be enough in most cases, especially as we age.
Glutathione deficiency is linked to an increasing number of diseases. This powerhouse of a nutrient plays an important role in cleaning up ROS from the ‘electron transport chain’ within the membranes of our mitochondria. This biochemical process allows our body to deliver the oxygen we breathe to the cells of our body and produce energy to fuel ourselves.
Glutathione also helps re-cycle other key anti-oxidants such as vitamin C, E and is also believed to play an important role in the functional level of vitamin D.
As we continue to add study highlights from existing literature and new evidence, it becomes increasingly apparent that glutathione has an important role in many aspects of health. Supplementation with an adequately stable and absorbed glutathione holds great promise as a therapy and preventive strategy.
It is important to note that for best results, glutathione supplementation should be done under supervision of a trained practitioner, with a professional grade formula showing consistent, intracellular absorption.