Antioxidants have been a buzzword in the health world during the past decade or so. If you’ve done any research on nutrition, you’re probably aware that berries, green vegetables, and a variety of other foods are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants come in different types. Each of these has distinct advantages. This article will concentrate on the most potent antioxidant found in the human body: glutathione.
We think it’s fantastic that antioxidants have gotten their due attention. Since, unlike some other health fads, antioxidants are essential for enhancing your body’s function. Antioxidants work by neutralizing tiny bundles of destruction known as free radicals, which help to reduce cell damage and inflammation.
Free radicals are also a contributing factor to the aging process. Thus, it should be no surprise that antioxidants lower the chance of developing most major age-related illnesses. We’ll talk about this more later.
What is Glutathione?
In our everyday lives, we are exposed to toxins like as air pollution, pesticides in food, and water, which frequently contain trace elements and toxic substances. Our primary supplies of sustenance—air, food, and water—are all sources of toxins.
Known as the “Mother of Antioxidants,” glutathione is among the most important detoxifiers in our body. While antioxidants such as vitamin C and other antioxidants are beneficial, they pale in contrast to glutathione in combating free radicals. Hence, the title mother of antioxidants.
Glutathione has the potential to make a significant impact in safeguarding our bodies. It is a sulfur-containing molecule, which means it has a sticky structure. Glutathione acts like flypaper, capturing unwanted toxins that enter the body and clinging to them as they are carried out and expelled from the body.
The good news is that our bodies naturally produce this beneficial antioxidant. Glutathione is produced by every cell in your body, so it is so important for protection and detoxification.
It’s not all good news, however. A lifestyle marked by poor nutrition, pollution, radiation, drugs, trauma, and stress may deplete the body’s glutathione stores over time. When chronic stress is great, antioxidants like glutathione are in great demand. The body’s ability to fulfill the need becomes practically impossible, resulting in a widespread deficiency.
Glutathione is normally recycled by the body. However, if the toxic load becomes excessive, the liver becomes overburdened and impaired. Then we become incapable of regenerating defensive molecules.
As a result of its inability to adequately eliminate toxins, the body becomes more prone to oxidative stress, free radicals, illnesses, and even cancer. When glutathione levels are reduced, the body becomes more susceptible to disease and chronic illness.
Benefits of Glutathione
Glutathione is considered to be at the pinnacle of numerous beneficial antioxidants, and its functions and advantages may be found throughout the body. Here are just a handful of the most significant advantages:
Detoxification
People around the United States have a fixed day for a garbage removal. To ensure that trash and recyclables are collected and removed from the street, they deposit them in specifically designated bins and set them on the curb.
But did you know that our body also has a waste-collecting and recycling system? It’s referred to as the detoxification process.
Glutathione is a key component of the body’s inherent detoxification mechanism. And, it should come as no surprise given all of the discussion before about glutathione being like sticky paper for free radicals, right? It’s worth repeating, though. Toxins cling to glutathione, which subsequently takes them to the bile and poo, where they are excreted.
It should also come as no surprise that the liver and kidneys have the largest quantities of glutathione in the body, considering the antioxidant’s function in detoxifying.
Antioxidant Protection
In restaurants, chefs have been known to sprinkle lemon juice over fruit salad to keep it from browning. Antioxidants are similar to lemon juice in many respects. To keep our body from “browning,” we need to sprinkle it with antioxidants regularly.
In the nutrient world, antioxidants are known as anti-aging elements. They work by safeguarding the body against free radical or “oxidative” damage. Each time we eat, speak, or move, our body generates energy through the use of fuel derived from the food we ingest. However, just as a vehicle that runs on gas emits damaging byproducts as smoke, our own body’s energy-generating processes produce deadly byproducts—free radicals.
Free radicals are extremely reactive oxygen atoms that lack an electron. When they come into touch with regular molecules, they attempt to take an electron, causing damage to the healthy cell’s DNA. And antioxidants protect the body from the harm caused by free radicals.
Glutathione, being the mother of antioxidants, quickly neutralizes a wide variety of oxidants such as superoxide, nitric oxide, and other stuff that we may have a hard time pronouncing.
Skin Health
Skin is a subject that intrigues and even obsesses men and women of all ages. We all like to have clear and glowing skin that is free of imperfections like wrinkles and dryness, and eczema.
However, a lifetime of exposure to the sun, wind, chores, and outdoor hobbies may cause skin damage. As a consequence, the skin becomes wrinkled, and age spots appear, which might deceive others about the person’s true age.
