If you are over 30, have low energy, or aches and pains are becoming part of your everyday life, it may be time to replenish your body’s glutathione levels. Some experts call glutathione a “superhero” for its extraordinary health benefits. The nutrient is often referred to as the body’s master antioxidant and research shows that glutathione, also referred to as GSH, helps slow down the aging process, boosts immunity, and may even help prevent cancer.
David Friedman, a naturopathic doctor and author of the best-selling book, “Food Sanity: How to Eat in a World of Fads and Fiction,” tells Newsmax that glutathione is a peptide found in plants, animals, and humans.
“It is a powerful antioxidant produced by our liver that protects us against free radicals, peroxides and heavy metals, while helping to eliminate chemical toxins and pollutants from the body,” he says. “This helps ward off viruses and other disease that attack our cells.”
Friedman notes that during the pandemic GSH received a lot of attention because of its ability to boost the immune system. A deficiency of GSH leads to oxidative stress on the body, which increases the risk for degenerative diseases and cancer.
“Many autoimmune diseases are associated with an increased level of oxidative stress, including rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease and lupus,” says Friedman.
Nayan Patel, author of The Glutathione Revolution: Fight Disease, Slow Aging & Increase Energy, explains that as we get older, our levels of glutathione decline.
“And as we age, our need for glutathione increases because we encounter more daily assaults from the environment and everyday stress,” says Patel. “But unfortunately, our bodies manufacture less. And there is a small percentage of the population who do not make enough glutathione on their own. For example, most children and adults who have autism or varying spectrum disorders, also have very low levels of glutathione.”
Perhaps the most important role that glutathione plays in our lives is how it boosts longevity.
“All antioxidants have the ability to perform maintenance on different aspects of our DNA, but glutathione is the only antioxidant that can actually provoke telomere growth,” Patel reveals. “Telomeres are the tail end of our individual DNA strands that resemble the capped-off end of a shoelace. As we age, our telomeres shrink. Nobel Prize-winning researchers theorized that if we can regrow our telomeres, we can actually reverse aging.
“Since glutathione’s job is to reduce the overall toxic load in our body, it allows the body to do what it is designed to do, which is age gracefully,” the expert explains. “As glutathione protects the body from toxicity, it can subsequently allow and provoke telomeres to regrow themselves.”
Some foods are naturally rich in glutathione, such as spinach, avocados, and asparagus. But Patel says that, unfortunately, most adults cannot get enough glutathione from food sources alone. However, you can increase glutathione levels by consuming foods like Brazil nuts that contain selenium, an important building block of GSH. Increasing your intake of vitamin C also raises glutathione levels, according to several studies. Limit alcohol consumption, says the expert, and manage stress levels. Both behaviors deplete your stores of glutathione.
“Other foods that help with manufacturing glutathione include allium vegetables such as garlic and onions,” he says. “Lean protein found in chicken and fish is another good choice.”
Experts disagree on whether taking glutathione supplements effectively helps increase levels of the antioxidant in the body.
Patel and his team have developed a patented technology that delivers a stable form of GSH into the body through the skin. It’s a spray supplement called Glutaryl that is used twice daily to help build optimum glutathione levels.
“Many people experience benefits the first time they use it,” says Patel.
Talk to your doctor before taking glutathione or any supplement as it could interact with medications.