Glutathione Supplements

Glutathione, sometimes called the "Master Antioxidant," is the most abundant water-soluble antioxidant in your body. Some scientists consider glutathione to be the most important antioxidant that you have.

Your levels of glutathione largely determine whether you feel good and have plenty of energy, or you don't. When your levels of glutathione drop, you also leave yourself open to increased risk from all types of degenerative diseases.

Glutathione is a natural protein found in fresh fruits and vegetables. Your body manufactures most of the glutathione it needs, but production decreases as you age.

In order to maintain an optimal level of glutathione, your body must also have a sufficient supply of the amino acid building blocks it needs to make it. Glutathione is a tripeptide, which means it is made molecules of three other amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine.

Glutathione also needs a supply of the other nutrients that help it to do its job effectively: alpha lipoic acid, selenium, zinc, and vitamin B2. Glutathione is an important member of the antioxidant network family that includes alpha lipoic acid, CoQ-10, and vitamins C and E.

Smoking, alcohol, caffeine, strenuous exercise, food additives, ultraviolet radiation and air pollution will all deplete glutathione levels in your body.

Potential Benefits of Glutathione

Raising your levels of glutathione helps your body build up its resistance to all kinds of threats to your health. Glutathione has been shown in numerous studies to have the following specific effects:

• helps recycle antioxidants vitamins C and E
• repairs cellular DNA
• promotes healthy liver function
• prevents chronic inflammation
• protects your eyes and skin from UV damage from the sun

• regulates immune cells and fights viruses
• fights autoimmune diseases
• protects your cells against oxidation from air pollution
• helps eliminate toxins from your cells

Some of the diseases that may be prevented with glutathione supplements include:

• asthma
• bronchitis
• cancers of the liver and ovaries
• psoriasis

• chronic fatigue syndrome
• cataracts and glaucoma
• retinal disease
• diabetic blindness

Glutathione levels are severely depleted in people with illnesses such as asthma, cancer, AIDS and other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. There is also a strong correlation between cirrhosis of the liver and low levels of glutathione.

Can You Raise Your Glutathione Levels
with Supplements?

There is some controversy whether or not supplementation with glutathione is useful. When taken orally, glutathione breaks down to its component amino acids before they are absorbed. There is some debate about what happens from there, and whether or not the amino acids are absorbed as glutathione.

There are two ways to raise your glutathione levels. You can try taking glutathione supplements and see if it makes a difference. There are several different types, including a "reduced" type that may be absorbed more readily. However, the most reliable way to raise the level of glutathione in your body may be to supplement with some of the building blocks instead.

Of the three amino acids your body needs to manufacture glutathione, cysteine is the one that most determines how much glutathione you can produce. Supplements of this amino acid come under the name N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC).

Other nutrients necessary for the production of glutathione are alpha-lipoic acid and vitamin C. These network antioxidants also work to rejuvenate glutathione that has been spent in the process of neutralizing free radicals. In fact, some of the beneficial effects attributed to alpha-lipoic acid may be caused by its ability to increase glutathione levels. This is consistent with the philosophy that network antioxidants work together much more powerfully than they do alone.

The Best Source for Glutathione Supplements

What's the best place to buy glutathione supplements and other natural health products? It's hard to beat iHerb.com. Why? Just take a look at all the benefits they have to offer:

• Great Prices — 30% to 60% off most name-brand products
• Selection — choose from over a dozen glutathione products alone
• Same-Day Shipping — $4 Flat Rate, FREE on orders over $40
• International Shipping — as low as $4 on orders up to $80
• Live Customer-Care Service — on the phone or live chat
• Additional Discounts — extra 5% off for orders over $60
• Rewards Program — earn store credit for referring your friends!

Have you improved your health
by using glutathione therapy?

If you have any story about how your health improved by using some type of glutathione supplementation, would you like to share it with my readers?

There is some controversy about whether or not taking glutathione works, so your input would be very valuable. Tell us how you took it, how much and how often — and what results you're getting.

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