Glutathione – the natural all-rounder
Glutathione is currently one of the most discussed dietary supplements and is now regarded as a kind of superfood. Not without reason, because glutathione in its reduced form is one of the most important intracellular antioxidants produced by the body.
It has numerous important functions for our health – from supporting the body’s own detoxification and preventing oxidative stress to maintaining our general health and protecting the immune system. Accordingly, a deficiency in reduced glutathione can become noticeable through a wide range of physical complaints. But what exactly is glutathione, how does a deficiency occur, and how can we prevent it?
What exactly is glutathione?
Glutathione is a central molecule in our body. It is essential for life, as it is involved in numerous biochemical processes in our organism. Glutathione, also known as L-glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine, is a tripeptide formed from the three amino acids glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine. Our body can produce glutathione itself – provided all the necessary building blocks are available. For biosynthesis, i.e. for building glutathione, our body requires not only the three amino acids mentioned but also other cofactors such as vitamins B2 and B3, zinc, selenium, and alpha-lipoic acid.
The mode of action of glutathione has been known since the early 1920s. Glutathione is a component of almost every cell and all organs, especially the liver, kidneys, pancreas, spleen, and the lenses of the eyes, which are exposed to strong oxidation through sunlight.
Reduced glutathione
Glutathione is found in several forms in our body. Its active form is glutathione sulfhydryl (GSH), which is also referred to as reduced glutathione. This is also the form usually found in dietary supplements. In its reduced form, glutathione is one of the most important intracellular antioxidants produced by the body. Due to its sulfur core, reduced glutathione belongs to the so-called thiols, i.e. sulfur-containing molecules.
Good to know: Glutathione is so valuable to the body that it absorbs it very quickly. A liposomal form of administration is therefore not necessary. Because: high-quality reduced glutathione is optimally absorbed even without this special dosage form.
Tasks & effects of glutathione
Glutathione is a very powerful antioxidant that performs many important tasks in our body. Among other things, it is involved in the body’s own elimination of harmful substances through biotransformation. These are the metabolic pathways in which fat-bound toxins are dissolved and converted into water-soluble substances that can be excreted. It also acts as a regulator of cell division, helps repair damaged DNA, increases the activity of immune cells, regulates inflammatory reactions, and plays a crucial role in our cellular metabolism as a scavenger of free radicals.
The health benefits and positive effects on our body and well-being are correspondingly significant:
Glutathione…
- … slows down aging processes.
- … strengthens the immune system.
- … supports detoxification in the liver and cells.
- … has an anti-inflammatory effect.
In addition, glutathione also has a very special task: it is needed to reactivate other important antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and alpha-lipoic acid once they have been used up in fighting free radicals. Glutathione therefore plays a central role in our body’s antioxidant system, which is why it is also referred to as the “master antioxidant.”
Can we also absorb glutathione through food?
Reduced glutathione is also contained in our food. Animal food sources include raw milk, liver, and kidneys, for example. Many plant-based foods such as avocados, watermelons, asparagus, potatoes, oranges, tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, spinach, watercress, almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, and especially allium vegetables such as chives, garlic, and its wild form, wild garlic, can also support our body in increasing its ability to synthesize glutathione itself.
However, due to our modern eating habits and the increasing contamination of our food, we now absorb only a small amount of glutathione through food each day, which falls far short of covering our needs. In addition, the GSH content of foods decreases quickly through processing, storage, and cooking.
Vegetarians and vegans in particular should pay attention to their glutathione supply: Since animal products such as raw milk, liver, and kidneys are important sources of glutathione, a purely plant-based diet may provide an insufficient intake of the amino acids needed for glutathione synthesis. Targeted supplementation is particularly useful here.
“The most effective medicine is the natural healing power,
which lies within each and every one of us.”
Hippocrates
How does a glutathione deficiency occur?
In infants and young children, a vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets, as the bones are not sufficiently mineralized, remain soft, and become deformed.
