Glutathione Deficiency Predicts Poor Survival In HIV Subjects

Glutathione (GSH) deficiency in patients with HIV infection is a strong predictor of poor survival,according to a report published in today's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Stanford University researchers have also discovered that, when used in combination with CD4 cell counts, Glutathione levels can provide a more accurate means of tracking the progression of HIV disease.

Dr. Leonard A. Herzenberg and colleagues in Stanford, California, report the results of in vitro studies in which they evaluated blood samples from 204 HIV-positive patients. They found subjects with Glutathione deficiency had a markedly decreased survival 2-3 years after baseline data collectionwhen compared with subjects without Glutathione deficiency.

Patients with CD4 T cell counts below 200 per microliter also had lower Glutathione levels compared with subjects in earlier stages of HIV infection.

According to Dr. Herzenberg, this study shows for the first time that people with HIV who have lower Glutathione levels have a much lower probability of surviving over the course of three years than do people with normal Glutathione levels. He has presented preliminary reports of these findings at recent meetings.

Dr. Herzenberg also found that Glutathione levels were replenished following oral administration of the glutathione, which suggests a potential intervention to relieve this impairment. If these findings can be replicated, Dr. Herzenberg writes, "...they will provide the foundation for the use of N-acetylcysteine as an inexpensive, nontoxic adjunct therapy for HIV/AIDS, potentially valuable even in remote locations where only minimal medical supervision is available."

Dr. Herzenberg's group believes that HIV-positive subjects should avoid excessive exposure to UV irradiation, alcohol and drugs, such as acetaminophen, which are known to deplete Glutathione levels. And, based on these findings, Dr. Herzenberg and others have asked the FDA to require drug companies to include labeling on products known to deplete Glutathione because of the potential hazard to HIV-positive patient.

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Balloon Flower Root

Changkil saponins (CKS) isolated from the roots of the Chinese herbal medicine, Platycodon grandiflorum A.

DC (Campanulaceae), commonly called Balloon Flower Root or Jie Geng, have been found to increase intracellular glutathione (GSH) content and significantly reduce oxidative injury to liver cells, minimise cell death and lipid peroxidation.

Detoxifies your body
Antioxidants are well documented and known to possess vital roles in health maintenance and disease prevention. Glutathione is your cell's own major antioxidant.

Maintaining elevated Glutathione levels aids the body's natural antioxidant function.
Biochemical Pharmacology 47: 2113-2123 1994

Effect of glutathione depletion on antioxidant enzymes in the epididymis, seminal vesicles, and liver and on spermatozoa motility in the aging rat

Effect of glutathione depletion on antioxidant enzymes in the epididymis, seminal vesicles, and liver and on spermatozoa motility in the aging brown Norway rat.
by: EV Zubkova, B Robaire - Biol Reprod, Vol. 71, No. 3. (September 2004), pp. 1002-1008.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a role in male infertility, where excessive amounts impair spermatozoal motility.

Epididymal antioxidant enzymes protect spermatozoa from oxidative damage in the epididymal lumen. Antioxidant secretions from the seminal vesicle protect spermatozoa after ejaculation.

As it is known that with age there is increased generation of ROS, the goals of this study were to determine how aging affects the response of antioxidant enzymes in the epididymis, seminal vesicles, and liver to l-buthionine-S,R-sulfoximine (BSO) mediated glutathione (GSH) depletion, and to examine the impact of GSH depletion on motility parameters of spermatozoa from the cauda epididymidis in young (4-mo-old) and old (21-mo-old) rats.

Levels of GSH and glutathione disulfide (GSSG), as well as activities of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase, were measured in the caput, corpus and cauda epididymidis, seminal vesicles, and liver.

Spermatozoal motility was assessed by computer-assisted sperm analysis. Significant age-related changes in antioxidant enzyme activities were found in the liver and cauda epididymidis.

Glutathione age was most evident in the cauda epididymidis, seminal vesicles, and liver, where antioxidant enzyme activities changed significantly.

Additionally, spermatozoa motility was adversely affected after BSO treatment in both age groups, but significantly more so in older animals.

In summary, the male reproductive tissues and liver undergo age-related changes in antioxidant enzyme activities and in their response to GSH depletion.

