{"id":822,"date":"2019-03-25T01:26:05","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T01:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshmitteldorf.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=822"},"modified":"2019-06-18T16:23:56","modified_gmt":"2019-06-18T16:23:56","slug":"eat-glutathione","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/joshmitteldorf\/2019\/03\/25\/eat-glutathione\/","title":{"rendered":"Eat Glutathione"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every supplement has its downside. \u00a0Metformin and rapamycin are the best candidates among fully-developed products, and metformin can dissipate the benefits of exercise, while rapamycin can suppress immune response and raise insulin resistance. \u00a0NAD enhancers can affect epigenetic methylation and <\/span><\/i>damage the liver<\/span><\/i><\/a>. \u00a0I\u2019ve written about the <\/span><\/i>adverse effects of anti-oxidants<\/span><\/i><\/a>, which are the most highly publicized treatments for aging. \u00a0But glutathione (GSH) is one anti-oxidant for which I\u2019ve read multiple benefits, and I\u2019ve never seen a negative word. As far as I know, the more glutathione you have, the healthier you can expect to be. \u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Glutathione is akin to a miniature protein with just 3 amino acids (glutamate, cysteine, and glycine). \u00a0Our bodies manufacture glutathione regularly from the three constituent amino acids, but we make less of it when we are older, and need it more. \u00a0(In <\/span>my book<\/span><\/a>, this is an example of programmed aging, the body deliberately turning to self-destruction, but you don\u2019t have to believe in programmed aging. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Glutathione<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was originally discovered as a recyclable anti-oxidant. \u00a0The most active and toxic ROS are reduced to the less toxic form, hydrogen peroxide, H<\/span>2<\/span>O<\/span>2<\/span>, and it is the job of glutathione to take care of the H<\/span>2<\/span>O<\/span>2<\/span>. The active (reduced) form is abbreviated GSH, and the \u2018second-hand\u2019 form, ready to be recharged, is GSSG. \u00a0Glutothione reductase is the enzyme that does the honors of restoring GSSG to GSH. Glutathione antioxidant activity depends on an enzyme containing the trace element selenium, which is available in a quirky variety of foods (brazil nuts, mushrooms) and in trace mineral supplements. <\/span><\/p>\n

As the number of supplements I take has multiplied over the years, I have begun to randomize my intake, selecting from a shelf full of pills each morning based on whim as much as anything. \u00a0Through this transition, N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is the one supplement that I keep handy and continue to take several times each day. NAC is a precursor and recharger of glutathione. After researching the present article, I\u2019ve added raw glutathione to my pill shelf, for reasons you\u2019ll read below.<\/span><\/p>\n

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N-Acetyl Cysteine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cancer is a counter-indication (?)<\/b><\/p>\n

H2<\/sub>O2<\/sub> is not just a toxic byproduct; it is also a signaling molecule with <\/span>multiple functions<\/span><\/a>, including self-destruction of the cell. \u00a0GSH can lessen the propensity for apoptosis (cell suicide). This is <\/span>generally a good thing in anyone over 50<\/span><\/a>, but you might think twice about it <\/span>if you\u2019re actively battling cancer<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Not just an ordinary anti-oxidant<\/b><\/p>\n

In addition to anti-oxidant activity, GSH is now known to have many other roles, including DNA repair, protein synthesis, and chemical signaling. \u00a0It is not obvious that the health benefits of GSH come from its role as anti-oxidant.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the liver and kidneys, GSH binds to a broad variety of toxins and carcinogens, helping to neutralize them while they are being eliminated. \u00a0There are several common genetic variants that affect the hormones that assist in this process, glutathione S-transferases, or GSTs. People with GSTM-1 variants are more susceptible to most cancers, asbestos, lead and mercury poisoning, etc. The herb <\/span>silymarin (milk thistle) increases the presence of glutathione<\/span><\/a> selectively boosts glutathioneIn the liver. Hospital ERs use NAC for emergency detox, and in my personal experience a relative\u2019s life was recently saved and liver damage avoided with intravenous NAC.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Animal evidence<\/b><\/p>\n

Supplementation with NAC has been found to increase lifespan in several animal models, most important <\/span>in male mice<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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(Female mice in this study with or without NAC live as long as male mice with supplementation.)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Human evidence<\/b><\/p>\n

To my knowledge, there is no direct evidence in humans regarding lifespan or mortality benefits of NAC or glutathione.<\/span><\/p>\n

Glutathione is produced within each cell, and cells produce less of it in older humans. \u00a0\u00a0This is the reason glutathione levels <\/span>decline as we age<\/span><\/a>, about 40% between ages 30 and 70. \u00a0Not only do older people have less glutathione, but levels tend to be lowest in people with chronic disease of any sort [<\/span>ref<\/span><\/a>].<\/span><\/p>\n

NAC can extend the capacity of muscles to resist fatigue, both in rodents and in humans [<\/span>ref<\/span><\/a>]. \u00a0This is probably related to recharging glutathione in and around mitochondria as they expend energy.\u00a0 Glutathione is especially useful in the energy metabolism, and there is evidence it is continually pumped into mitochondria<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Eating glutathione?<\/b><\/p>\n

I have believed for a long while that GSH doesn\u2019t survive stomach acid, and it\u2019s worthless to take it orally. \u00a0This was based on the idea that GSH is a miniature protein, and the peptide bonds that hold proteins together are efficiently broken in the stomach. \u00a0Hence the time-honored way to get more GSH is to take NAC, which is a precursor which the body uses to make GSH. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve learned there are several things wrong with this story.<\/span><\/p>\n