4 Ways To Increase Glutathione Naturally

A number of airway and lung diseases are caused by excessive inflammation, and they can benefit from restoring healthy glutathione levels . Essentially, oxidative stress is associated with cancer, inflammation, brain damage, and a range of other health problems. Glutathione plays an instrumental role in several important chemical reactions in the body. It is essential for the body’s immune system to function properly. Additionally, it plays a vital role in building and repairing tissue.

In pregnant women, consumption of two meals of salmon per week from week 20 of gestation increased glutathione concentration . Although a comparison between fish oil capsules and salmon found no significant difference on glutathione status . Fresh and frozen foods provide the highest levels of glutathione that, even if not fully absorbed, may provide some antioxidant activity.

A few animal studies would suggest that serine, a nonessential amino acid, may be helpful in positively influencing glutathione production, potentially through increased cysteine availability and a decrease of hypermethylation. Alternately, serine may support glutathione levels through its metabolism into glycine, one of the precursor amino acids used for glutathione synthesis. Since the precursors and foundation of glutathione are amino acids, intake of dietary protein may influence the amino acid pool from which to draw to synthesize glutathione. Changes in protein consumption , including reducing protein levels but remaining within safe levels, may alter plasma glutathione synthesis levels contributing to a reduction in antioxidant capacity. In this study, the researchers found that while individuals were able to recover from a reduction in protein in terms of nitrogen balance, it took longer for the functional changes in glutathione levels to equilibrate.

Jannatifar R., Parivar K., Roodbari N.H., Nasr-Esfahani M.H. Effects of N-acetyl-cysteine supplementation on sperm quality, chromatin integrity and level of oxidative stress in infertile men. Park E.Y., Shimura N., Konishi T., Sauchi Y., Wada S., Aoi W., Nakamura Y., Sato K. Increase in the protein-bound form of glutathione in human blood after the oral administration of glutathione. Saharan S., Mandal P.K. The emerging role of glutathione in Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have questioned the effectiveness of glutathione supplementation due to its low bioavailability. The less bioavailable something is, the harder it is for the body to use. However, increases in glutathione seem to vary depending on the type of beta-casein.

Chronic inflammation can contribute to oxidative stress and deplete glutathione supply . Due to their involvement in the production of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory prostaglandins, omega-3 fatty acids have been studied for their effects on glutathione levels. In one study taking 4000 mg of omega-3 supplements daily for 12 weeks led to a better GSH–creatine ratio and reduced depressive symptoms in older adults who had a higher risk of developing depression compared with the control group taking a placebo. There was also an improvement in the ratio of oxidized to reduced glutathione, with the largest decrease in this ratio among those taking the higher dose in the first and second weeks. There was also a decrease in the biomarkers for oxidative stress and an improvement in immune markers such as lymphocyte proliferation and natural killer cell activity. Nutrients such as vitamin Cand vitamin Ealso help neutralize free radicals.

This is technically called “neuro-degeneration,” a process by which the neurons in our brains become damaged and may even die, leaving us with “shrinking” brains that don’t function to their full capacity. While this process is unavoidable as we age, it can be slowed, or even reversed, and glutathione plays an important role. The free radical damage caused by oxidation then triggers your immune system to clean up the damage, which results in inflammation. These symptoms are not only associated with many chronic diseases.

1) Vitamin C. It's a powerhouse antioxidant which preserves and protects many other nutrients in the body, including glutathione. First, it acts as a glutathione-sparing agent by immediately attacking free radicals. Then, vitamin C converts oxidized glutathione glutathione supplement back to its original active form. Increasing glutathione levels may clean your acne by neutralizing oxidative stress and promoting skin regeneration . Low glutathione levels can increase inflammation in the airways and cause asthma. In mice with asthma, increasing glutathione with NAC lowered inflammation and improved the symptoms .