Glutathione...just the bit on the topic!

I said I’d do a post on glutathione and here it is. It is said “Time flies when you’re having fun.” I must be having fun, because if someone had asked me when I last posted, I would have said “just a few days ago”. NOT... It’s been eleven days. WOW! I have been reading, however.

Almost everything that I have read, whether it is from a retail site or a research site,says glutathione is a very important and crucial antioxidant in our bodies. It is said to be our “Master antioxidant”. Sufficient amounts, in our cells, seems to be very critical to our well being. The same diseases kept being repeated. Our health and longevity depends on glutathione!

As I understand it, genetics is only a portion of the reason that humans get diseases. Polymorphisms, in a gene, and environmental effects, i.e., toxins, bacteria, viruses, and other free radical onslaughts, all contribute to a lack of health. In other words, nature and life, all have a hand in our diseases. I’m going to put a few quotes on here. The researchers and Drs. can all say it better than I.

"Without glutathione, other important antioxidants such as vitamins C and E cannot do their job adequately to protect your body against disease." Allan Somersall, Ph.D., M.D., and Gustavo Bounous, M.D. FRCS(C) in Breakthrough in Cell Defense

"No other antioxidant is as important to overall health as glutathione. It is the regulator and regenerator of immune cells and the most valuable detoxifying agent in the human body. Low levels are associated with hepatic dysfunction, immune dysfunction, cardiac disease, premature aging, and death." Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe & Patrick J.D. Bouic, Ph.D. in The Immune System Cure

"Raising glutathione levels is a good thing, no matter how you do it. There are several theories about how to do this and all are slightly different. Some believe that NAC will do it, it certainly has the right chemical structure. Others think that only bioavailable glutathione is the way to go.... However you elevate your glutathione levels, it is a good thing to do!" - Douglas T. Dieterich, M.D. in a response to a patient query at a forum on TheBody.com, an AIDS and HIV Information Resource.

"One reason why it is so important to maintain high levels of glutathione is that it is crucial for the detoxification of carcinogens. Packer states that most people do not inherit "cancer genes"; rather, they have a genetic weakness in their detoxification system. Glutathione is an extremely important part of the detoxification system, and thus of our defenses against cancer. Interestingly, whey protein has also been found to raise glutathione levels. Glutathione may also be one of the most important keys to longevity. Centenarians have been found to have higher levels of glutathione than would be expected for their age. Boosting one's glutathione levels ...should be one of the first items on anyone's anti-aging agenda." - Ivy Greenwell in The Antioxidant Network, A brief review of "The Antioxidant Miracle," by Lester Packer, PhD and Carol Colman

"As Dr. Lombard points out in his book, "The Brain Wellness Plan"...the brain’s high fat content renders it especially vulnerable to free radicals, so that the body has defined specific ways to protect brain cell fatty acids through special antioxidants.... Glutathione is one of the most powerful antioxidants in the body. Depressed glutathione levels are associated with the increased generation of free radicals found in Parkinson’s patients, for example, and contributes to further brain cell death." - Excerpts from the Willner Window Radio Show aired in May 98


These quotes are just a part of the information. I think glutathione is such an important nutrient, it would be worth a person’s time to do some research on their own. Just google glutathione and off you go!

A few topics jumped out at me often. These included, Parkinson’s, MS, diabetes, thyroid problems, premature ageing, and skin care or skin whitening, also, the ability of the body to utilize Vitamins A, C, and E and B complex vitamins. There definitely is some disagreement on supplements of glutathione. Some say supplements are worthless, others say only bio-available glutathione is absorbed by the body, still others say “My product is the only one that works.” All I know, the whey that I have been taking (from yogurt) has produced wonders in my skin, in less than a month. If the outside is getting healthier, I have to believe that the inside is doing the same. What I've seen so far is marvelous!

I'll take results, any day.
Your Smiling Maven