Glutathione Health

Description

Glutathione is produced in the human liver and plays a key role in intermediary metabolism, immune response and health, though many of its mechanisms and much of its behavior await further medical understanding. It is also known as gamma-Glutamylcysteineglycine and GHS. It is a small protein composed of three amino acids, cysteine, glutamic acid and glyceine. Glutatione is found in two forms, a monomerthat is a single molecule of the protein, and a dimmer that is two of the single molecules joined together. The monomer is sometimes called reduced glutathione, while the dimmer is also called oxidized glutathione. The monomer is the active form of glutathione. Oxidized glutathione is broken down to the single molecule by an enzyme called glutathione reductase.

Glutathione, in purified extracted form, is a white powder that is soluble in water and in alcohol. It is found naturally in many fruits, vegetables, and meats. However, absorption rates of glutathione from food sources in the human gastrointestinal tract are low.

General use

Glutathione was first isolated in yeast in 1929. Its metabolism in the body was described in 1984, and its role in cancer treatment dates from 1984.

Glutathione is a major antioxidant highly active in human lungs and many other organ systems and tissues. It has many reported uses. It has a critical role in protecting cells from oxidative stress and maintaining the immune system. Higher blood levels of glutathione have been associated with better health in elderly people, but the exact association between glutathione and the aging process has not been determined.

Among the uses that have been reported for glutathione are:

* treatment of poisoning, particularly heavy metal poisons
* treatment of idiopathic pulmonary firbosis
* increasing the effectiveness and reducing the toxicity of cis-platinum, a chemo drug used to treat breast cancer
* treating Parkinson's disease
* lowering blood pressure in patients with diabetes
* increasing male sperm counts in humans and animals
* treatment of liver cancer
* treatment of sickle cell anemia

Claims made about glutathione have included that it will increase energy, improve concentration, slow aging, and protect the skin.

The importance of glutathione is generally recognized, although its specific functions and appropriate clinical use remain under study. Similarly, because ingested glutathione has little or no effect on intracellular glutathione levels, there are questions regarding the optimal method for raising the intracellular levels.

In addition to ongoing studies of the role of glutathione in cancer and cancer therapy, there are currently clinical trials of glutathione in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The U. S. National Cancer Institute has included glutathione in a study to determine whether nutritional factors could inhibit development of some types of cancer.

European researchers, with support from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, are examining the potential uses of inhaled glutathione in cystic fibrosis. Some physicians also use inhaled glutathione in treating airway restriction and asthma. Other studies are investigating whether administration of alpha-lipoic acid, a material that can elevate intracellular glutathione, may be beneficial in restoring the immune system in AIDS patients.

Preparations

Although glutathione is marketed as a nutritional supplement, it does not appear that glutathione supplements actually increase the levels of glutathione inside cells. In human studies, oral doses of glutathione had little effect in raising blood levels. Further, glutathione is so widely distributed in common foods that supplements are not normally required. Supplements of vitamin C are more effective at increasing intracellular glutathione than taking oral glutathione supplements. Oral supplements of whey protein and of alpha-lipoic acid appear to help restore intracellular levels of glutathione.

Glutathione is available as capsules of 50, 100, and 250 milligrams. It is also included in many multivitamin and multi-nutrient formulations.

Precautions

At this time, the only established precautions are sensitivity to any of the inactive ingredients in the preparations of glutathione or the products used to stimulate glutathione levels. This is a discussion of glutathione, not C and whey. There is some new literature that suggests supplementing it may be helpful to some cancer patients, but detrimental to others.

Side effects

There are no established side effects to glutathione or to the substances used to elevate glutathione levels.

Training & certification

Glutathione has been classified as an orphan drug for treatment of AIDS. For this purpose, medical licensure is required. Glutathione has been given intravenously for amelioration of the side effects of cisplatin therapy. Specific training is required to order, prepare, start, and monitor intravenous therapy. No specific training is required to use glutathione or the compounds which have been reported to raise glutathione levels for other purposes.

Source: healthline.com

Glutathione: New Supplement on the Block

Who wouldn't like to get their hands on a naturally occurring substance that acts as an antioxidant, an immune system booster, and a detoxifier? Something that can help your body repair damage caused by stress, pollution, radiation, infection, drugs, poor diet, aging, injury, trauma, and burns?

A handful of researchers are saying the antioxidant glutathione can do all that and maybe more. But can you believe such sweeping claims? What's the evidence to back them up? Here are what three experts have to say:

What Is Glutathione?

"Glutathione is a very interesting, very small molecule that's [produced by the body and] found in every cell," says Gustavo Bounous, MD, director of research and development at Immunotec and a retired professor of surgery at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. "It's the [body's] most important antioxidant because it's within the cell."

Antioxidants -- the most well known of which are vitamins C and E -- are important for good health because they neutralize free radicals, which can build up in cells and cause damage. Because glutathione exists within the cells, it is in a prime position to neutralize free radicals. It also has potentially widespread health benefits because it can be found in all types of cells, including the cells of the immune system, whose job is to fight disease.

Glutathione occurs naturally in many foods, and people who eat well probably have enough in their diets, says Dean Jones, PhD, professor of biochemistry and director of nutritional health sciences at Emory University in Atlanta. Those with diets high in fresh fruits and vegetables and freshly prepared meats are most likely just fine. On the other hand, those with poor diets may get too little.

What Does Glutathione Do?

The strong antioxidant effect of glutathione helps keep cells running smoothly. Bounous and another glutathione expert, Jeremy Appleton, ND, say it also helps the liver remove chemicals that are foreign to the body, such as drugs and pollutants.

Appleton is chairman of the department of nutrition at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Ore., and senior science editor for Healthnotes, a database on complementary and alternative medicine available at newspaper stands and health food stores.

Evidence for the important role that glutathione plays in health comes from studies in people who are severely ill.

"If you look in a hospital situation at people who have cancer, AIDS, or other very serious disease, almost invariably they are depleted in glutathione," says Appleton. "The reasons for this are not completely understood, but we do know that glutathione is extremely important for maintaining intracellular health."

How Should Glutathione Be Taken?

Glutathione is probably not well absorbed into the body when taken by mouth. One way to get around that is to take it by vein. A more practical solution is to take the precursors -- that is, the molecules the body needs to make glutathione -- rather than glutathione itself. While there is no solid proof this works, the consensus among experts is that that doing so will increase the amount of glutathione in the cells.

Bounous has developed a glutathione-enhancing product called Immunocal, which is made up of glutathione precursors, mainly the amino acid cysteine.

Who Does Glutathione Help?

Animal and laboratory studies have demonstrated that glutathione has the potential to fight almost any disease, particularly those associated with aging, since free radical damage is the cause of many of the diseases of old age.

"Theoretically, there are many very strong arguments in favor of a therapeutic use of glutathione," says Appleton. "But when people have actually tried to use glutathione as an oral supplement, nasal spray, or intravenously, the results have been more of a preliminary nature. The amount of research on glutathione as a supplement ... is very limited."

Nevertheless, people have tried glutathione for the treatment of a whole host of conditions, including cancer, high blood pressure, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and male infertility.

The best studies have been conducted in cancer. One study involved women with ovarian cancer who were being treated with chemotherapy. Some of the women were also treated with intravenous glutathione. Those given the glutathione not only had fewer side effects from the chemotherapy but also had better overall survival rates.

Myriam Abalain of Montreal, Canada, is one of the many people who have taken Bounous's Immunocal to combat cancer. In 1996, at age 33, a routine PAP smear revealed she had precancerous cells on her cervix, which is one step away from having cervical cancer. The three specialists she visited all told her that a hysterectomy was her only option, but she hesitated to have such major, life-altering surgery.

Instead, she waited. For more than two years, her condition remained stable. Then a friend suggested she try Immunocal. After eight months of taking the supplement, her physician could no longer detect any precancerous cells. Does this mean Immunocal cured her? It's hard to say based on just one case like hers. It is possible her body went into remission naturally.

Even Bounous acknowledges there's no real proof his product cured her cancer, but he's working on conducting good clinical research, comparing individuals with cancer taking glutathione to those who are not.

What Are the Risks?

O

verall, taking glutathione or its precursors in reasonable amounts appears to be quite safe, although it should be avoided in people with milk protein allergies and in those who have received an organ transplant. There is also some concern, however, about the safety of taking glutathione for the one condition for which there is the greatest evidence of its usefulness: cancer.

