What is Glutathione and What Does It Do?

If you’re stressed, suffering from chronic illness, or are over 45, supplementing with glutathione could increase immunity and help you to live for longer.

We continually expose ourselves to and are bombarded with toxins, as well as producing our own as a byproduct of metabolism. Add stress, increasing age, illness and a poor diet to the melting pot, and we have a recipe for widespread free radical damage leading to chronic disease.

So how can you counteract this inevitable onslaught and increase your longevity? Well, that mostly comes down to lifestyle choices such as what foods you eat, medications you take, and household and beauty products you use.

You can also think about taking well-considered supplements to help things along. Step in glutathione.

Glutathione (GSH) is a wizard of an antioxidant that we make ourselves. This small peptide is produced in every cell of our body and is arguably one of the most crucial molecules when it comes to long-term good health and disease prevention.

In research, elevated glutathione levels are associated with better overall health, disease prevention, reduced cholesterol and steady blood pressure. It is also linked to eye health, maintaining a healthy weight and protecting against premature ageing.

In fact, some research supports its potential for increasing our longevity as it plays a significant role in the reduction of oxidative stress caused by toxicity.

This elimination of excessive free radicals protects us from all manner of chronic disease including diabetes and cancer.

GSH also protects our cells from damage and increases energy production, safeguards our DNA, promotes apoptosis (programmed cell death), reduces inflammation and inflammatory responses, helps the liver to speedily and efficiently metabolise fats, and aids our assimilation of protein which we need for all manner of bodily functions including cell repair and renewal.

Unfortunately, several factors can deplete your glutathione stores and hinder your ability to produce it. So if any of the following instances sound familiar, perhaps you owe it to yourself to supplement.

Do you suffer from brain fog, lack of concentration and lethargy? Perhaps you get regular headaches and mood swings?

Or maybe you have impaired digestion, poor skin, stubborn weight gain, aching muscles and joints, and bad breath? If so, you could be exhibiting signs of toxicity.

We are vulnerable to an ever increasing list of pollutants. These come in many forms including EMF and heavy metal exposure, chemicals in our cleaning and skincare products, hormonal disruptors in our toiletries and Tupperware, pesticides, medication including antibiotics, a poor diet, GMO foods and artificial sweeteners.

Without making conscious decisions about how to effectively manage this, there is a tipping point where the oxidative stress becomes too excessive for us to cope with and we might start to feel decidedly under the weather.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, take it as a caution before you develop more advanced signs of toxicity such as chronic disease.

Take action and adjust your lifestyle, eating habits and toxic load accordingly.

It’s important to note that as your body tries to detoxify as efficiently as possible, your glutathione stores will drain due to its high demand.

Unsurprisingly, your ability to produce it will also be hampered as your immune system struggles under the weight of excessive toxicity.

In this case, taking a glutathione supplement could be incredibly beneficial for you.  

Apparently, from the age of 45, our glutathione levels start to reduce.

One study reported that glutathione levels could predict the health of women above 60 years of age. In other words, the higher your levels of glutathione, the greater your chances for good health and longevity.

As we age, our GSH levels decline due to us not being able to make it so efficiently.

Without enough glutathione to scavenge free radicals, our toxicity levels and oxidative stress increase makes us more susceptible to illness in general as well as age-related diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

GSH can also protect against glaucoma and cataracts.

If you are suffering from a long-term illness, you may well have reduced GSH, as unhealthily low levels of glutathione are widely reported for an extensive range of diseases including autoimmunity, diabetes, heart and lung disease.

Ever decreasing GSH stores are also likely if you have had repeated infections.

Are you suffering from prolonged stress? If so, the continued release of excessive stress hormones can seriously put your health at risk.

Amongst other things, prolonged excessive hormone levels will increase oxidative stress and inflammation, and deplete your glutathione.

With this in mind, if you are experiencing stress and anxiety, as well as eating the right foods for blood sugar balance, gut health and improved immunity, it may be pertinent to supplement with GSH.

It’s also vital to find ways to effectively manage your stress such as delegating more and reducing your workload, practising mindfulness, meditation, yoga, walking in nature, exercising, spending quality time with friends and loved ones and finding other ways to de-stress and relax.