THE MAX GXL is a PATENTED High Performance Formula which:Dramatically Raises Your Energy LevelSlows Down The Aging ProcessStrengthens Your Immune SystemFights Inflammation and Diseases of AgingImproves Athletic Performance & RecoveryDetoxify Your Body

Dr. Robert Keller and Glutathione

Robert Keller MD, MS, FACP, has been named as one of the world’s 2,000 Outstanding Scientists of the 21st Century, and has served on the scientific review panels for the National Institutes of Health and the VA.

The Consumers’ Research Council has named Dr. Keller one of America’s “Top Physicians in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 in the fields of Internal Medicine, Immunology and Hematology.

Dr. Keller has served on the faculties of the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Wisconsin and the Medical College of Wisconsin (Marquette Univ.) He has published more than 100 original articles in various scientific and medical journals and has been awarded several patents.

Dr Keller was elected to The Board of Governors of the American Academy of HIV medicine.

Read Robert H. Keller, MD, MS, FACP, AAHIVS CurriculmVitae

Dr. Robert H. Keller, one of the world’s leading scientists dedicated 10 years of research and development into MaxGXL to assist the world in its quest for a higher quality of health.Out of all the biological processes that Dr Keller could have focused his attention on, he chose to investigate a way to naturally optimize the body’s production of glutathione.

Glutathione is a fairly tricky word, but your body relies on its function every single day.


Important Roles of Glutathione

• Fight against oxidative cell damage (Free Radicals)
• Protein Synthesis
• Amino Acid transport
• Cellular detoxification
• Immune system enhancement
• Enzyme activation
• Fight Inflammation
• ATP (energy) production
Our cells are constantly under attack by Free Radicals, which can cause a reduction of our cells ability to function optimally.

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Glutathione Fact 3

Increasing Age and Other Factors Reduce the Body’s Production and Utilization of GSH.

Research has shown that individuals who have low levels of glutathione are susceptible to chronic illness.

Research shows that GSH levels decline by 8% to 12% per decade, beginning at the age of 20.

Levels of glutathione are further reduced by continual stress upon the immune system such as illness, infection, and environmental toxins. As we now know, a lowered immune system can bring about illness and disease. This is a ferocious cycle.

While you need glutathione for a productive immune system , a weakened immune system hampers the production of glutathione.

Detoxifies your body
Antioxidants are well documented and known to possess vital roles in health maintenance and disease prevention. Glutathione is your cell's own majorAntioxidants. Maintaining elevated glutathione levels aids the body's natural antioxidant function.Biochemical Pharmacology 47: 2113-2123 1994

Glutathione Fact 1 - produced naturally in our cells

Glutathione (GSH) is a small protein produced naturally in our cells when certain required elements are present

It functions both as an antioxidant and an antitoxin and is a major defense system against illness and aging.

Our glutathione level actually indicates our state of health and can predict longevity. Although there are more than 60,000 published papers on the beneficial effects of glutathione replacement, it is still largely ignored by mainstream medicine.

In the near future the importance of glutathione will be widely recognized because it has the ability to boost the immune system and fight off the damage of free radicals on the cells.

Glutathione's three major roles in the body are summarized by the letters A-B-C.
- Anti-oxidant- Blood Booster- Cell Detoxifier

HOW TO GET GLUTATHIONE INTO YOUR CELLS

Glutathione is made up of three amino acids, glycine, glutamic acid and cysteine. Each cell produces its own GSH according to need within itself.

The determining factor as to how much it can make to ultimately keep levels up to the needed 70% in the active form...is determined by the availability of the amino acid cysteine. The production of cysteine becomes less and less efficient as we get older going into a steady decline by around age 55 onward.

This is just at a time when its most needed to protect our brains and neurological system from syndromes such as Alzheimer's Disease and dementia, which are now becoming more and more common.

Before we go further, let me explain "active" form (technically called the "reduced" form) and "inactive" (technically called the "oxidized" form) forms of glutathione. The active form is the one that can perform all the functions listed above act as a powerful antioxidant, work to combat diseases of aging and a potent player in detoxification. It is often shown in written works as "GSH".

The inactive form is present when GSH has done its work donating electrons and needs to regenerate itself which it can do. Its usually shown as GSSG (lacking the H..because it gave it away to stabilize some other molecule).

In a healthy situation, the percentage of GSH is about 90% with only 10% of Glutathione existing as GSSG. When these ratios change and there is more and more GSSG present, that is when the cell becomes sick, and is vulnerable to attack from toxins and microbes. If GSH falls below 70%...the cells/organ/person is in HUGE trouble!

