The Role of Glutathione in the Body
"We've already found dozens of ways to live an extra decade or two - in good health. The easiest and surest way: Increase your body's supply of glutathione, a natural compound that is a tripeptide (combination of three amino acids)." - Dr. David Williams.Glutathione is the body's master antioxidant and detoxifier. Foods that boost glutathione levels can help the body rid itself of heavy metals, chemicals and other toxic substances.
Glutathione plays a fundamental role in numerous metabolic and biochemical reactions such as:
a. DNA synthesis and repair,
b. protein synthesis,
c. prostaglandin synthesis (controls vascular smooth muscle constriction or dialation and many other vital functions),
d. amino acid transport and enzyme activation.
e. maintaining other antioxidants like Vitamin C and E in their active forms,
f. modulating (regulating) proper immune response,
g. increasing lymphocyte presence (T cells, B cells and Natural Killer Cells) while improving their effectiveness,
h. regulating apoptosis.
Thus, every system in the body can be affected by the state of the glutathione system, especially the immune system, the nervous system, the gastrointestinal system and the lungs.
In animal experiments, increased glutathione consumption increased longevity by about 40%.
The more toxic the body is, however, the faster glutathione levels in the body are used up.
As an example, in experimental animals, glutathione was reduced 70 to 80% within four hours after administering acetaminophen (Tylenol). - Drug Chem Toxicol 81;4(1):37-48. A similar conclusion can be drawn regarding all other pharmaceutical, drug-based therapies.
Therefore, if you have ever taken the following, then you need to pay very close attention to consuming glutathione supportive foods on a daily basis:
a. prescription drugs, radiation-based diagnostic or therapy measures,
b. or immunization shots,
c. or antibiotics,
d. or over the counter drugs,
e. or still have silver-mercury amalgam fillings in your mouth,
f. or have been exposed to house or farm use herbicides, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or cleaning fluids,
g. or have used non-organic cosmetics,
shampoos, lotions, sunscreens, or toothpastes (the ones with poison
control warnings on the label!),
h. or have been exposed to work related chemicals or radiation,
i. or have lived near nuclear power
plants, munitions manufacturing plants, chemical manufacturing plants,
or toxic waste disposal sites.
Glutathione Supportive Foods Help Detoxify the Body
A steady, daily intake of gutathione supportive foods is the best way to maintain high levels of glutathione in the body and chip away at the stockpile of toxins that have accumulated over the years (and continue to take in on a daily basis).
Food sources that increase glutathione do so by providing the precursors of glutathione, or enhance its production by some other means.
You cannot increase glutathione levels in the body with supplemental pill-forms of glutathione - so save your money. Eat your way to health instead!
The reason that the pill-form of glutathione doesn't work is because glutathione is manufactured inside the cell, or within the liver, from its three precursor amino acids, glycine, glutamic acid, and cysteine (which is toxic in the supplemental form). So food sources that provide these amino acids is the most efficient way to improve glutathione levels in the body.
Foods that are high in glutathione precursers and therefore help boost glutathione levels naturally are best when eaten raw or fermented (like in sauerkraut or whey) since they are heat sensitive.
Food sources of glutathione precursers include the following:
a. raw goat whey, cultured at home, (by
simply leaving it out on the counter until the curds and whey separate)
is one of the highest known source of glutathione precurser cysteine,
and is readily absorbed. The dry powder of un-denatured whey protein is
an acceptable option as long as it comes from antibiotic and hormone
free, grass fed animals.
b. raw goats milk (should be hormone and
antibiotic free) will also contain cysteine, although the whey is the
form that is most easily assimilated,
c. milk thistle helps to prevent glutathione depletion in the liver. It is also a natural liver detoxifier and liver protectant.
d. okra,
e. rice bran, high in Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) promotes the synthesis of glutathione in the body.
f. several spices found in Indian curry including tumeric, cinnamon, cardamom and curcumin,
g. rosemary,
h. the sulfur containing vegetables
(kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, onions, garlic, cauliflower,
bok choy, watercress, mustard, horseradish, turnips, rutabagas,
kohlrabi)
i. raw eggs,
j. Pink Sulfur Salt (Black Salt),
k. grape seed extract,
l. bilberry,
m. asparagus,
n. avocados,
o. ripe seeds of green beans,
p. red beets,
q. aloe vera
r. peaches, and watermelon
s. whey protein powder,
t. Pycnogenol from pine bark.
u. Brazil nuts - the highest natural
source of selenium. Selenium is a co-factor for the enzyme glutathione
peroxidase. (1-2 Brazil nuts per day - no more).
Glutathione supportive foods are Nature's way of giving us long lives with health and vitality!
