Everything You Don't Know About Glutathione Part 1 (of two parts total)
Everything You Don’t Know About Glutathione
This blog post is part 1 of a total of 2 parts. The second part will be added as next weeks blog post.
So what exactly is glutathione?
Glutathione is the “pusher” to help get all of the icky out of your cells, It is one of the body’s most powerful detoxifiers.
It can support healthy immune function and can neutralize a broad spectrum of free radicals.
Glutathione helps create the detoxification pathways by creating methyl groups that attach to the bad cells in your body, and then helps to usher them out of your body.
Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant found in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacteria and archaea. Glutathione is capable of preventing damage to important cellular components caused by reactive oxygen species such as free radicals, peroxides, and heavy metals.
So all of that sounds great, lets unpack it little more…
Let’s start with free radicals:
“How are free radicals harmful to the human body?”
Free radicals damage the growth, development and survival of the cells in the body. Their reactive nature allows them to engage in unnecessary side reactions causing cellular impairment and eventually injury when they are present in disproportionate amounts. They directly impair cell membranes and DNA. (Medical express 2016)
Lets look into heavy metals next:
Examples of heavy metals that can cause toxicity include lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium. Exposure may occur through the diet, from medications, from the environment, or in the course of work or play. Heavy metals can enter the body through the skin, or by inhalation or ingestion.
Sources that help produce glutathione are TMG, DMG, Betaine, Beet root juice, gogi berry, and MSM.
So in a nutshell, Glutathione is a super antioxidant, a super detoxifier, and a super liver cleanser.
Let's keep unpacking...:)
Glutathione is your body’s mitochondrial super hero…
Every cell in your body has mitochondria. These mitochondria are the driving force of the cell, turning food into ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to use for all of the energy requirements of the cell.
Your mitochondria do a lot more than pump out energy.
They also have their own DNA, they can communicate information, sense danger when the cells levels drop, and are even involved in the final “death” message when the cell is damaged beyond repair and needs to die.
Glutathione is your body’s mitochondria protector.
Glutathione makes sure that toxins like organic toxins, heavy metals, and even include the byproducts of making energy by the mitochondria as well (free radicals/ oxidative byproducts) don’t damage the mitochondria.
For example, in the final stage of energy production your body uses oxygen to create ATP but in the process it can create Superoxide, and oxygen with too many electrons that is poisonous to everything around it be it mitochondria, DNA, proteins, cell membranes, etc.
Glutathione is there to extinguish and neutralize Superoxides as well as other similar damaging oxidative molecules. (Med Science).
Glutathione's role in the body:
Energy production
Detoxification
Antioxidant production
Aging defense
Glutathione’s responsibility also includes:
Cell differentiation/proliferation
Gene expression
Enzyme function
Cell signaling
Cysteine carrier/storage
When we remove all of the fancy words, the antioxidant properties of glutathione work to improve communication between the cells, reduce oxidation in the cells, stabilize the cells, support protein function, take out cellular byproducts (trash), and fight free radical damage.
Antioxidant protection:
Antioxidants are said to be anti aging in the nutrient world. They protect your body from oxidative damage and free radicals. Everything we do uses fuel we create from the foods that we eat and creates energy (eating, breathing, moving, etc). In the process of creating this fuel dangerous byproducts are created called free radicals.
Free radicals are highly reactive forms of oxygen that are missing an electron. When they come into contact with normal molecules, they try to steal an electron, damaging the healthy cell and its DNA. It is estimated that every cell in our bodies take 10,000 oxidative hits to its DNA daily. Antioxidants work to counteract the damage caused by free radicals. (Med Science)
Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant, directly binding to oxidative compounds that damage cell’s membranes, DNA, energy production, etc.
It directly neutralizes a wide range of oxidants, including superoxide, nitric acid, carbon radicals, hydroperoxides, peroxynitrites, and lipid peroxides. (Med Science)
The three phases of detoxification.
Phase 1: During phase one we detox the toxins from daily life such as car exhaust, alcohol, drugs, pesticides, radiation, and other carcinogens are partially processed by specialized proteins inside mitochondria called cytochromes. During this process some partially processed toxins can be turned into even more dangerous free radicals, so more work is needed to detox.
Phase 2: During phase 2, various enzymes act directly on the toxic substances partially degreased and processed in Phase 1, such as heavy metals and organo-toxins, by binding them with protective compounds, thereby either inactivating the toxins. This binding is called “conjugation” and glutathione is the central figure.
Once conjugated, toxins are real to be eliminated from your body mainly by the kidneys (urine)and liver (bile). Elimination is considered to be phase three of detoxification. (Med Science)
This concludes this weeks glutathione part one blog post. Next week we will finish the great discussion and benefits of Glutathione in the part two continuance of this blog post.
Items we will be discussing next week will be Glutathione's role in…
Disease and depletion
Brain health
Heart and cardiovascular system
Inflammation
Athletic performance
Immunity
Periphial vascular disease
Autism
Type 2 diabetes
Skin health
Vitamin D levels
COPD
We will also discuss food sources for glutathione…
Methylation…
Glutathione supplements…
And ways to boost your Glutathione.
Glutathione is huge for good health and I hope everyone embraces this knowledge for the better of their life…:)
Here’s to your health…
Cheers!
