Glutathione--it's important!

[Guest guest]

DIETARY SOURCES OF GLUTATHIONE: Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant

and detoxifying agent whose protective role has been demonstrated in

numerous clinical studies.

GSH is synthesized rapidly in the liver, kidneys, and other tissues

of the body, including the gastrointestinal tract. This process is

effected by aging and disease, as both of these conditions result in

reduced tissue and blood levels of glutathione.

Dietary forms of glutathione are efficiently absorbed into the

blood, however the same is not true for glutathione supplements in

humans. When healthy subjects were given a single dose of up to

3,000 mg of glutathione researchers found there was no increase in

blood glutathione levels. (Witschi A, Reddy S, Stofer B, Lauterburg

BH. The systemic availability of oral glutathione. Eur J Clin

Pharmacol 1992;43(6):667-9.) The authors of this study concluded " it

is not feasible to increase circulating glutathione to a clinically

beneficial extent by the oral administrating of a single dose of 3 g

of glutathione. " and coworkers (ston CJ, Meyer CG,

Srilakshmi JC.

Vitamin C elevates red blood cell glutathione in healthy adults. Am

J Clin Nutr 58:103-5, 1993) found that blood glutathione levels rose

nearly 50% in healthy individuals taking 500 mg of vitamin C daily.

Vitamin C facilitates an increase in blood glutathione levels by

supplying the body with a nutrient that is critical to the

manufacture of it.

In addition, to vitamin C, dietary sources of glutathione and

several other nutritional compounds can help increase glutathione

levels including N-acetylcysteine (NAC), alpha-lipoic acid,

glutamine, methionine, and undenatured whey protein (Bounous, G.,

and Gold, P., The biological activity of undenatured dietary whey

proteins [immunocal]: role of glutathione, Clin. Invest. Med. (1991)

14(4):296-309.). N-acetylcysteine has been used in combination with

glutamic acid (or glutamine) and glycine (, J. at www.cfsn.com)

and in addition, NAC has been studied in combination with dietary

proteins (Quig, D., Cysteine metabolism and metal toxicity,

Alternative Medicine Review (1998) 3(4):262-270.).

HERBS: The herb milk-thistle, an excellent source of the antioxidant

compound silymarin may help to prevent glutathione depletion in the

liver. Silymarin is many times more potent in antioxidant activity

than the better known antioxidant vitamins E and vitamin C. The

protective effect of silymarin against liver damage has been

demonstrated in a number of scientific studies. Silymarin has been

shown to protect against liver damage by extremely toxic chemicals

(this toxicity is mediated by their ability to produce dangerous and

destructive unstable compounds called free radicals) including

amanita toxin, carbon tetrachloride, galactosamine, and praseodymium

nitrate. Silymarin enhances detoxification in the liver by

preventing the depletion of glutathione. Glutathione in the liver is

essential to the liver's ability to detoxify. The higher the liver

glutathione content, the greater the liver's capacity to detoxify

harmful chemicals. Chemicals which can damage the liver, (including

alcohol and acetominophen), cause the concentration of glutathione

in the liver is substantially reduced, making the hepatocytes (liver

cells) susceptible to damage. Silymarin not only prevents the

depletion of glutathione induced by alcohol and other toxins

(Chrungoo VJ et al. Indian J Exp Biol. 1997 Jun;35(6):611-7.), but

can increase the level of glutathione in the cells of the liver

(hepatocytes) (Valenzuela A et al. Planta Med. 1989 Oct;55(5):420-

2.), and possibly by up to 35%.

Curcumin may also be useful as an agent to increase tissue

glutathione levels (Dickinson, D.A., Iles, K.E., Zhang, H., Blank,

V., and Forman, H.J., Curcumin alters EpRE and AP-1 binding

complexes and elevates glutamate-cysteine ligase gene expression,

FASEB J. (2003) 17(3):473-475.)

Alpha Lipoic Acid has also demonstrated it's ability to increase

glutathione levels and act as a potent antioxidant in numerous

scientific studies.

VITAMINS & MINERALS: vitamin B6, riboflavin, and selenium are

required in the manufacture of glutathione, and adequate dietary

consumption of foods rich in (or supplementation with) these

vitamins and minerals can help the body to optimize glutathione

production.