As with all other nutrients, our modern lifestyle with stress, an unbalanced diet, and increasing environmental pollution also plays a key role in glutathione deficiency – more precisely, a deficiency of GSH within our cells.
This is because GSH is consumed faster than the body produces it or obtains it through food whenever oxidative stress is extremely high in the short term or increases permanently. Such a persistent burden of oxidative stress can lead to premature aging and diseases caused by depletion of the GSH pool. This GSH depletion is associated, for example, with:
- Environmental pollution (e.g. from poisons, chemtrails, toxins in vaccinations, UV radiation, nanoplastics, heavy metals, electrosmog from EMF, etc.)
- acute and chronic diseases
- individual constitution
- lifestyle (e.g. poor diet, extreme sports, smoking, or stress)
- age
- inhibition of synthesis due to a lack of cofactors such as vitamins, sulfur groups, selenium, zinc, or essential amino acids (L-cysteine, L-methionine)
Glutathione deficiency and its consequences
Since a glutathione level that is too low affects the entire antioxidant system of our body, a deficiency can become noticeable through a wide range of health complaints and even diseases:
- Decline in performance, chronic fatigue, up to chronic fatigue syndrome and burnout
- Increased susceptibility to infections and inflammation
- Symptoms caused by impaired brain function (e.g. seizures or loss of coordination)
- Metabolic acidosis (over-acidification)
- Anemia
- DNA damage
- An increased risk of diseases promoted by mitochondrial dysfunction, which in turn is associated with glutathione deficiency (e.g. fibromyalgia, Lyme disease)
If you would like to know whether you are suffering from a glutathione deficiency, you can have your glutathione level measured in whole blood or in red blood cells. It is best to ask the doctor you trust or a naturopath.
A good and sensible way to increase our GSH level is through a high-quality dietary supplement with reduced glutathione, as contained in our Glutathione comp.
Glutathione – optimal effect in synergy
Another limiting factor for a healthy GSH level is the cofactors involved in reduction (recycling) and resynthesis. We briefly introduce the most important ones.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
provides additional cysteine as a basic building block for the body’s own glutathione synthesis. Cysteine is often a limiting factor and responsible for inhibition of synthesis.
Alpha-lipoic acid
a sulfur-containing fatty acid, is considered an important antioxidant in our body. Since it can cross the blood-brain barrier and is also both fat- and water-soluble, alpha-lipoic acid is a component of every cell. It renders free radicals harmless and protects the blood vessels and the cardiovascular system. Together with glutathione, alpha-lipoic acid forms the perfect detoxification and antioxidant duo.
Zinc gluconate
as a trace element, is an important building block and activator of numerous enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase.
B-vitamin complex of vitamins B1, B2, and B3
These B vitamins have important functions for glutathione metabolism. Vitamin B2 in particular, which is included in its bioactive form as riboflavin-5-phosphate, is significant for the function of glutathione reductase, which is responsible for the regeneration and new formation of reduced glutathione in the body.
Selenomethionine
Selenium and methionine also play an important role in the formation and recycling of glutathione, both in new synthesis, resynthesis, and regeneration.
Glutathione comp – the highly effective glutathione complex from dr.reinwald vital
Our specially developed complex preparation Glutathione comp provides you daily not only with high-quality glutathione, but also with the important cofactors N-acetylcysteine, alpha-lipoic acid, zinc, selenium, as well as vitamins B1, B2, and B3, so that it can unfold its effect optimally.
With just two capsules a day, you benefit from the synergy effects. All nutrients are 100% vegan and of carefully selected premium quality! To really boost your glutathione level, we also recommend taking MyAMINO® with the 8 essential amino acids as well as SulfoCLEAN®, our complex made from organic sulfur.
Do you feel this applies to you or do you have questions? Our friendly team – consisting of therapists and naturopaths – will be happy to advise you on all aspects of glutathione or our new product Glutathione comp. Call now or use our chat.
