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Known as the master antioxidant, glutathione is our body’s most predominant way to reduce oxidative stress. Because of this, glutathione is extremely important for every aspect of health. People who take glutathione supplements are often surprised at how much more energy they have and how much better they feel than without it.
Such an important antioxidant deserves a lot of attention, even though conventional medicine has yet to embrace its importance.
In this blog, I will teach you about diseases that are related to glutathione deficiency, how this antioxidant benefits our cells, how to naturally boost our own glutathione levels, and the best glutathione supplements to support your antioxidant levels.
Table of Contents
Diseases Related to Low Glutathione Levels
Low glutathione levels are related to all chronic diseases and many common ailments. Signs of oxidative stress and glutathione deficiency in our bodies include, skin issues, heart disease, muscle pain and weakness, fatigue, brain fog, memory issues, blood pressure issues, premature aging, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, neurological conditions, fibromyalgia, allergies, lung issues, cancer, digestive issues, and more.
In a nutshell, all diseases are related to glutathione deficiency. Glutathione deficiencies are common, especially for people with diseases of the nervous system (chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, autism, depression).
While this relationship is compelling, research dollars are stingy when it comes to natural approaches such as glutathione.
Many studies do confirm glutathione benefits for the whole body and many more reviews demonstrate that glutathione can be very effective at helping restore health and vitality in our bodies.
Glutathione (GSH) cleans up substances in our body that cause cellular damage. It also is critical for DNA production and repair, amino acid transport, cellular signaling and nutrient metabolism.
My Clinical Experiences With Glutathione
As the master antioxidant, glutathione helps a lot of people feel better. I have had clients that struggle with fatigue to wake up energized every day after using glutathione supplements. It is one supplement they won’t be without.
For people with autoimmune skin issues, it reduces discomfort while conventional medications often serve only to mask the problem.
The benefits of glutathione are high and the risks are exceptionally low. The only people who don’t tolerate glutathione are those with sensitivities to some sulfur compounds. But because glutathione is made from 3 natural amino acids, it is very well tolerated by most people.
Causes of Low Glutathione Levels
Some things that cause low glutathione are out of our control, such as aging. Other things are within our control. Glutathione protects cells from free radicals, so the things that cause low levels of glutathione are foods that have free radicals or foods that cause oxidative stress. This includes processed foods like breads, pasta, white rice, sugar, alcohol, and imbalanced diets. Low protein diets cause low glutathione levels because the building blocks of glutathione are cysteine, glycine, and glutamate.
Other things that cause low glutathione are the diseases mentioned above as well as obesity, stress, poor sleep, alcohol, tobacco, exposure to chemical toxins from beauty products and household products, sedentary lifestyles, antibiotics, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and other medications.
Glutathione Benefits at the Cellular Level
Glutathione does so much to protect our bodies. Here are some proven roles that it has in helping us stay healthy: Glutathione helps regenerate other antioxidants in our bodies, including vitamin C and vitamin E. It also optimizes other antioxidant functions, including lutein and zeaxanthin By helping the liver to neutralize toxins, it helps reduce cancer risk, and risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Not only that, glutathione helps our energy-burning parts of the cell called the mitochondria. Last but not least, glutathione Improves digestion and improves overall cellular function.
Glutathione is exceptionally important for protecting our cells. For example, glutathione-rich foods, like almonds, increase glutathione blood levels by 16 percent and reduce cell damage from smoking by 29 percent.
Important for every cell, glutathione also helps the liver by supporting detoxification enzymes. This means that glutathione helps to eliminate harmful substances in our body and improves detoxification in the body.
How is Glutathione Made?
Glutathione is made in the liver and here it helps to regulate digestive function, provides immune support, and protects virtually every tissue type we have in our bodies. Additionally, glutathione has tremendous roles in keeping us healthy generally and preventing premature aging.
Like other antioxidants, glutathione helps to protect our cells from the stresses brought on by environmental and dietary triggers. Some foods are also good sources of glutathione, as we will review soon.
Optimal Glutathione Levels
While there is no established recommended daily intake for glutathione, maintaining an adequate level is important for the health of all your cells. A healthy range of glutathione is between 440 to 654 mcg/dL in the blood.
Glutathione-Friendly Foods and Glutathione-Boosting Supplements
Most healthy foods naturally boost glutathione levels in our bodies. Some foods that are naturally high in glutathione include mushrooms, avocados, almonds, spinach, and okra.
Other foods help make it so that our bodies are able to produce glutathione in our livers more efficiently. For example, foods rich in sulfur will naturally increase levels of this antioxidant in the body. This is because glutathione is made with sulfur.
Foods that contain glutathione or help our bodies make glutathione include: Eggs, grass-fed meats, organ meats, sardines, salmon, garlic, onions, ginger, almonds, honey, cruciferous veggies like broccoli brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower. Additionally, nutritional supplements can help increase glutathione, including vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate. Last but not least, supplemental glutathione restores cellular glutathione.
The Best Absorbed Glutathione
Not all glutathione absorbs well, but formulations of glutathione, including S-acetyl-glutathione, liposomal glutathione, and patented forms like Setria® and OPITAC™ absorb well and are delivered to our cells. You can find several of these brands of glutathione on Fullscript. Typical doses of glutathione used in clinical research range between 100-1000 mg per day. I suggest finding glutathione on Fullscript because this dispensary uses products that are 3rd party tested and that are also vetted out by healthcare providers.
Therapeutic Uses of Glutathione
Glutathione is helpful for people who have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, psoriasis, eczema, other autoimmune conditions, including Crohn’s disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, lupus, and neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, nerve pain, fatigue syndromes, lung conditions, and more.
References:
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