MILK PRODUCTS & MEAT:Dietary glutathione occurs in highest amounts

in fresh (uncooked) meats, in moderate amounts in certain raw fruits

and vegetables, and is absent or found only in small amounts in

grains and pasteurized dairy products (JONES DP, COATES RJ, FLAGG

EW, et al. (1992) Glutathione in Foods listed in the National Cancer

Institute's Health Habits and History Food Frequency Questionnaire.

Nutr Cancer 17: 57-75 ).

Foods richest in sulfur-containing amino acids are usually the best

source of glutathione. Although undenatured whey protein is one of

the best precursors (building blocks) for glutathione, it contains

only moderate levels of naturally occuring glutathione. Freshly

prepared (rare or raw) meats, raw (unpasturized) milk, and raw eggs

are also an especially rich source of glutathione.

Cooking reduces glutathione content, and storage also impacts the

glutathione content of foods. In human breast milk put aside for

later use by breast-fed babies, a 73-79% loss of glutathione

occurred when the milk was either kept at room temperature or

refrigerated for two hours. (Ankrah NA, Appiah-Opong R, Dzokoto C.

Human breastmilk storage and the glutathione content. J Trop

Pediatr. 2000;46(2):111-3.)

FRUITS & VEGETABLES: Fresh fruits and vegetables provide excellent

levels of glutathione, but cooked foods contained far less or none

at all, and highly processed foods contain less than minimally

processed cooked foods. Glutathione assays of fruits and vegetables

may yield contrasting results because glutathione levels vary both

diurnally (KOIKE S, PATTERSON BD (1988) Diurnal variation of

glutathione levels in tomato seedlings. Hort Sci 23: 713-714; SCHUPP

R, RENNENBERG H (1988) Diurnal changes in the glutathione content of

spruce needles (Picea abies L.) Plant Sci 57: 113-117 ) with the

stage of development of the plant (EARNSHAW BA, JOHNSON MA (1987)

Control of wild carrot somatic embryo development by antioxidants.

Plant Physiol 85: 273-276;), and due to various environmental

factors (DE KOK LJ, DE KAN PJL, TANCZOS OG, KUIPER PJC (1981)

Sulphate-induced accumulation of glutathione and frost-tolerance of

spinach leaf tissue. Physiol Plant 53: 435-438; WISE RR, NAYLOR AW

(1987) Chilling-enhanced photooxidation. The peroxidative

destruction of lipids during chilling injury to photosynthesis and

ultrastructure. Plant Physiol 83: 272-277). Asparagus contains more

glutathione than all other fruits and vegetables analyzed to date.

(, D.P. and others: Glutathione in foods listed in the National

Cancer Institute's health habits and history food frequency

questionnaire, Nutrition and Cancer 17 (1), p. 57, 1992.) In a study

which compared the overall antioxidant activity of potatoes, bell

peppers, carrots, onions and broccoli, potatoes ranked second

highest after broccoli.

Per serving, asparagus, avocadoes, asparagus, squash, okra,

cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, spinach, walnuts, garlic, and raw

tomatoes have the highest glutathione content compared to other

vegetables and are particularly rich dietary sources of glutathione

(please see the Table 1. below).

Table 1. Comparison of Glutathione in Fresh vs. Cooked Foods

(in milligrams per 3 1/2 oz (100 g) serving)

Food Glutathione Content

Apples Uncooked: 21.0 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg

Carrots Uncooked: 74.6 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg

Grapefruit Uncooked: 70.6 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg

Spinach Uncooked: 166 mg Cooked: 27.1 mg

Spinach (4) Uncooked: 9.65 mg Cooked: N/A mg

Tomatoes Uncooked: 169 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg

Asparagus (4) Uncooked: 28.3 mg Cooked: N/A mg

Avocado (4) Uncooked: 27.7 mg Cooked: N/A mg

Purslane (4) Uncooked: 14.81 mg Cooked: N/A mg

[Guest guest]

Thanks for researching this, Patty. Great info! I have a weird genetic snip where I don’t make it at all so supplementation is extremely important.

Kenda

DIETARY SOURCES OF GLUTATHIONE: Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant

and detoxifying agent whose protective role has been demonstrated in

numerous clinical studies.