There is one provison to this situation. If GSH is "used" to clear up a situation from our own metabolism, then it can regenerate itself just fine. HOWEVER if its used to combat "xenobiotics" or toxins from the outside of our bodies, such as chemicals, heavy metals, toxins, etc., then it cant regenerate.

This is where we run into trouble today as our food is not replenishing us the way it should and supplementing for Glutathione is tricky

Glutathione's three major roles in the body are summarized by the letters A-B-C.
- Anti-oxidant- Blood Booster- Cell Detoxifier

Learn more about Glutathione click here

GSH has five major functions

Antioxidant:
Antioxidant is a substance that neutralizes destructive free radicals; some are manufactured by the metabolic processes of the body, others are derived from foods, the air we breath, exercise, stress and disease.GSH is the most powerful Antioxidant occurring naturally in the cells of the body. Through its significant reducing power, GSH also makes major contributions to the recycling of other Antioxidant that have become oxidized. Healthy cells homeostatically oppose free radicals through the use of Antioxidant, of which GSH plays a significant role. The effectiveness of other Antioxidant like vitamins C and E depends on the availability of GSH.

Help Prevent Disease:
Oxidative related diseases: accelerated aging, cell destruction, causes damage to DNA cellular patterns which leads to cancer, arteriosclerosis, coronary artery disease, Parkinson’s disease, diseases of the immune system, diabetes, cataract formation, Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, COPD, allergy/asthma, stroke.

Detoxification:
GSH also plays a main role in detoxification..primarily in Phase II Liver detox. It "binds" to many toxins by its sulfur molecules and aids in forming a complex which the body then rids itself of.

Immune System Support:
When the immune system responds to an invader, it releases a blitz of free radicals to aid in the offensive agent's demise. This could create damage to local tissue and your body, but GSH rallies around the area to quench the free radicals that are produced in excess.

Protection from Radiation:
A recent research article published in the journal Radiology states that “radiation from a single whole-body scan is equal to that from 100 mammograms and is similar to that received by survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan – about 1 mile from the explosions – according to radiation biologist, David J. Brenner of Columbia University. The radiation from one scan is enough to produce a tumor in one out of 1200 people, and for those who have annual scans the risk increases to one tumor in every 50 people. With inadequate intracellular GSH the risk is greatly increased.

Glutathione peroxidase (GSH) is your body’s most abundant natural antioxidant.

GSH protects your vision, boosts your immune system, helps turn carbohydrates into energy, and prevents the buildup of oxidized fats that may contribute to atherosclerosis.

Glutathione is a compound classified as a tripeptide made of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine. Glutathione is also found in every part of the body, especially the lungs, intestinal tract, and liver.

The body produces and stores the largest amounts of GSH in the liver, where it is used to detoxify harmful compounds so that they can be removed from the body through the bile.

The liver also supplies GSH directly to red and white blood cells in the bloodstream; it helps keep red blood and white blood cells healthy to maximize the disease-fighting power of the immune system.

Glutathione also appears to have an anti-aging affect on the body. GSH levels decline with age, and a lack of Glutathione has been shown to leave the body more vulnerable to damage by free radicals, thus speeding up oxidation (wearing down) of the body.

A Glutathione deficiency can have a devastating effect on the nervous system, causing such symptoms as lack of balance and coordination, mental disorders, and tremors.

Any illness (even a bad cold), chronic disorders such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, injury, or heavy exposure to pollutants can cause a GSH deficiency.

This is because your body uses more GSH when it is supporting white blood cells and ridding the body of toxins.

Glutathione is found in almost all fruits and vegetables. Acorn squash, asparagus, avocado, cantaloupe, grapefruit, okra, orange, peach, potato, spinach, strawberries, tomato, watermelon, and zucchini are all good sources of GSH. Some vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, and parsley, not only provide GSH, but also actually stimulate the body produce more of this powerful antioxidant.

Cooking destroys a lot of the Glutathione in fresh fruits and vegetables, so you can get the most GSH from these foods by eating them raw or steamed.

Eating foods high in glutamine, such as lean meats, eggs, wheat germ, and whole grains, can also stimulate the liver to produce more GSH.

