What Glutathione (GSH) is and How it Affects your Immune Health
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Glutathione (or GSH) is the body’s own MASTER ANTIOXIDANT discovered way back in 1889. However, it was only about 30 years ago that the scientists began to understand its functions and discovered how to raise its levels.
GSH is a small protein molecule composed of 3 amino acids: Cysteine, Glutamate and Glycine called GSH precursors or building blocks. |
GSH is produced out of these three precursors in EVERY CELL of the human body & performs many important roles, such as:
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What does Glutathione do in our Bodies? |
Why is Glutathione Important? |
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Antioxidant: GSH is the body’s master Antioxidant, our bodies depend on GSH for the removal of toxins and GSH is at the heart of all immune functions. Other antioxidants in our body depend on GSH to function properly.
Detoxification: GSH detoxifies a large number of pollutants by binding to carcinogens, heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides and radiation by forming a soluble compound with the toxin that can then be excreted through the urine or bile. Immune system: Healthy growth and activity of immune cells depends on the availability of GSH. The protective activity of GSH is two-fold – it enhances the activity of immune cells and also functions as an antioxidant within them. Increased Energy: Our energy levels are a result of many factors - everything from the biochemical reactions taking place within our cells, to muscle function and even your sense of well-being. GSH enables the mitochondria of a cell to remain fully charged, enhancing muscle strength and endurance. Clinical trials have shown that lowering GSH in the mitochondria results in cell death. Repair: Our body is constantly under attack from free radicals, some from external sources and some generated in our own body. Free radicals attack the nearest stable molecule, "stealing" its electron. A molecule that loses an electron then becomes a free radical itself and attacks the next nearest stable molecule, this begins a chain reaction. Once the reaction is started it can cascade through hundreds of molecules. As this occurs over and over again the cell eventually dies or mutates. Sometimes the mutated cell mutates to a point that we know as cancer. GSH performs a vital role in repairing the damaged DNA by replacing the missing electron. Normal to elevated GSH keeps the repair of our cells at a maximum and reduces the number of cell mutations that would occur otherwise. GSH is at the heart of all immune functions and low GSH levels are seen in many diseases such as AIDS, advanced diabetes, and cancers. Raising and maintaining GSH levels can help minimize the risk of diseases. Glutathione exists in reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) states. In healthy cells and tissue, more than 90% of the total Glutathione is in the reduced form (GSH) and less than 10% exists in the oxidized form (GSSG). An increased GSSG-to-GSH ratio is considered indicative of oxidative stress. The ratio of reduced Glutathione to oxidized Glutathione within cells is often used scientifically as a measure of cellular toxicity. |
The immune system and detoxification system cannot function without GSH. In his book "Glutathione. Your body's most powerful protector" Dr. Jimmy Gutman says "Glutathione modulation is an essential part of staying young, active and healthy." He also states - "By keeping our intracellular GSH levels up we also keep our immune system on the ball and fully armed".
In the immune system the protective activity of GSH is two-fold – it enhances the activity of immune cells and also functions as an antioxidant within them. GSH has been clinically researched and proven to optimize your immune system, maximize the function of antioxidants, support your detoxification process at the cellular level, increase your energy levels and increase your strength and endurance. As of April 2012, Pubmed.gov (the government's depository for research articles in medical and biomedical fields) lists 100,775 medical articles mentioning GSH. This is a tremendous amount of research and energy that the medical profession has put into understanding the role of GSH in our lives. Optimizing your GSH levels benefits everyone, from children to those in their golden years, from the infirm to the elite athlete. To be more specific about the articles I have researched to date, raising GSH level has been CLINICALLY PROVEN to be beneficial for people afflicted with: AIDS, Alzheimer’s, asthma, burns, all CANCERS, cataracts, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, diseases of liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, and digestive system, flu, fibromyalgia, glaucoma (open angle only, closed angle not effected), hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, physical trauma, skin disorders, seizures, tumours, and more. To state something is beneficial to your health is one thing but to prove it clinically is to give it validity. Do not under-appreciate the profound meaning of this statement - raising your GSH level is CLINICALLY PROVEN TO BE BENEFICIAL for a very wide array of health concerns. The research continues at an amazing pace. If you want to know what research has been done for your particular condition go to PubMed and simply type in your condition. It will list the abstracts of related articles. If you want to know what influence GSH plays in your condition, type in "glutathione and your condition", then hit Search. I was amazed at what has been researched and is not common knowledge. |