There is an amazing antioxidant that many people are deficient in and that can be easily depleted by our modern lifestyle. It is the tripeptide Glutathione and it is the body’s most potent detoxifying and antioxidant agent.
It's the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent disease -- yet you've probably never heard of it. It's the secret to prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more, and necessary to treat everything from autism to alzheimer's disease. There are more than 89,000 medical articles about it.
Glutathione is the body’s most potent detoxifying and antioxidant agent.
What is Glutathione?
Glutathione is a very simple molecule that is produced naturally all the time in your body. It is a combination of three simple building blocks of protein or amino acids -- cysteine, glycine and glutamine. The good news is that your body produces its own glutathione. The bad news is that poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, aging, infections and radiation all deplete your glutathione.
Benefits of Glutathione
Glutathione has been extensively studied for its ability to slow aging, reduce the chance of degenerative disease, improve mental performance and more.
It’s the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more, and necessary to treat everything from autism to Alzheimer’s disease.
It helps the body produce and recycle antioxidants, which is vital for maintaining cellular health.
When glutathione is depleted, this process is inhibited and free radicals can build up in the body.
Additionally, glutathione binds with harmful chemicals, heavy metals and other toxins in the body and carries them into the bile and the stool so they are excreted.
It has been used for helping those with immune disorders, autism, digestive disorders like colitis, cardiovascular diseases and other problems.
Sources of Glutathione
Glutathione is created in the body from glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine. Taking these amino acids can help the body naturally produce more, but there are also some great food sources of these building blocks needed to make it:
Consume sulfur-rich foods. The main ones in the diet are garlic, onions and the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, cauliflower, watercress, etc.).
Try bioactive whey protein. This is great source of cysteine and the amino acid building blocks for glutathione synthesis. Choose non-pasteurized and non-industrially produced milk that contains no pesticides, hormones, or antibiotics.
Exercise for Your Way to More Glutathione
Exercise boosts your glutathione levels and thereby helps boost your immune system, improve detoxification and enhance your body's own antioxidant defenses. Start slow and build up to 30 minutes a day of vigorous aerobic exercise like walking or jogging, or play various sports. Strength training for 20 minutes 3 times a week is also helpful.
Take Glutathione Supporting Supplements
In the past, it was assumed that it is impossible to supplement since the body breaks down proteins in the digestive process and oral glutathione would not be absorbed.
New forms, like liposomal glutathione, solve this problem, but it is still important to consume a nutrient rich diet that includes the building blocks of glutathione (especially from leafy greens and onions/garlic).
The supplement N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine is shown to naturally increase the body’s production of glutathione and there is some evidence that Vitamin C can help protect glutathione levels.
Some naturopathic doctors provide intravenous glutathione or glutathione injections. This is an effective way to boost levels, though not available in many places.
Alpha lipoic acid. This is a close second to glutathione in importance in our cells and is involved in energy production, blood sugar control, brain health and detoxification. The body usually makes it, but given all the stresses we are under, we often become depleted.
Methylation nutrients (folate and vitamins B6 and B12). These are perhaps the most critical to keep the body producing glutathione. Methylation and the production and recycling of glutathione are the two most important biochemical functions in your body. Take folate (especially in the active form of 5 methyltetrahydrofolate), B6 (in active form of P5P) and B12 (in the active form of methylcobalamin).
Selenium. This important mineral helps the body recycle and produce more glutathione.
A family of antioxidants including vitamins C and E (in the form of mixed tocopherols), work together to recycle glutathione.
Milk thistle (silymarin) has long been used in liver disease and helps boost glutathione levels.
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