There is no Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for GSH, but supplements have no known harmful side effects. Glutathione supplements can be expensive, but there is some question about the body’s ability to absorb GSH efficiently in supplemental form. If you want to take GSH supplements, just make sure to take them with meals to maximize absorption.

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Master Antioxidant

Despite the fact that you live in an unhealthy world, surrounded by unhealthy temptations, distractions and challenges, in one day you may…

Drive past McDonalds even when every animal instict is screaming for french fries.
Tell one of your kids you're not hungry (even though you are starving) when they wave a big spoonful of cookie dough ice cream in your face and offer to share.
Make a special trip to the whole foods store on the other side of town just to pick up and pay a hefty sum for organic, montmorency cherries because you heard how high in antioxidants they were.

Because:
Because you want to feel better!
You want more energy!
You want your clothes to fit again!
And, most importantly, you want to be healthy

So, in case you haven't met, let me introduce you to the "Master".The master antioxidant that is.

It is known as Glutathione or GSH.
Why is glutathione called the master antioxidant?

To put it simply, glutathione replenishes the action of many other antioxidants. In other words, glutathione makes those montmorency cherries go even farther as an antioxidants, enhancing the well documented and undeniable benefits of antioxidants.

For the scientific types, here is a brief explanation offered by Dr. Jimmy Gutman, a noted glutathione expert. He says,

"When vitamin C and E pick up an oxyradical they must hand it off to the GSH (glutathione) system so they are free to go back and get others. GSH similarly neutralizes peroxide and lipoic acid. In fact, all of the antioxidants help to neutralize each other and glutathione is at the center of cellular antioxidation. It is GSH -not the vitamin- that ultimately neutralizes the radical."
Perhaps, to make the point clear, you need an analogy.

Think of the activity in your body as a bustling metropolis with lots of people. Like dangerous free radicals, some of those people prowl around seeking to do harm. Fortunately, most cities have some form of Law Enforcement which, in most cases, finds and captures these less than desirables, much like your immune system which uses (among many other things) antioxidants to seek, finds and capture free radicals.

In this analogy, glutathione is like the patty wagon which then whisks the criminals away and, unlike our democratic society, makes that criminal disappear forever.

As a result, every extra "healthy" act you exert yourself to make each day is enhanced when you have optimal levels of naturally occurring glutathione in your cells.

Each supplement you take, each vitamin, each mineral, each antioxidants rich fruit and vegetable is assisted by the free radical neutralizing power of glutathione.

Click here for more about Glutathione and its benefits to our body.

The 3 Distinct Benefits of Naturally Produced Glutathione

Glutathione: The Master Antioxidant
Antioxidants participate directly in the destruction of reactive oxygen compounds called free radicals. These by-products of a cell’s normal function can’t be avoided, but exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or other sources promotes their emergence.
Free radicals have been linked to muscle fatigue during exercise and aging.

For this reason, the body is equipped with a variety of antioxidants. Vitamins C and E are natural antioxidants but do not occur naturally in the body.

These and other antioxidants actually depend on natural glutathione to function properly.

This is why Glutathione is called “The Master Antioxidant”.

Glutathione : Food for the Immune system

Glutathione helps build your Immune system resistance and improve your chances of staying healthy.

Lymphocytes are cells of your Immune system. Glutathione is essential for lymphocytes to increase in number, produce antibodies, and function efficiently.

Glutathione: A Cellular Level Detoxifier
Our food and water sources are becoming increasingly contaminated with chemicals, as is the air that we breathe.

Supplemental Detoxifier such as Glutathione help to counter the effects of the toxins we inhale and ingest.

By physically binding to toxic compounds in cells, Glutathione helps make them soluble - and harmless. The body can then eliminate these disarmed toxins in the bile and urine.

Click here for more about Glutathione and its benefits to our body.

GSH is the most abundant redox molecule in cells

Thus the most important determinant of cellular redox status. Thiols in proteins can undergo a wide range of reversible redox modifications (e.g., S-glutathionylation, S-nitrosylation, and disulfide formation) during times of increased exposure to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which can affect protein activity. These reversible thiol modifications regulated by GSH may be nanoswitches to turn on and off proteins, similar to phosphorylation, in cells. In the cytoplasm, an altered redox state can activate (e.g., MAPKs and NF-E2-related factor-2) and inhibit (e.g., phosphatases and caspases) proteins, whereas in the nucleus, redox alterations can inhibit DNA binding of transcription factors (e.g., NF-B and activator protein-1). The consequences include the promotion of expression of antioxidant genes and alterations of hepatocyte survival as well as the balance between necrotic versus apoptotic cell death. Therefore, the understanding of the redox regulation of proteins may have important clinical ramifications in understanding the pathogenesis of liver diseases.