"People don't get concerned about these health-promoting [supplements] until they're in their 50s and 60s," says Emory's Dean Jones. At that point, they may already have the initial precancerous [cells]. Therefore, the supplements, just like they promote health in normal tissues, might promote health in the precancerous tissue."

Appleton recognizes this possibility but says "there's no evidence that supplementing with glutathione, even intravenously, is in any way going to make any cancer worse. In fact, the evidence we have suggests the opposite. It suggests that glutathione and other antioxidants, far from interfering with the activity of chemotherapy, appear to reduce side effects without decreasing efficacy and may, in fact, improve the efficacy of the chemotherapy in fighting cancer."

Bounous says his research has demonstrated that taking Immunocal actually lowers glutathione in cancer cells while increasing it in normal cells. As a result, the cancer cells are more vulnerable to chemotherapy, and the normal cells are protected.

The upshot? The experts disagree on who should take glutathione or its precursors. Bounous says everyone should take it in order to optimize overall health. Appleton would reserve it for people with cancer. Jones says it might only prove beneficial for those who eat poorly and are thus unlikely to be getting much glutathione or its precursors in their diet.

They all acknowledge that people with severe diseases known to be associated with low glutathione levels, such as AIDS, may well benefit from the supplement, although there is no proof to this effect.

Source: medicinenet.com

The 3 Distinct Benefits of Naturally Produced Glutathione

In case you are still trying to understand the roles glutathione plays in the body, here’s a recap…

Glutathione is:
# The “Master Antioxidant”
# A Powerful Immune Booster
# A Cellular Level Detoxifier


Glutathione: The Master Antioxidant

Antioxidants participate directly in the destruction of reactive oxygen compounds called free radicals. These by-products of a cell’s normal function can’t be avoided, but exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or other sources promotes their emergence.

Free radicals have been linked to muscle fatigue during exercise and aging.

For this reason, the body is equipped with a variety of antioxidants. Vitamins C and E are natural antioxidants but do not occur naturally in the body.

These and other antioxidants actually depend on natural glutathione to function properly. This is why glutathione is called “The Master Antioxidant”.

Glutathione: Food for the Immune System

Glutathione helps build your immune system’s resistance and improve your chances of staying healthy.

Lymphocytes are cells of your immune system. Glutathione is essential for lymphocytes to increase in number, produce antibodies, and function efficiently.

Glutathione: A Cellular Level Detoxifier

Our food and water sources are becoming increasingly contaminated with chemicals, as is the air that we breathe.

Supplemental detoxifiers such as glutathione help to counter the effects of the toxins we inhale and ingest.

By physically binding to toxic compounds in cells, glutathione helps make them soluble - and harmless. The body can then eliminate these disarmed toxins in the bile and urine.

Raising Glutathione Levels Means HEALTH

Think for a minute on the cellular changes that would take place in your body if you were to…
# destroy the corrosive free radicals
# boost your immune system and
# cleanse your cells in a way that you have never done before.

What one supplement or diet can offer this much toward balancing your health and well-being?

Honestly, only by increasing the body’s natural levels of glutathione can you begin to treat chronic inflammation, the root cause of many illnesses and get on track to long-term health.

Source: inflammation911.com

Glutathione | Antioxidant Blend May Offer Protection in Life Threatening Conditions

A newly released study suggests that providing yourself with a broad spectrum of antioxidants will offer you protection even under such extreme conditions as total body irradiation. As published in the April, 2008 edition of Radiation Research, the purpose of this study was to determine whether a dietary supplement consisting of L-selenomethionine, vitamin C, vitamin E succinate, alpha-lipoic acid and N-acetyl cysteine could improve the survival of mice after total body irradiation.

Study and Results

Results of the study indicate that these antioxidants significantly increased the 30-day survival rate of the mice after their exposure to a potentially lethal dose of X rays when given prior to or after the irradiation. Pretreatment of animals with antioxidants resulted in significantly higher total white blood cell and neutrophil counts in peripheral blood. Antioxidants were effective in preventing peripheral lymphopenia (reduction in the number of lymphocytes circulating in the blood) only after low-dose radiation. Antioxidant supplementation was also associated with increased bone marrow cell counts after irradiation, and with increased Bcl2 and decreased Bax, caspase9 and TGF-beta1 mRNA expression in the bone marrow after irradiation.