Glutathione Precursors
Protein foods such as raw milk products, raw eggs, and raw meat contain high concentrations of the precursor amino acids that your body uses to make glutathione. However, pasteurized dairy products are not good glutathione food sources.
- avocado
- asparagus
- broccoli
- garlic
- spinach
- tomatoes
- squash
- okra
- cauliflower
- potatoes
- walnuts
- grapefruit
- brussels sprouts
- cabbage
- strawberries
Whey Protein May Be
the Best Glutathione Food Source
The best overall glutathione food source, by far, is a high quality
non-denatured whey protein powder. Quality whey protein concentrate
contains biologically-active proteins that provide all the key amino
acids for glutathione production (cysteine, glycine and glutamate).Whey protein is the liquid material that is left behind after the solids have been removed from cow’s milk. This is then dried into whey protein powder that is beneficial for building muscle, boosting energy, fighting toxins, reducing body fat, and countless other benefits.
DIETARY SOURCES OF GLUTATHIONE: Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant and detoxifying agent whose protective role has been demonstrated in numerous clinical studies. GSH is synthesized rapidly in the liver, kidneys, and other tissues of the body, including the gastrointestinal tract. This process is effected by aging and disease, as both of these conditions result in reduced tissue and blood levels of glutathione. Dietary forms of glutathione are efficiently absorbed into the blood, however the same is not true for glutathione supplements in humans. When healthy subjects were given a single dose of up to 3,000 mg of glutathione researchers found there was no increase in blood glutathione levels. (Witschi A, Reddy S, Stofer B, Lauterburg BH. The systemic availability of oral glutathione. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1992;43(6):667-9.) The authors of this study concluded "it is not feasible to increase circulating glutathione to a clinically beneficial extent by the oral administrating of a single dose of 3 g of glutathione." Johnson and coworkers (Johnston CJ, Meyer CG, Srilakshmi JC. Vitamin C elevates red blood cell glutathione in healthy adults. Am J Clin Nutr 58:103-5, 1993) found that blood glutathione levels rose nearly 50% in healthy individuals taking 500 mg of vitamin C daily. Vitamin C facilitates an increase in blood glutathione levels by supplying the body with a nutrient that is critical to the manufacture of it. In addition, to vitamin C, dietary sources of glutathione and several other nutritional compounds can help increase glutathione levels including N-acetylcysteine (NAC), alpha-lipoic acid, glutamine, methionine, and undenatured whey protein (Bounous, G., and Gold, P., The biological activity of undenatured dietary whey proteins [Immunocal]: role of glutathione, Clin. Invest. Med. (1991) 14(4):296-309.). N-acetylcysteine has been used in combination with glutamic acid (or glutamine) and glycine (Clark, J. at www.cfsn.com) and in addition, NAC has been studied in combination with dietary proteins (Quig, D., Cysteine metabolism and metal toxicity, Alternative Medicine Review (1998) 3(4):262-270.).
HERBS: The herb milk-thistle, an excellent source of the antioxidant compound silymarin may help to prevent glutathione depletion in the liver. Silymarin is many times more potent in antioxidant activity than the better known antioxidant vitamins E and vitamin C. The protective effect of silymarin against liver damage has been demonstrated in a number of scientific studies. Silymarin has been shown to protect against liver damage by extremely toxic chemicals (this toxicity is mediated by their ability to produce dangerous and destructive unstable compounds called free radicals) including amanita toxin, carbon tetrachloride, galactosamine, and praseodymium nitrate. Silymarin enhances detoxification in the liver by preventing the depletion of glutathione. Glutathione in the liver is essential to the liver's ability to detoxify. The higher the liver glutathione content, the greater the liver's capacity to detoxify harmful chemicals. Chemicals which can damage the liver, (including alcohol and acetominophen), cause the concentration of glutathione in the liver is substantially reduced, making the hepatocytes (liver cells) susceptible to damage. Silymarin not only prevents the depletion of glutathione induced by alcohol and other toxins (Chrungoo VJ et al. Indian J Exp Biol. 1997 Jun;35(6):611-7.), but can increase the level of glutathione in the cells of the liver (hepatocytes) (Valenzuela A et al. Planta Med. 1989 Oct;55(5):420-2.), and possibly by up to 35%.
Curcumin may also be useful as an agent to increase tissue glutathione levels (Dickinson, D.A., Iles, K.E., Zhang, H., Blank, V., and Forman, H.J., Curcumin alters EpRE and AP-1 binding complexes and elevates glutamate-cysteine ligase gene expression, FASEB J. (2003) 17(3):473-475.)
Alpha Lipoic Acid has also demonstrated it's ability to increase glutathione levels and act as a potent antioxidant in numerous scientific studies.