Radiation treatment and chemotherapy can also reduce glutathione levels, as well as physical injuries, muscle damage and trauma.

With information constantly changing, differing opinions and evolving production methods, it can be hard to see the wood for the trees and find a supplement brand that you trust.

Here at Water for Health, we aspire to seek out the most advanced, innovative products, from brands that we believe in, with a similar ethos to our own.

We have done the legwork for you and feel we have provided the best and right choice when it comes to a glutathione supplement.

After much research and consideration, we think that Planet Source Glutathione is superior in terms of quality, absorbability and its potentially positive impact on your health.

Research

Until recently, taking glutathione intravenously was considered the most effective way to absorb it.

However, aside from being less convenient and more costly than oral supplements, IV glutathione has to be given in very high doses to obtain therapeutic effects.

Also, once administered, GSH can only sustain itself for a limited amount of time in the bloodstream; as such, it’s unclear how much reaches the cells, and any benefits are short-lived.

More contemporary research now supports the improved efficiency of taking oral glutathione in the acetyl form.

In one small study, when compared to patients taking glutathione intravenously, those taking oral S-Acetyl glutathione showed higher GSH levels inside the cells, a more significant reduction of oxidative stress and more powerful antioxidant production.

Stability

Most oral glutathione supplements do not provide enough GSH as much of it is lost in the digestive tract.

Also, in a compromised or diseased state, our bodies can inhibit the assimilation of GSH due to a lack of the required energy and resources.

Planet Source has created an S-Acetyl Glutathione supplement which is more stable and less vulnerable to degradation in the digestive tract.

In its more readily absorbed form, it directly elevates intracellular GSH, bypassing the need for increased energy and resources.

In other words, it takes the glutathione directly to where it is needed, inside the cells.

The direct cellular protection provided by the S-Acetyl Glutathione is vital to maintaining healthy cell function, lowered oxidative stress and inflammation, overall good health and increased immunity.

Added benefits

Planet Source S-Acetyl Glutathione also provides 200mg of GSH per dose which is the same quantity that has proved to be superior to IV dosing in research.

The capsules are vegetarian and don’t cause smelly gas, which other oral glutathione supplements can.

Glutathione

• Is arguably one of the most important and powerful antioxidants
• Has proved itself to be highly effective at eliminating foreign toxins and also those produced as a natural part of energy production and metabolism
• Significantly reduces oxidative stress, lowers inflammation, and enhances the production and recycling of other antioxidants
• Provides cellular protection and enhances energy production
• Protects DNA, promotes apoptosis (programmed cell death), helps the liver to release toxins and metabolise fats and supports protein assimilation
• Is essential for better overall health, disease prevention, reduced cholesterol, balanced blood pressure, eye health, maintaining a healthy weight, and protecting against premature ageing
• Has the potential to increase longevity

Factors that can deplete your glutathione stores

• Toxicity from forms such as EMF and heavy metal exposure, chemicals in our cleaning and skincare products, hormonal disruptors in our toiletries and Tupperware, pesticides, medication including antibiotics, a poor diet, GMO foods, and artificial sweeteners
• Ageing
• Chronic disease and infection
• Stress

• If you are worried about toxicity
• If you are suffering from toxicity symptoms
• If you are 45 years of age or older and would like to boost your naturally declining levels
• If you have a chronic illness or a history of infections
• If you are chronically stressed
• If you have undergone radiotherapy or chemotherapy
• If you have suffered from injuries, muscle damage or trauma
• If you suffer from inflammatory skin conditions or arthritis
• If you would like to prevent cataracts or glaucoma
• If you feel the need for an immune boost

Why take Planet Source S-Acetyl Glutathione?

• It is a stable form of glutathione that travels directly into your cells
• Because it goes straight into your cells, it bypasses the need for the increased energy expenditure required to assimilate GSH from the blood. (So if you have compromised assimilation capabilities due to ill health, there’s no need to worry.)
• The dose is 200mg which has proven superior to IV administered glutathione in research
• No smelly gas
• Vegetarian capsules