Maintenance of the antioxidant diet was associated with improved recovery of the bone marrow after sub-lethal or potentially lethal irradiation.

The researchers concluded that when taken together, oral supplementation with antioxidants appears to be an effective approach for radioprotection of hematopoietic (blood forming) cells and improvement of animal survival. Modulation of apoptosis is implicated as a mechanism for the radioprotection of the hematopoietic system by antioxidants.

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are natural compounds that help protect the body from the ravages of free radicals. Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms that cause damage to cells, impair the immune system and lead to infections and degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Many scientists view free radical damage as the basis of the aging process.

Even a healthy body produces free radicals, many of them being oxygen derived. They may form in response to exposure to the sun, toxic chemicals, air pollution, or as part of various metabolic processes.

Ideally these free radicals are kept in check by free radical scavengers, which consist primarily of four enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), methionine reductase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. The healthy body produces these enzymes as a matter of course. Melatonin, the sleep hormone, is also a highly powerful antioxidant produced by the body. And under ideal conditions, the body is also able to obtain antioxidants from food, such as vitamin A, beta-carotene and other carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamins C and E, and selenium. Some herbs also have potent antioxidant properties.

Unfortunately, today's food supply reflects less than ideal conditions, so it is quite difficult to get enough antioxidants from your diet to protect you from the ever increasing levels of free radicals generated in our polluted environment. As a result, many people are turning to dietary supplements, which can be extremely effective, as this study indicates.

Implications of the study

The researchers of this study chose to supplement their mice with a variety of powerful antioxidants. That's because antioxidants work synergistically in their ability to provide protection against free radicals, so it is better to take smaller doses of several different antioxidants than a large dose of only one. This finding has implications for diet as well as supplementation.

Some examples of obtaining a broad spectrum of antioxidants from the diet would be found in the decision to eat a variety of fruits during the day. By choosing to eat different fruits of different colors, you will obtain a much broader variety of antioxidants than you would if you chose to buy only a large bag of apples or oranges for the week. The variation in their color is your key to the variation of their antioxidant powers.

The same logic hold true with vegetables. You will achieve a much larger array of antioxidants by eating a salad made of small amounts of all the veggies on the salad bar than you will with a full size serving of only one variety. Again, let color be your guide. The more colors on your plate, the higher the variety of antioxidants.

If you are headed to the juice bar, don't just order the carrot juice. Ask for some of all the veggies or fruits they have available.

Berries are extremely rich in antioxidants. They have been shown to be especially protective against cancer.

If you decide to use antioxidant supplements, you can buy one of the multi-antioxidant formulations available. A better way may be to familiarize yourself with the major antioxidants and tailor your supplementation to the gaps in your diet. For example, if you eat a bowl of blueberries every morning, you won't need an antioxidant containing lutein.

The supplements used in the study

L-selenomethionine is a highly bioavailable form of selenium, a nutrient essential for the functioning of glutathione peroxidase, one of the body's main antioxidants. This is the form of selenium increasingly used in cancer treatment and studies and is believed to be protective against cancer. Since selenium content of fruits and vegetables is determined by the selenium content of the soil in which they are grown, it's hard to know that you are getting enough selenium from what you eat. But if you eat Brazil nuts regularly, you probably get plenty of selenium.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that is required for at least 300 metabolic functions including tissue growth and repair, adrenal functioning, and oral health. It aids in the production of anti-stress hormones and the immune system protein, interferon. It is needed for the metabolism of folic acid, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. Vitamin C can reduce the symptoms of asthma, and protect against the effects of pollution. It is cancer preventative, protects against infection and boosts the immune system. Vitamin C is able to combine with certain heavy metals and other toxic substances, and escort them out of the body. It is instrumental in lowering blood pressure and helping to prevent atherosclerosis and blood clots. It has anti-aging properties and is essential in the formation of collagen.

The body does not manufacture vitamin C so it must be obtained from diet or supplements. Good amounts of vitamin C are found in most fruits, particularly citrus and berries, and in many vegetables, particularly the green leafy varieties. Many herbs also contain amounts of vitamin C. The best supplements of vitamin C are food sourced, such as those from acerola cherry. The bioflavonoid complex is synergistic with vitamin C.