GLUTATHIONE REDOX STATUS IN THE HUMAN CELL LINE

GLUTATHIONE REDOX STATUS IN THE HUMAN CELL LINE, A549, FOLLOWING INTRACELLULAR GLUTATHIONE DEPLETION AND EXTRACELLULAR GLUTATHIONE ADDITION
Pendergrass J. A.; Srinivasan J. V.; Clark E. P.; Kumar K. S.

The redox status of Glutathione (L-gamma-glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine, GSH) plays an im portant role in a number of different cellular reactions including cellular oxidative stress.

Using A549 human sm all cell lung carcinoma fibroblasts, we investigated the role of exogenous GSH on the intracellular GSH/Glutathione disulfide (oxidized Glutathione, GSSG) redox ratio in GSH-depleted cells by treating with L-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO).

GSH levels decreased after BSO treatment. Although BSO is a well-recognized inhibitor of GSH biosynthesis and has no known effect on GSSG reductase, surprisingly, the levels of GSSG also decreased. Incubation of control or GSH-depleted cells with exogenous GSH did not alter intracellular GSH or GSSG levels to any significant extent.

Therefore, the ratio of GSH/GSSG also was not altered significantly either in the controls or the BSO-treated cells. It appears that there m ay be cellular hom eostatic mechanisms that would maintain a constant GSH/GSSG ratio, irrespective of the changes in intracellular GSH concentration.

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Glutathione redox cycle protects cultured endothelial cells against lysis by extracellularly generated hydrogen peroxide

We have examined the role of the Glutathione redox cycle as an Antioxidants defense mechanism in cultured bovine and human endothelial cells by disrupting the Glutathione redox cycle at several points.

Endothelial Glutathione reductase was selectively inhibited with 1,3-bis(chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU). Cellular stores of reducedGlutathione were depleted by reaction with diethylmaleate (DEM) or 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) or by inhibition of Glutathione synthesis with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO).

Whereas several strains of untreated bovine and human endothelial cells were resistant to lysis by enzymatically generated hydrogen peroxide, BCNU-treated cells were readily lysed in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Glucose-glucose oxidase-mediated lysis of BCNU-treated bovine endothelial cells was catalase-inhibitable and directly related to BCNU concentration and endogenous Glutathione reductase activity. Pretreatment of bovine endothelial cells with BCNU did not potentiate lysis by distilled water, calcium ionophore, lipopolysaccharide, or hypochlorous acid. Depletion of cellular reduced glutathione by reaction with DEM or CDNB or by inhibition of Glutathione synthesis by BSO also potentiated endothelial lysis by enzymatically generated hydrogen peroxide. Inhibition of endothelial Glutathione reductase by BCNU or depletion of reduced glutathione by BSO increased endothelial susceptibility to lysis by hydrogen peroxide generated by phorbol myristate acetate-activated neutrophils.

We conclude that the Glutathione redox cycle plays an important role as an endogenous Antioxidants defense mechanism in cultured endothelial cells
M Harlan, J D Levine, K S Callahan, B R Schwartz, and L A Harker

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Role of glutathione redox status in liver injury

GSH is the most abundant redox molecule in cells and thus the most important determinant of cellular redox status.

Thiols in proteins can undergo a wide range of reversible redox modifications (e.g. S-glutathionylation, S-nitrosylation, disulfide formation) during times of increased exposure to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which can affect protein activity.

These reversible thiol modifications regulated by GSH may be nano-switches to turn on and off proteins, similar to phosphorylation, in cells. In the cytoplasm, altered redox state can activate (e.g. MAP kinases, Nrf-2) and inhibit (e.g. phosphatases, caspases) proteins, whereas in the nucleus redox alterations can inhibit DNA binding of transcription factors (NF-kappaB, AP-1).

The consequences include promotion of expression of Antioxidants genes, and alterations of hepatocyte survival as well as the balance between necrotic versus apoptotic cell death.

