Antioxidants. Free radicals. Oxidation. Cell damage. Anyone who’s paid attention to health news in the past few years has been bombarded with these terms, and seen the explosion of products that contain antioxidants, from skin creams to smoothies. Antioxidants have been touted as miracle molecules that prevent a multitude of diseases, from cancer to heart disease to aging. But perhaps one of the most important and most-studied antioxidants out there hasn’t gotten much attention—until recently: Glutathione.
There have been tens of thousands of published studies on Glutathione, and low levels of Glutathione have been linked to multiple age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and macular degeneration, increased heart-attack risk, and mental disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Studies show that its powerful antioxidant properties could even help inhibit cancerous cell growth. Because of its detoxification properties, it’s also administered intravenously to mitigate the effects of chemotherapy and mercury poisoning. So, what is this miracle molecule?
Glutathione is a small tri-peptide that is composed of three amino acids: Glycine, Glutamine and Cysteine. It is the only known intracellular antioxidant, which means that it works inside each of your cells to protect them from the toxic compounds that we encounter every day (those free radicals we keep hearing about), rather than just protecting the cells from the outside. The Glutathione peptide also contains a sulfur atom that plays a huge role in its detoxing properties (and its smelling-like-rotten-eggs properties); the sulfur atom attracts all of the harmful molecules, such as heavy metals, free radicals and toxins, and keeps them from attacking your cells while sweeping them out of your body through your excretory system.
Glutathione is known as the “Master Antioxidant” not only for its own free-radical-fighting properties, but also because it helps activate and recycle other antioxidants in the body, such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E—which can become unstable themselves after they neutralize free radicals—and gets them back to the front lines to keep fighting.
Glutathione is a non-essential amino acid that is made by every cell in our bodies (but most abundantly in the liver) through the consumption of those three pre-cursor amino acids. Unfortunately, pollution, poor diet, age, and other toxins and stresses deplete our stores of it, and affect our body’s ability to protect itself from free radicals and other oxidants. Luckily, there are many ways to boost your body’s Glutathione production. Try a few of these tips to improve your Glutathione levels:
- Eat Sulfur-Rich Foods: Sulfur-rich foods, such as onions, garlic and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cailuflower, bok choy, cabbage, brussels sprouts, or anything that makes your house smell weird the next day when you cook them) all contain the sulfur that is required for the synthesis of Glutathione in your body. Heat breaks down these compounds, so don’t overcook your vegetables. Avocados are also especially high in Glutathione; one avocado has about 30 mg of Glutathione.
- Bioactive Whey Protein: Whey protein is a wonderful source of the pre-cursor amino acids that your body uses to make Glutathione. It’s important to choose a whey protein made with milk from grass-fed cows, and that is not denatured, in order to preserve its bioactive properties. Our One World Whey protein powder is the perfect (and delicious) delivery vehicle for all of those amino acids that your body needs.
- Supplements: Most research has shown that Glutatione supplements are ineffective at raising our body’s level of Glutathione, since the proteins that it’s made up of are digested in our stomach and small intestine, and destroyed before the Glutathione can reach our cells. But Liposomal Glutathione from ReadiSorb is a specially formulated liquid supplement that allows for rapid absorption into the blood stream through the mucous membranes in the mouth, bypassing the GI tract altogether. One teaspoon contains more than 420 mg of Glutathione, making Liposomal Glutathione an extremely powerful antioxidant supplement. Another great Glutathione-boosting supplement is Avinobolic from Avinotropin. It’s a deer antler velvet extract that also contains Tribulus, a puncture-vine extract that has been clinically proven to boost your body’s production of Glutathione and other powerful antioxidants.
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that can protect your cells from any number of harmful toxins. Try boosting your Glutathione and let us know how much better you feel in the comments below!
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