Vitamin E succinate is one of the two ester forms of vitamin E, the other being vitamin E acetate. The ester is a form more resistive to oxidation during storage than the unesterified form. Bio-availability is equal to that of free form vitamin E. The ester form, vitamin E succinate, is required to effectively inhibit growth and induce death in cancer cell grown in culture. Supplements of vitamin E may range from those containing only alpha tocopherol to those containing the full E complex of the four tocopherols and the four tocotrienols.

Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is known as the all purpose antioxidant. It is powerful in its own right, and also as a recycler of vitamins C and E. It can restore the antioxidant properties of these vitamins after they have already neutralized free radicals. ALA stimulates the production of glutathione in the body, and aids the absorption of coenzyme Q 10. ALA is water soluble as well as fat soluble, a feature that allows it to move into all parts of cells to deactivate free radicals.

According to Phyllis and James Balch in their Prescription for Nutritional Healing, supplemental ALA has been used in Europe for several decades to treat peripheral nerve degeneration and to aid in the control of blood sugar levels in diabetics. It helps the liver detoxify metal pollutants, blocks cataract formation, protects nerve tissues against oxidative stress, and reduces blood cholesterol levels. ALA may also be instrumental in the prevention and treatment of chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Without ALA, cells cannot use sugar to produce energy. People who choose to take only one antioxidant supplement often choose ALA. Food sources are spinach, broccoli, and organ meats.

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a stable form of the amino acid cysteine, and is used by the liver and the lymphocytes to detoxify chemicals and other poisons. It is very powerful against alcohol, tobacco smoke and environmental pollutants, all of which suppress the immune system. It is needed for the production of glutathione and helps maintain glutathione levels in the cells. Supplementing with NAC can boost the levels of protective enzymes in the body, slowing the cellular damage that is characteristic of aging. It may also reduce the frequency and duration of infections. Combined with L Glutamine, NAC offers a powerful energy boost.

NAC is produced in the body from the amino acid cysteine found in all food sources of protein. Its synthesis is dependent on the availability of selenium, vitamin E and the B vitamins. Supplements of NAC are also available and are used in many anti-aging regimens.

Source: naturalnews.com

GSH / Reduced Glutathione and Skin Whitening

Glutathione is an amino acid found in every cell of a living organism. It’s considered as the ultimate and master antioxidant known to man because it protects the body from a multitude of diseases and conditions.

But as we age, our glutathione levels are depleted due to exposure to air pollutants, stress, drugs, smoking, or food chemicals that damage our cellular systems.

Glutathione Side Effects
Health benefits of Glutathione Skin Whitening Pill

As mentioned above, glutathione can help fight:

* infertility (especially for men)
* human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
* cancers
* cataracts
* thyroid problems
* liver problems (toxins, heavy metals, alcohol)
* chronic fatigue
* heart disease especially those with LDL or bad cholesterol
* multiple sclerosis
* Alzheimer disease
* Parkinson's disease
* arteriosclerosis
* and the list goes on…

And the skin benefits? L-Glutathione skin whitening works from the inside to repair and nourish skin -

* Gives skin a radiant glow.
* Makes pores finer.
* Removes skin hyperpigmentations.
* Skin becomes smoother and clearer.
* Controls acne and prevents acne marks.
* Defies the aging process.

The benefits of glutathione skin whitening pills are immense.

* It preserves good health.
* It promotes longer life.
* It is the anti-aging answer to premature wrinkling.
* It improves the immune system.
* It’s involved in the synthesis & repair of DNA (wow..).
* It detoxifies nicotine in the body (great for smokers!).

How long will I see an improvement?"

* Light-medium brown skin: 1-3 months
* Dark brown skin: 3-6 months
* Very dark skin: 6-12 months
* Black skin: 18 months minimum and above

It needs a little time to build up and work.

Though there is a faster way - IV Glutathione or Intravenous Glutathione. Yep, they're injectables and in much higher doses. Way more expensive too. They scare me a bit because I hate needles, but it may work faster compared to oral supplementation.

Like topical skin lighteners, results from taking skin whitening pills can get faster or slower depending on your skin sensitivity, metabolism and body chemical functioning.

A Glutathione skin whitening pill’s efficacy in skin whitening works only if it is taken with Vitamin C at least equal or twice its dosage. So if you’re taking 500mg of glutathione, Vitamin C should be at least 1000mg.