GSH is synthesized rapidly in the liver, kidneys, and other tissues

of the body, including the gastrointestinal tract. This process is

effected by aging and disease, as both of these conditions result in

reduced tissue and blood levels of glutathione.

Dietary forms of glutathione are efficiently absorbed into the

blood, however the same is not true for glutathione supplements in

humans. When healthy subjects were given a single dose of up to

3,000 mg of glutathione researchers found there was no increase in

blood glutathione levels. (Witschi A, Reddy S, Stofer B, Lauterburg

BH. The systemic availability of oral glutathione. Eur J Clin

Pharmacol 1992;43(6):667-9.) The authors of this study concluded " it

is not feasible to increase circulating glutathione to a clinically

beneficial extent by the oral administrating of a single dose of 3 g

of glutathione. " and coworkers (ston CJ, Meyer CG,

Srilakshmi JC.

Vitamin C elevates red blood cell glutathione in healthy adults. Am

J Clin Nutr 58:103-5, 1993) found that blood glutathione levels rose

nearly 50% in healthy individuals taking 500 mg of vitamin C daily.

Vitamin C facilitates an increase in blood glutathione levels by

supplying the body with a nutrient that is critical to the

manufacture of it.

In addition, to vitamin C, dietary sources of glutathione and

several other nutritional compounds can help increase glutathione

levels including N-acetylcysteine (NAC), alpha-lipoic acid,

glutamine, methionine, and undenatured whey protein (Bounous, G.,

and Gold, P., The biological activity of undenatured dietary whey

proteins [immunocal]: role of glutathione, Clin. Invest. Med. (1991)

14(4):296-309.). N-acetylcysteine has been used in combination with

glutamic acid (or glutamine) and glycine (, J. at www.cfsn.com)

and in addition, NAC has been studied in combination with dietary

proteins (Quig, D., Cysteine metabolism and metal toxicity,

Alternative Medicine Review (1998) 3(4):262-270.).

HERBS: The herb milk-thistle, an excellent source of the antioxidant

compound silymarin may help to prevent glutathione depletion in the

liver. Silymarin is many times more potent in antioxidant activity

than the better known antioxidant vitamins E and vitamin C. The

protective effect of silymarin against liver damage has been

demonstrated in a number of scientific studies. Silymarin has been

shown to protect against liver damage by extremely toxic chemicals

(this toxicity is mediated by their ability to produce dangerous and

destructive unstable compounds called free radicals) including

amanita toxin, carbon tetrachloride, galactosamine, and praseodymium

nitrate. Silymarin enhances detoxification in the liver by

preventing the depletion of glutathione. Glutathione in the liver is

essential to the liver's ability to detoxify. The higher the liver

glutathione content, the greater the liver's capacity to detoxify

harmful chemicals. Chemicals which can damage the liver, (including

alcohol and acetominophen), cause the concentration of glutathione

in the liver is substantially reduced, making the hepatocytes (liver

cells) susceptible to damage. Silymarin not only prevents the

depletion of glutathione induced by alcohol and other toxins

(Chrungoo VJ et al. Indian J Exp Biol. 1997 Jun;35(6):611-7.), but

can increase the level of glutathione in the cells of the liver

(hepatocytes) (Valenzuela A et al. Planta Med. 1989 Oct;55(5):420-

2.), and possibly by up to 35%.

Curcumin may also be useful as an agent to increase tissue

glutathione levels (Dickinson, D.A., Iles, K.E., Zhang, H., Blank,

V., and Forman, H.J., Curcumin alters EpRE and AP-1 binding

complexes and elevates glutamate-cysteine ligase gene expression,

FASEB J. (2003) 17(3):473-475.)

Alpha Lipoic Acid has also demonstrated it's ability to increase

glutathione levels and act as a potent antioxidant in numerous

scientific studies.

VITAMINS & MINERALS: vitamin B6, riboflavin, and selenium are

required in the manufacture of glutathione, and adequate dietary

consumption of foods rich in (or supplementation with) these

vitamins and minerals can help the body to optimize glutathione

production.

MILK PRODUCTS & MEAT:Dietary glutathione occurs in highest amounts

in fresh (uncooked) meats, in moderate amounts in certain raw fruits

and vegetables, and is absent or found only in small amounts in

grains and pasteurized dairy products (JONES DP, COATES RJ, FLAGG

EW, et al. (1992) Glutathione in Foods listed in the National Cancer

Institute's Health Habits and History Food Frequency Questionnaire.

Nutr Cancer 17: 57-75 ).

Foods richest in sulfur-containing amino acids are usually the best

source of glutathione. Although undenatured whey protein is one of

the best precursors (building blocks) for glutathione, it contains

only moderate levels of naturally occuring glutathione. Freshly

prepared (rare or raw) meats, raw (unpasturized) milk, and raw eggs

are also an especially rich source of glutathione.

Cooking reduces glutathione content, and storage also impacts the

glutathione content of foods. In human breast milk put aside for

later use by breast-fed babies, a 73-79% loss of glutathione

occurred when the milk was either kept at room temperature or

refrigerated for two hours. (Ankrah NA, Appiah-Opong R, Dzokoto C.

Human breastmilk storage and the glutathione content. J Trop

Pediatr. 2000;46(2):111-3.)

FRUITS & VEGETABLES: Fresh fruits and vegetables provide excellent

levels of glutathione, but cooked foods contained far less or none

at all, and highly processed foods contain less than minimally

processed cooked foods. Glutathione assays of fruits and vegetables

may yield contrasting results because glutathione levels vary both

diurnally (KOIKE S, PATTERSON BD (1988) Diurnal variation of

glutathione levels in tomato seedlings. Hort Sci 23: 713-714; SCHUPP

R, RENNENBERG H (1988) Diurnal changes in the glutathione content of

spruce needles (Picea abies L.) Plant Sci 57: 113-117 ) with the

stage of development of the plant (EARNSHAW BA, JOHNSON MA (1987)

Control of wild carrot somatic embryo development by antioxidants.

Plant Physiol 85: 273-276;), and due to various environmental

factors (DE KOK LJ, DE KAN PJL, TANCZOS OG, KUIPER PJC (1981)

Sulphate-induced accumulation of glutathione and frost-tolerance of

spinach leaf tissue. Physiol Plant 53: 435-438; WISE RR, NAYLOR AW

(1987) Chilling-enhanced photooxidation. The peroxidative

destruction of lipids during chilling injury to photosynthesis and

ultrastructure. Plant Physiol 83: 272-277). Asparagus contains more

glutathione than all other fruits and vegetables analyzed to date.

(, D.P. and others: Glutathione in foods listed in the National

Cancer Institute's health habits and history food frequency

questionnaire, Nutrition and Cancer 17 (1), p. 57, 1992.) In a study

which compared the overall antioxidant activity of potatoes, bell

peppers, carrots, onions and broccoli, potatoes ranked second

highest after broccoli.

Per serving, asparagus, avocadoes, asparagus, squash, okra,

cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, spinach, walnuts, garlic, and raw

tomatoes have the highest glutathione content compared to other

vegetables and are particularly rich dietary sources of glutathione

(please see the Table 1. below).

Table 1. Comparison of Glutathione in Fresh vs. Cooked Foods

(in milligrams per 3 1/2 oz (100 g) serving)

Food Glutathione Content

Apples Uncooked: 21.0 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg

Carrots Uncooked: 74.6 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg

Grapefruit Uncooked: 70.6 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg

Spinach Uncooked: 166 mg Cooked: 27.1 mg

Spinach (4) Uncooked: 9.65 mg Cooked: N/A mg

Tomatoes Uncooked: 169 mg Cooked: 0.0 mg

Asparagus (4) Uncooked: 28.3 mg Cooked: N/A mg

Avocado (4) Uncooked: 27.7 mg Cooked: N/A mg

Purslane (4) Uncooked: 14.81 mg Cooked: N/A mg

Opinions expressed are NOT meant to take the place of advice given by licensed health care professionals. Consult your physician or licensed health care professional before commencing any medical treatment.

" Do not let either the medical authorities or the politicians mislead you. Find out what the facts are, and make your own decisions about how to live a happy life and how to work for a better world. " - Linus ing, two-time Nobel Prize Winner (1954, Chemistry; 1963, Peace)