Boost Glutathione Naturally

Glutathione, the body's master antioxidant and detoxifier, is one of the 14 "Superfoods" listed in SuperFoods Rx : Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, co-authored by Dr Steven Pratt.

Glutathione levels cannot be increased to a clinically beneficial extent by orally ingesting a single dose of Glutathione.

This is because Glutathione is manufactured inside the cell, from its precursor amino acids, glycine, glutamate and cystine.

Hence food sources or supplements that increase Glutathione must either provide the precursors of glutathione, or enhance its production by some other means.

The manufacture of Glutathione in cells is limited by the levels of its sulphur-containing precursor amino acid, cysteine.

Cysteine - as a free amino acid - is potentially toxic and is spontaneously catabolized or destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract and blood plasma.

However, when it is present as a cysteine-cysteine dipeptide, called cystine, it is more stable than cysteine.

Consuming foods rich in sulphur-containing amino acids can help boost Glutathione levels. by: Priya F Shah

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Glutathione and HIV

Studies have shown that reduced levels of Glutathione and its precursor cysteine play a role in HIV’s progression to AIDS.

In one study, researchers analyzed blood samples from healthy volunteers and HIV positive patients undergoing different antiretroviral regimens.

The study authors then determined the viral load in the HIV patients and levels of cysteine and Glutathione. The results indicated that a decrease in Glutathione and cysteine levels was associated with disease progress.

In fact, the greater the viral load, the lower the level of Glutathione and cysteine. Glutathione also can protect against the free radical damage that occurs as the result of standard treatments used in AIDS patients. By Kimberly Pryor

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