Glutathione properties and benefits

Glutathione: what it is used for and when to take it. The properties and benefits of glutathione

It is certainly the most important antioxidant at the cellular level. It is present in nature in all organisms, whether they are mono or multicellular. In humans, it represents the first and most powerful antioxidant molecular system. The limit for the bioavailability of glutathione in humans is linked to the fact that the enzymatic systems of the digestive system, blood, liver barrier destroy it rapidly even if it is found in all foods combined with other antioxidant substances.

What is glutathione and its indications

Chemically it is a complex molecule that arises from the union of three smaller molecules and precisely from three amino acids, which constitute the building blocks of which all proteins are made and which are: glycine, cysteine and glutamic acid, technically it is defined as a tri-peptide, while any protein consisting of a more or less long sequence can be called a poly-peptide.

What is glutathione used for and when to take it

Here we need to introduce the concept of oxidative stress. There are molecules such as oxygen and free radicals that have a strong tendency to react chemically, this reactivity for biological systems is dangerous. For example, iron objects if left in the air or water oxidize quickly just like biological systems if exposed to oxygen and free radicals, the result is their destruction. Glutathione is responsible for neutralizing these intruders in order to avoid the resulting damage. Since in biological chemistry (of living systems) many free radicals or substances are formed and introduced through food that then generate them, we can imagine the importance of antioxidant systems, they oppose cellular degradation and ultimately aging.

Bioavailable glutathione? In which foods is glutathione found

Since glutathione is ubiquitously present in nature and in food, there should be no problems with food deficiency on the part of the human body; In reality this is not the case, the glutathione introduced with food is practically digested and reduced to its components, and this therefore does not allow to maintain a good level of blood concentration, so there is a poor bioavailability. Glutathione-based supplements also undergo the same destructive processes and therefore are scarcely useful in general as there is a gastric, blood and liver barrier and what little glutathione manages to pass into the bloodstream decays quickly. So the glutathione present in the body is practically that of endogenous origin, i.e. the one manufactured inside the cells from the three amino acids that compose it, namely glycine, cysteine and glutamic acid. Unfortunately, the presence of cysteine in food is not very widespread and is also quite unstable, which is why the amino acid cystine consisting of 2 cysteine molecules is very important and much more chemically stable. Consequently, the presence of cystine in food is very important because it is from it that endogenous glutathione is synthesized. Therefore, supplementation with cystine rather than glutathione may be important, except for some products on the market that require perlingual intake.

Cytochrome p450 and glutathione detoxification

Glutathione is one of the most important detoxifying agents. Cytochrome P 450 is the site of the degradation of drugs and other toxic substances and its activity depends largely on the presence of glutathione. In addition, antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C are regenerated in the cells if glutathione is present.

Glutathione Conclusions: Liver Detoxifier

We can say that glutathione is the most important antioxidant agent in the body; it opposes oxidative stress and is therefore to be considered the most important anti-aging molecule. The presence of glutathione is essential for the activity of cytochrome P 450 on which the degradation of drugs depends, so those who are forced to constant drug therapies would do well to calibrate their diet using foods that contain significant amounts of cystine, vitamin C and vitamin E and also a supplementation of products that contain an antioxidant mix.

Author: Dr. Walter Bottai

Source: http://www.naturopataonline.org/alimentazione/nutr...