Conclusion: Is glutathione only for people who want to whiten their skin?
Answer: No! If you want to promote better health and wellness, help fight major diseases especially cancers, keep skin young-looking and radiant, control acne, and again, the list goes on and on, glutatione skin whitening pill is the way to go.

Side Effects:Generally considered to have no other side effect, except for skin lightening. No untoward interactions even with prolonged use.

Fact: Glutathione is a food supplement and not a drug, therefore doesn’t require a Food and Drug Administration approval in US. It is listed in the USFDA’s GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) list of safe food supplements under specification 21CFR §184.1979c.

Glutathione is the best antioxidant of all time.

Source: skin-whitening-product.com

Glutathione, What is it?

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.

Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if you need more information about this medicine or if any information in this leaflet concerns you.

Before Using:
Tell your doctor if you

* are taking medicine or are allergic to any medicine (prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) or dietary supplement)
* are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medicine
* are breastfeeding
* have other health problems, such as high blood pressure or heart or blood vessel disease

Dosage:
Talk with your caregiver about how much Glutathione you should take. The amount depends on the strength of the medicine and the reason you are taking Glutathione. If you are using this medicine without instructions from your caregiver, follow the directions on the medicine bottle. Do not take more medicine or take it more often than the directions tell you to.

To store this medicine:
Keep all medicine locked up and away from children. Store medicine away from heat and direct light. Do not store your medicine in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down and not work the way it should work. Throw away medicine that is out of date or that you do not need. Never share your medicine with others.

Warnings:

* Before taking Glutathione tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding

Side Effects:
Stop taking your medicine right away and talk to your doctor if you have any of the following side effects. Your medicine may be causing these symptoms which may mean you are allergic to it.

* Breathing problems or tightness in your throat or chest
* Chest pain
* Skin hives, rash, or itchy or swollen skin

Other Side Effects:
You may have the following side effects, but this medicine may also cause other side effects. Tell your doctor if you have side effects that you think are caused by this medicine.

* Zinc deficiency was seen in long term use of a combination product containing Glutathione

Source: pdrhealth.com

Glutathione | Glutathione

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.

Another, and some say better, way to raise glutathione levels is to take cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine, the raw materials it uses to make this compound. The N-acetyl form of cysteine (NAC) is easily absorbed by the body, and glutamine supplements are available in a powder that is cost effective, tasteless, odorless, and dissolves easily in water. The usual dose for extra glutamine is anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 milligrams.

Fish oil, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin C, and selenium also encourage the production and absorption of GSH. In fact, without selenium, a trace mineral that also helps vitamin E work more effectively, the body cannot produce glutathione. Make sure you are getting plenty of these nutrients to help keep your body healthy and strong at any age.

Source: vitaminstuff.com

Glutathione Related News | Cardiac Patients Recover Better With Heart Surgery Nutrition

It is called heart surgery nutrition and this is an easy way that cardiac patients can do something effective to improve their medical outcomes. Recent medical research is now showing that heart surgery nutrition is a very important way to protect a patient from damage that can be caused by the oxidative stress that goes along with angioplasty, coronary bypass, thrombolysis (using medication to dissolve blood clots), and the injury that results when oxygen is once again supplied to tissues that were oxygen deprived.

In fact, medical researchers are taking the important step of recommending that people take proactive, protective measures to combat the heavy oxidative stress that goes along with heart attacks, strokes, and heart surgery.

There are two important elements that researchers have found:

1. An extremely high level of free radical damage

2. An absence of glutathione (the body's own antioxidant) in people who are experiencing cardiac problems.

Both of these elements accompany heart disease and both occur when -

1. Blood flow to the heart is obstructed by a blockage of a coronary artery

2. Or there is a sudden, severe blockage that brings on a heart attack (myocardial infarction)

The good news is that heart surgery nutrition can easily be implemented and added to a patient's medical treatment to improve outcomes and even protect against further damage.

How To Prevent Further Cardiac Damage

A team of Canadian and Japanese heart researchers suggest now that the use of antioxidant therapy before a cardiac procedure such as angioplasty, coronary bypass, and thrombolysis may help prevent complications.

Without making sure that there are adequate protective mechanisms in place to combat free radicals our vascular systems can be overcome by atherosclerosis.

