Glutathione (GHS) is the most beneficial antioxidant your body has, and you’ve probably never even heard of it! The importance of GHS has been revealed in more than 92,000 different scientific journals – double that of vitamin C.
In fact, vitamins A, C and E can’t even pass into the cell membrane without GHS present in the cell itself. Does it sound important yet?
What is GHS?
Produced naturally in the liver, GHS is a powerful antioxidant made up of three amino acids:
- cysteine
- glycine
- glutamine
GHS gets most of its antioxidant power from the sulfur compounds that it contains. Sulfur is a sticky molecule that can bind to all sorts of toxins and free radicals, making sure they don’t stay in our bodies. It’s better to flush those bad guys away.
GHS is found in every single cell in our body, and we absolutely need it to be healthy. Luckily our livers produce GHS naturally, but are you producing enough of it?
Poor diet, pollution, toxins, aging, stress, infections and medications can all contribute to reduced GHS production. If this happens, your body can become vulnerable to unrestrained cell disintegration – so your liver gets overloaded, hindering its ability to detoxify.
Our body is always under attack from free radicals, both from our environment and from within our own body. Free radicals attack stable molecules and take their electrons. When a molecule loses an electron, it becomes unstable, thus becoming a free radical itself. This causes it to steal the first electron it can find.
This chain reaction can happen over and over again until the cell eventually dies or mutates. GHS is so important because it can replace a missing electron, thereby restabilizing molecules and keeping our cells out of trouble!
Some scientists even claim that GHS may be as essential to our health as oxygen, food, and water. That’s a pretty big statement, but the importance of GHS can’t be overstressed (but without it you certainly can be)!
Here are some of the main benefits of glutathione:
- Increases energy
GHS helps the mitochondria in our cells work at full capacity. Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell; it’s their job to produce ATP. ATP is what every cell in our body runs on, and with efficient mitochondria, do you know what you get? Increased energy!
- Improves Athletic Performance
Well-functioning mitochondria also means better muscle strength and endurance. Because of this, you’ll be able to train and perform more intensely than you otherwise would – making it easier to give your body the burn it needs to stay healthy.
- Slows Down Ageing Process
GHS levels decrease as you age. The less GHS you have, the more free radicals there are floating around in your body. Keep in mind that free radicals are a main culprit in making you look and feel older.
There have also been studies that have associated low levels of GHS with programmed cell death, and that cell death leads to aging.
- Reduces Muscle and Joint Discomfort
GHS is an anti inflammatory agent in the body. Most of the muscle and joint pains we experience are caused by inflammation, and by raising our GHS levels, the body can bounce back from all sorts of muscle pain.
- Strengthens Immune System
A healthy immune system is dependent on the availability of GSH. It not only enhances the activity of immune cells, it also acts as an antioxidant within them.
- Detoxifies the Liver and Cells
GSH detoxifies pollutants by binding to carcinogens, heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides and radiation. They detoxify these toxins by binding to them and making a soluble compound that can be excreted in our urine and bile.
- Improves Mental Focus and Clarity
Glutathione is the brain’s main antioxidant. If you’re finding that your brain is a little foggy or you are having trouble focusing, it may be due to high oxidative stress. GSH will reduce oxidative stress and help you feel sharper and more focused.
- Improves Quality of Sleep
When GSH has grabbed a free radical, it becomes oxidized glutathione (GSSG). GSSG plays a role in inducing delta-wave sleep, which in case you don’t know, is our deepest level of non-REM sleep. GSH also plays an important role in the production of melanin, which is our sleep hormone.
- Reduces the Effects of Stress
Again, a brain free of oxidative stress will ensure you will feel less stressed out overall. This makes it easier to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed and staying on top of your stress levels throughout the day.
The importance of Glutathione cannot be understated. One last thing to keep in mind is that GSH can’t be absorbed very well in our bodies. Your best bet is to look for a supplement that contains the three amino acids that make glutathione, so your body can get to work assembling it for itself. Cysteine, in particular is important to have in a supplement because it is the limiting factor in the production of GSH.
Sources:
http://www.glutathioneforhealth.com/Inflammation.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/glutathione-the-mother-of_b_530494.html
http://www.max-glutathione-benefits.com/glutathione-research/glutathione-slows-down-aging
http://naturalguidetohealth.com/Glutathione.html