Therefore the understanding of the redox regulation of proteins may have important clinical ramifications in understanding pathogenesis of liver diseases.
Han D , Hanawa N , Saberi B , Kaplowitz N

Glutathione, stress responses, and redox signaling in lung inflammation

Changes in the ratio of intracellular reduced and disulfide forms ofGlutathione (GSH/GSSG) can affect signaling pathways that participate in various physiological responses from cell proliferation to gene expression and apoptosis.

It is also now known that many proteins have a highly conserved cysteine (sulfhydryl) sequence in their active/regulatory sites, which are primary targets of oxidative modifications and thus important components of redox signaling.

However, the mechanism by which oxidants and GSH/protein-cysteine-thiols actually participate in redox signaling still remains to be elucidated.

Initial studies involving the role of cysteine in various proteins have revealed that cysteine-SH may mediate redox signaling via reversible or irreversible oxidative modification to Cys-sulfenate or Cys-sulfinate and Cys-sulfonate species, respectively.

Oxidative stress possibly via the modification of cysteine residues activates multiple stress kinase pathways and transcription factors nuclear factor-kappaB and activator protein-1, which differentially regulate the genes for proinflammatory cytokines as well as the protective antioxidant genes. Understanding the redox signaling mechanisms for differential gene regulation may allow for the development of novel pharmacological approaches that preferentially up-regulate key antioxidant genes, which, in turn, reduce or resolve inflammation and injury.

This forum article features the current knowledge on the role of GSH in redox signaling, particularly the regulation of transcription factors and downstream signaling in lung inflammation. Rahman I , Biswas SK , Jimenez LA , Torres M , Forman HJ

Glutathione's three major roles in the body are summarized by the letters A-B-C.- Anti-oxidant- Blood Booster- Cell Detoxifier

Alcohol Consumption and Glutathione

Alcohol abuse is known to impair memory and other brain functions and increase brain cell death.

A new study in rats has shown that alchol consumption causes fewer new brain cells to form and results in greater cell death.

But rats that were fed alcohol - a Glutathione peroxidase mimic that acts as a free radical scavenger - showed no similar reduction in brain-cell formation and no increase in cell death.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Jun 24;100(13):7919-24. Epub 2003 Jun 05.

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Glutathione and Mood Disorders

Studies have found that the mood stabilizing drug, valproate, used to treat epilepsy and bi-polar disorder, regulates expression of the genes that make Glutathione-S-transferase (GST).

In addition, chronic treatment with lithium, another commonly prescribed mood stabilizer used in treating manic-depression, also increased levels of GST.

These findings led researchers to conclude that Glutathione S-transferase may be a novel target for mood stabilizing drugs.

Journal of Neurochemistry, Vol. 88, No. 6, 2004 1477-1484

Glutathione's three major roles in the body are summarized by the letters A-B-C.
- Anti-oxidant- Blood Booster- Cell Detoxifier

Alzheimer's Disease and Glutathione

Free radicals and oxidative damage in neurons is known to be a primary cause of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease.'

Amyloid-Я peptide (AЯ) accumulation in senile plaques, a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), has been implicated in neuronal degeneration.

Amyloid plaques encroaching on the brain increase the production of free radicals, or oxidative stress. Antioxidants, such as vitamin C and E "mop up" the damaging free radicals.

Glutathione (GSH ) precursors can prevent death of brain cells induced by amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease, while substances that deplete GSH increase cell death.

Evidence has been piling up over the link between the amount of an amino acid called homocysteine in the blood and the chance of developing Alzheimer's.

For people not genetically predisposed to developing Alzheimer's, cholesterol and homocysteine, largely caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, are the core causal factors.

Welsh GP, Andrew McCaddon, showed that the more homocysteine that patients with Alzheimer's had, the worse their mental performance, and the worse their "cognitive impairment," the less they had of the antioxidant Glutathione.

The Journal of Cell Biology, Volume 164, Number 1, 123-131; 5 January 2004
Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Feb;53(3):254-60

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Brain Disorders and Glutathione

A Genetic Cause?

Genetics researchers have found that the Glutathione S-transferase gene controls the onset of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and determines, not if we get these diseases, but when.

The Glutathione S-transferase gene has previously been linked to the risk for Parkinson's disease among people who used pesticides.

Human Molecular Genetics, 2003, Vol. 12, No. 24 3259-3267

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