A Research team at Birmingham University examined over two thousand patients who had confirmed coronary artery disease in a randomized clinical trial. The results were:

* Patients who took antioxidant supplements reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 47%.

* Cardiologists in Italy conclude that significant glutathione depletion occurs after cardiac ischemia.

* A study in the Japan Heart Journal measured the red blood cell glutathione of 21 patients with heart attacks. They found evidence of glutathione depletion and this indicates that this condition presents a major demand for glutathione.

How Your Body's Own Antioxidant Protects You

The principal antioxidant in our cells is glutathione (GSH). It protects all cells. It has been shown that there is a connection between cholesterol levels, glutathione levels, and plaque formation in the aorta. It has also been confirmed that GSH levels decrease as we age and this contributes to the formation of atherosclerosis.

Antioxidants like vitamins C and E are important and beneficial but the naturally occurring antioxidant in the cell is GSH. GSH changes these other antioxidants into their functionally active form.

Unfortunately, taking glutathione in pill form is not effective, because it is merely digested and does not get to the cells. To benefit from glutathione you need to add it as a nutraceutical both as pre- and postoperative nutrition.

Source: naturalnews.com

Benefit of grapes may be more than skin deep

Can a grape-enriched diet prevent the downhill sequence of heart failure after years of high blood pressure? A University of Michigan Cardiovascular Centre study suggests grapes may prevent heart health risks beyond the simple blood pressure-lowering impact that can come from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. The benefits may be the result of the phytochemicals - naturally occurring antioxidants - turning on a protective process in the genes that reduces damage to the heart muscle.

The study, performed in laboratory rats, was presented at the 2009 Experimental Biology convention in New Orleans.

The researchers studied the effect of regular table grapes (a blend of green, red, and black grapes) that were mixed into the rat diet in a powdered form, as part of either a high- or low-salt diet. Comparisons were made between rats consuming the grape powder and rats that received a mild dose of a common blood pressure drug. All the rats were from a research breed that develops high blood pressure when fed a salty diet.

After 18 weeks, the rats that received the grape-enriched diet powder had lower blood pressure, better heart function, and fewer signs of heart muscle damage than the rats that ate the same salty diet but didn't receive grapes.

Rats that received the blood pressure medicine, hydrazine, along with a salty diet also had lower blood pressure, but their hearts were not protected from damage as they were in the grape-fed group.

'There are the small changes that diet can bring, but the effect of grape intake on genes can have a greater impact on disease down the road,' said E. Mitchell Seymour, M.S., who led the research as part of his doctoral work in nutrition science at Michigan State University. He manages the U-M Cardioprotection Research Laboratory, which is headed by U-M cardiac surgeon Steven Bolling, M.D.

Heart cells, like other cells in the body, make an antioxidant protein called glutathione, which is one of our first defenders against damaging oxidative stress. High blood pressure causes oxidative stress in the heart and lowers the amount of protective glutathione. However, intake of grapes actually turned on glutathione-regulating genes in the heart and significantly elevated glutathione levels.

This may explain why the hearts of grape-fed animals functioned better and had less damage.

Although the current study was supported in part by the California Table Grape Commission, which also supplied the grape powder, the authors note that the commission played no role in the study's design, conduct, analysis or the preparation of the journal article for publication. Seymour also receives funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, through a National Research Service Award.

Bolling said the latest results take research on the health benefits of grapes 'a step further' by examining the mechanisms impacted by antioxidant-rich grapes.

The rats in the study were from a strain called Dahl rats, which have been specially bred to all be susceptible to salt-induced hypertension. The animals are similar to

Americans who have elevated blood pressure related to diet, and who develop heart failure over time because of prolonged hypertension.

Each group of 12 rats was fed the same weight of food each day with powdered grapes making up 3 percent of the diet (by weight) for rats that received grapes as part of either a low-salt or high-salt diet. The rats that received hydrazine were fed it through their water supply in a dose that has been previously shown to be effective in reducing blood pressure.

Such naturally occurring chemicals have already been shown in other research, including previous U-M studies, to reduce other potentially harmful molecular and cellular activity in the body.

In all, the researchers say, the study further demonstrates that a grape-enriched diet can have broad effects on the development of hypertension and the risk factors that go with it. Whether the effect can be replicated in humans, they say, remains to be seen.

Source: sciencecentric.com