VITAMINS & MINERALS: vitamin B6, riboflavin, and selenium are required in the manufacture of glutathione, and adequate dietary consumption of foods rich in (or supplementation with) these vitamins and minerals can help the body to optimize glutathione production.
MILK PRODUCTS & MEAT:Dietary glutathione occurs in highest amounts in fresh (uncooked) meats, in moderate amounts in certain raw fruits and vegetables, and is absent or found only in small amounts in grains and pasteurized dairy products (JONES DP, COATES RJ, FLAGG EW, et al. (1992) Glutathione in Foods listed in the National Cancer Institute's Health Habits and History Food Frequency Questionnaire. Nutr Cancer 17: 57-75 ). Foods richest in sulfur-containing amino acids are usually the best source of glutathione. Although undenatured whey protein is one of the best precursors (building blocks) for glutathione, it contains only moderate levels of naturally occuring glutathione. Freshly prepared (rare or raw) meats, raw (unpasturized) milk, and raw eggs are also an especially rich source of glutathione. Cooking reduces glutathione content, and storage also impacts the glutathione content of foods. In human breast milk put aside for later use by breast-fed babies, a 73-79% loss of glutathione occurred when the milk was either kept at room temperature or refrigerated for two hours. (Ankrah NA, Appiah-Opong R, Dzokoto C. Human breastmilk storage and the glutathione content. J Trop Pediatr. 2000;46(2):111-3.)
FRUITS & VEGETABLES: Fresh fruits and vegetables provide excellent levels of glutathione, but cooked foods contained far less or none at all, and highly processed foods contain less than minimally processed cooked foods. Glutathione assays of fruits and vegetables may yield contrasting results because glutathione levels vary both diurnally (KOIKE S, PATTERSON BD (1988) Diurnal variation of glutathione levels in tomato seedlings. Hort Sci 23: 713-714; SCHUPP R, RENNENBERG H (1988) Diurnal changes in the glutathione content of spruce needles (Picea abies L.) Plant Sci 57: 113-117 ) with the stage of development of the plant (EARNSHAW BA, JOHNSON MA (1987) Control of wild carrot somatic embryo development by antioxidants. Plant Physiol 85: 273-276;), and due to various environmental factors (DE KOK LJ, DE KAN PJL, TANCZOS OG, KUIPER PJC (1981) Sulphate-induced accumulation of glutathione and frost-tolerance of spinach leaf tissue. Physiol Plant 53: 435-438; WISE RR, NAYLOR AW (1987) Chilling-enhanced photooxidation. The peroxidative destruction of lipids during chilling injury to photosynthesis and ultrastructure. Plant Physiol 83: 272-277). Asparagus contains more glutathione than all other fruits and vegetables analyzed to date. (Jones, D.P. and others: Glutathione in foods listed in the National Cancer Institute's health habits and history food frequency questionnaire, Nutrition and Cancer 17 (1), p. 57, 1992.) In a study which compared the overall antioxidant activity of potatoes, bell peppers, carrots, onions and broccoli, potatoes ranked second highest after broccoli.
Per serving, asparagus, avocadoes, asparagus, squash, okra, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, spinach, walnuts, garlic, and raw tomatoes have the highest glutathione content compared to other vegetables and are particularly rich dietary sources of glutathione (please see the Table 1. below).
| Table 1. Comparison of Glutathione in Fresh vs. Cooked Foods (in milligrams per 3 1/2 oz (100 g) serving) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | Glutathione Content | ||
| Apples | Uncooked: 21.0 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg | ||
| Carrots | Uncooked: 74.6 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg | ||
| Grapefruit | Uncooked: 70.6 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg | ||
| Spinach | Uncooked: 166 mg Cooked: 27.1 mg | ||
| Spinach (4) | Uncooked: 9.65 mg Cooked: N/A mg | ||
| Tomatoes | Uncooked: 169 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg | ||
| Asparagus (4) | Uncooked: 28.3 mg Cooked: N/A mg | ||
| Avocado (4) | Uncooked: 27.7 mg Cooked: N/A mg | ||
| Purslane (4) | Uncooked: 14.81 mg Cooked: N/A mg | ||
(2). BLOCK G, DRESSER CM, HARTMAN AM, CARROLL MD (1985) Nutrient sources in the American diet: Quantitative data from the NHANES II Survey. I. Vitamins and Minerals. Am J Epidemiol 122: 13-26
(3). BLOCK G, DRESSER CM, HARTMAN AM, CARROLL MD (1985) Nutrient sources in the American diet: Quantitative data from the NHANES II Survey. Macronutrients and Fats. Am J Epidemiol 122: 27-40
(4) SIMOPOULOS AP, NORMAN HA, GILLASPY JE (1995) Purslane in human nutrition and its potential for world agriculture. World Rev Nutr Diet 77: 47-74
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