When you include a poor diet, stress, lack of physical activity, and hormonal changes, it’s no surprise that cosmetics, creams, and anti-aging skincare products account for a billion-dollar industry.
Fortunately, you won’t have to break the bank to get your skin and the tissues underneath it back to normal health. Thanks to glutathione, you may resolve the issue on an internal level and allow cells to mend and renew on their own.
Glutathione helps to lower the amount of melanin (pigmentation) in the skin. It helps minimize the fine lines and wrinkles while also enhancing the suppleness of the skin.
Brain Health
As we get older, it’s normal to have some degree of forgetfulness. Sometimes, we find it difficult to concentrate or recall names or where we put our car keys. “Neuro-degeneration” is the medical term for this.
Neurodegeneration is a process through which the cells in our brains get damaged and perhaps die, resulting in “shrinking” brains that do not perform to their full potential. It’s also unavoidable as we age, but it may be delayed or even reversed if we follow certain recommendations, and glutathione is a critical component of this.
Glutathione may aid in the alleviation and slow the progression of brain tissue damage. Improvements in glutathione levels have shown to be beneficial in other neurologic illnesses, including Lyme disease.
Inflammation
It’s no secret that inflammation has been a popular topic in the natural health community for the last decade. Although much has been learned about inflammation in recent years, many people remain perplexed as to why it is at the foundation of the vast majority of health problems afflicting Americans today.
Inflammation is involved in practically every chronic condition, from diabetes and heart problems to cancer. Yet, inflammation is also required (in brief bursts) to combat factors such as viral pathogens.
Ideally, the inflammatory response comes to your aid when you are in distress and then returns to its original state after the healing process is complete. The world, however, is not as ideal as we would want it to be.
When it comes to the real world, exposure to pollutants, poor food, stress, and other factors have rendered this mechanism ineffective. This leads to an increase in the production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins and a decrease in the development of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. Because of this, many patients have persistent systemic inflammation.
If this strikes you, you’re in serious danger. You’re going to need a lot of additional defense. Glutathione regulates when inflammation grows or diminishes as needed by directing and affecting our immunological white cells. Additionally, glutathione levels that are out of balance seem to be a characteristic of autoimmune illness.
Restoring glutathione balance may help to improve the function of the immune system and put chronic inflammation under better management.
Tips to Optimize your Glutathione Levels
Knowing what advantages you’ll get, you’re probably asking how you can ensure that your body is receiving the maximum amount of this magical antioxidant. The good news is that there are things you can do to raise your levels!
Consume Foods that Promote the Production of Glutathione
Increase your intake of foods that are high in sulfur. Garlic, onions, and cruciferous vegetables are among the most important foods to include in your diet. You can also try bioactive whey protein. This is an excellent supply of cysteine, as well as the amino acid building blocks necessary for glutathione formation.
Increase your Glutathione levels through physical activity
Exercise increases glutathione levels in the body. Aim for 30 minutes daily of intense cardiovascular activity such as walking or running or participating in other sports, beginning slowly and working your way up. It’s also beneficial to do 20 minutes of strength training three times a week.
Take Supplements to Support Glutathione
A glutathione tablet might seem like a simple method to acquire the health advantages of glutathione, but the body breaks down protein, which means you won’t get the full effect. However, glutathione generation and recycling in the body need a variety of other nutrients, which you can consume.
The following are the primary supplements that must be taken regularly to increase glutathione levels.
- N-acetyl-cysteine
- Alpha-lipoic acid
- Folate and vitamins B6 and B12
- Selenium
- Vitamin C and E
- Milk thistle
Glutathione IV Infusion
Glutathione may be administered straight into the circulation by IV infusions and intramuscular injections, bypassing the digestive process. This is an attractive substitute for oral supplementation, which, as previously stated, does not ensure absorption owing to protein metabolism. As an extra advantage of IV infusions, they may be customized to incorporate other glutathione-boosting nutrients and are an excellent approach to aid with general hydration.
Conclusion
It’s no surprise that glutathione has been dubbed the mother of all antioxidants. Glutathione is an extremely unique bioactive that warrants your consideration. Even if you’ve not heard of it before, this supercharged compound is busy working throughout your body to ensure that you’re feeling your best at any given time.
The problem is that glutathione can only have its full effect if you have significant levels of it in your system. So, it’s important to optimize your glutathione levels by eating foods that boost glutathione production and taking supplements that support glutathione.
If you want to be the best version of yourself, you can always count on our support staff to assist you in reaching all of your health and fitness objectives, on top of boosting your glutathione.
