Pages

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

What is Glutathione?

Glutathione (pronounced "gloota-thigh-own") also known as GSH is the body's essential health AID - Antioxidant, Immune booster and Detoxifier. This small protein, produced naturally in the body, maintains these three crucial protective functions. In fact, your life depends on glutathione. Without it your cells would disintegrate from unrestrained oxidation, your body would have little resistance to bacteria, viruses and cancer, and your liver would shrivel up from the eventual accumulation of toxins.

Glutathione is not yet a household word. Even doctors who have heard the term may have only a vague idea of it. However, everyone will soon be talking about this critical substance. There was a time when only scientists had heard of cholesterol and vitamins, but today everyone knows about them. In the last five years, over 35,000 medical articles about Glutathione have been published, and this scientific understanding is gradually becoming common knowledge.

Each and every cell in the body is responsible for its own supply of glutathione and must have the necessary raw materials to make it. Glutathione is always in great demand and is rapidly consumed when we experience any sort of pressure - illness, stress, fatigue and even exercise. Glutathione levels also diminish as we age and many diseases normally associated with aging have been linked to glutathione deficiency.

WHY GLUTATHIONE IS ESSENTIAL TO HEALTH

Glutathione's three major roles in the body are summarized by the letters A-I-D - Antioxidant, Immune booster, and Detoxifier - three critical processes driven by glutathione.

THE MASTER ANTIOXIDANT (AID) Over the past thirty years researchers have explored the critical role of antioxidants in good health. It's not surprising that the body itself manufactures its own natural antioxidants. The most important of these is glutathione. Since all other antioxidants depend upon the presence of glutathione to function properly, scientists call it "The Master Antioxidant."

BENEFITS FOR THE IMMUNE SYSTEM (AID) The immune system's function is to identify and attack germs and other invaders, including cancer cel1s. A body with plenty of glutathione fights off these threats more easily by denying most of them and confronting the few that get through with an enhanced immune system. Elevated glutathione levels enable the body to produce more white blood cells - the most important front line defense of the immune system. Glutathione plays a central role in the functions of these immune cel1s. Dr. Gustavo Bounous, a leading glutathione expert says, "The limiting factor in the proper activity of our lymphocytes (white blood cel1s) is the availability of glutathione." In other words, healthy growth and activity of immune cel1s depend upon glutathione's availability. Simply put, glutathione is food for the immune system.

NATURAL DETOXIFICATION (AID) Whether we know it or not, we are continually inhaling and ingesting natural and synthetic toxins. They are unavoidable in these modern times, both in our polluted cities and our engineered food supplies. When the body has its health and the nourishment it needs it works tirelessly to eliminate toxins and protect itself, but increasing levels of environmental pollution are depleting its stores of glutathione more and more rapidly. Our main organ of detoxification is the liver the body's most concentrated source of glutathione. Studies show that low glutathione levels lead to poor liver function, causing more and more toxins to circulate through the body and resulting in damage to individual cel1s and organs.

Raising glutathione levels: some possible clinical applications:

Aging
• Parkinson's disease
• Alzheimer's disease
• Cataract formation
• Macular degeneration
• Cancers of aging
• Prostate problems
• Osteoarthritis

Cardiovascular
• Prevents heart disease
• Prevents stroke
• Prevents atherosclerosis
• Reverses atherosclerosis
• Prevents reperfusion injury

Digestive system
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Hepatitis
• Malnutrition
• Pancreatitis
• Peptic ulcer

Toxicology
• Detoxifies certain drug overdoses
• Detoxifies substances in cigarette smoke, auto exhaust
• Detoxifies pollutants including heavy metals, pesticides
• Prevents hearing loss from noise pollution
• Detoxifies many well-known carcinogens

Infectious disease and immunology
• Anti-viral (AIDS, hepatitis, herpes, common cold, etc)
• Bacterial infection
• Certain autoimmune dysfunction's
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Immuno-suppression

Cancer
• Cancer prevention
• Suppresses tumor growth
• Eliminates carcinogens, mutagens
• Retards oxidative damage to DNA
• Prevents wasting disease
• Eases side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy

Pulmonary
• Breaks up mucus
• Cystic fibrosis
• Asthma
• Chronic bronchitis
• Emphysema
• Pulmonary fibrosis

Metabolic
• Athletic enhancement
• Decreases recovery time from physical stress
• Decreases cholesterol LDL oxidation
• Supports hemoglobin in kidney failure
• Diabetes




By Abraham Bruck

No comments: