Glutathione: New Supplement on the Block

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Glutathione: New Supplement on the Block

Add glutathione to the list of hot, hyped health supplements. But exactly

what is this product -- and should it be in your medicine cabinet?

By Alison Palkhivala

July 30, 2001 -- Who wouldn't like to get their hands on a naturally

occurring substance that acts as an antioxidant, an immune system booster,

and a detoxifier? Something that can help your body repair damage caused by

stress, pollution, radiation, infection, drugs, poor diet, aging, injury,

trauma, and burns?

A handful of researchers are saying the antioxidant glutathione can do all

that and maybe more. But can you believe such sweeping claims? What's the

evidence to back them up? Here are what three experts have to say:

What Is Glutathione?

" Glutathione is a very interesting, very small molecule that's [produced by

the body and] found in every cell, " says Gustavo Bounous, MD, director of

research and development at Immunotec and a retired professor of surgery at

McGill University in Montreal, Canada. " It's the [body's] most important

antioxidant because it's within the cell. "

Antioxidants -- the most well known of which are vitamins C and E -- are

important for good health because they neutralize free radicals, which can

build up in cells and cause damage. Because glutathione exists within the

cells, it is in a prime position to neutralize free radicals. It also has

potentially widespread health benefits because it can be found in all types

of cells, including the cells of the immune system, whose job is to fight

disease.

Glutathione occurs naturally in many foods, and people who eat well probably

have enough in their diets, says Dean , PhD, professor of biochemistry

and director of nutritional health sciences at Emory University in Atlanta.

Those with diets high in fresh fruits and vegetables and freshly prepared

meats are most likely just fine. On the other hand, those with poor diets

may get too little.

What Does Glutathione Do?

The strong antioxidant effect of glutathione helps keep cells running

smoothly. Bounous and another glutathione expert, Appleton, ND, say

it also helps the liver remove chemicals that are foreign to the body, such

as drugs and pollutants.

Appleton is chairman of the department of nutrition at the National College

of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Ore., and senior science editor for

Healthnotes, a database on complementary and alternative medicine available

at newspaper stands and health food stores.

Evidence for the important role that glutathione plays in health comes from

studies in people who are severely ill.

" If you look in a hospital situation at people who have cancer, AIDS, or

other very serious disease, almost invariably they are depleted in

glutathione, " says Appleton. " The reasons for this are not completely

understood, but we do know that glutathione is extremely important for

maintaining intracellular health. "

How Should Glutathione Be Taken?

Glutathione is probably not well absorbed into the body when taken by mouth.

One way to get around that is to take it by vein. A more practical solution

is to take the precursors -- that is, the molecules the body needs to make

glutathione -- rather than glutathione itself. While there is no solid proof

this works, the consensus among experts is that that doing so will increase

the amount of glutathione in the cells.

Bounous has developed a glutathione-enhancing product called Immunocal,

which is made up of glutathione precursors, mainly the amino acid cysteine.

Who Does Glutathione Help?

Animal and laboratory studies have demonstrated that glutathione has the

potential to fight almost any disease, particularly those associated with

aging, since free radical damage is the cause of many of the diseases of old

age.

" Theoretically, there are many very strong arguments in favor of a

therapeutic use of glutathione, " says Appleton. " But when people have

actually tried to use glutathione as an oral supplement, nasal spray, or

intravenously, the results have been more of a preliminary nature. The

amount of research on glutathione as a supplement ... is very limited. "

Nevertheless, people have tried glutathione for the treatment of a whole

host of conditions, including cancer, high blood pressure, Parkinson's

disease, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and male infertility.

The best studies have been conducted in cancer. One study involved women

with ovarian cancer who were being treated with chemotherapy. Some of the

women were also treated with intravenous glutathione. Those given the

glutathione not only had fewer side effects from the chemotherapy but also

had better overall survival rates.

Myriam Abalain of Montreal, Canada, is one of the many people who have taken

Bounous's Immunocal to combat cancer. In 1996, at age 33, a routine PAP

smear revealed she had precancerous cells on her cervix, which is one step

away from having cervical cancer. The three specialists she visited all told

her that a hysterectomy was her only option, but she hesitated to have such

major, life-altering surgery.

Instead, she waited. For more than two years, her condition remained stable.

Then a friend suggested she try Immunocal. After eight months of taking the

supplement, her physician could no longer detect any precancerous cells.

Does this mean Immunocal cured her? It's hard to say based on just one case

like hers. It is possible her body went into remission naturally.

Even Bounous acknowledges there's no real proof his product cured her

cancer, but he's working on conducting good clinical research, comparing

individuals with cancer taking glutathione to those who are not.

What Are the Risks?

Overall, taking glutathione or its precursors in reasonable amounts appears

to be quite safe, although it should be avoided in people with milk protein

allergies and in those who have received an organ transplant. There is also

some concern, however, about the safety of taking glutathione for the one

condition for which there is the greatest evidence of its usefulness:

cancer.

" People don't get concerned about these health-promoting [supplements] until

they're in their 50s and 60s, " says Emory's Dean . At that point, they

may already have the initial precancerous [cells]. Therefore, the

supplements, just like they promote health in normal tissues, might promote

health in the precancerous tissue. "

Appleton recognizes this possibility but says " there's no evidence that

supplementing with glutathione, even intravenously, is in any way going to

make any cancer worse. In fact, the evidence we have suggests the opposite.

It suggests that glutathione and other antioxidants, far from interfering

with the activity of chemotherapy, appear to reduce side effects without

decreasing efficacy and may, in fact, improve the efficacy of the

chemotherapy in fighting cancer. "

Bounous says his research has demonstrated that taking Immunocal actually

lowers glutathione in cancer cells while increasing it in normal cells. As a

result, the cancer cells are more vulnerable to chemotherapy, and the normal

cells are protected.

The upshot? The experts disagree on who should take glutathione or its

precursors. Bounous says everyone should take it in order to optimize

overall health. Appleton would reserve it for people with cancer. says

it might only prove beneficial for those who eat poorly and are thus

unlikely to be getting much glutathione or its precursors in their diet.

They all acknowledge that people with severe diseases known to be associated

with low glutathione levels, such as AIDS, may well benefit from the

supplement, although there is no proof to this effect.

For her part, Myriam Abalain is still taking Immunocal and feeling fine.

" I'm doing pretty good now, " she says. " I'm in better shape than ever! "