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Glutathione | N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)

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• Master Antioxidants

Just about everyone knows about the antioxidants--at least the ones that mainstream medicine and food manufacturers promote. There's beta-carotene, of course, as well as vitamin C and vitamin E. You obtain them by eating fresh fruit, vegetables, and all of those specially marked fortified foods. Although knowing about the trio is better than nothing, it is nevertheless important to be aware of the other nutrients that populate the antioxidant world. It certainly would be important for the medical mainstream to be aware of them.  One of the best antioxidants is an amino acid called glutathione. I'm not alone in considering it one of the most powerful cancer-curbing, age-slowing nutrients ever discovered. However, because of the way the body metabolizes and manufactures related nutrients, glutathione cannot be discussed apart from N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), a form of the amino acid cysteine. NAC raises glutathione levels in the body, something that even oral supplements of glutathione itself cannot do.

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF DISEASE RISK

The prevalence of a wide spectrum of illnesses rises and falls directly with the amount of glutathione the body holds. Name a major disease, and chances are that research has determined that a lack of glutathione is one of the causes. People with cancer, for example, usually fare far worse when their glutathione readings are low.1 Among older people, lower levels are closely associated with greater risks of heart diseases,
diabetes, and arthritis. Conversely, taking NAC supplements corresponds to improvements in blood pressure, body fat, and the cholesterol ratio.2 Additionally, no other antioxidant works so dramatically to reverse blood clotting inside blood vessels.

AIDS. Glutathione's apparent ability to resuscitate a frail immune system and, at least in the test tube, suppress the HIV virus has attracted the attention of researchers at Harvard, Stanford, and across Europe.  Since people with AIDS have extremely reduced amounts of the nutrient in their bodies, and since glutathione suppresses the HIV virus in test tube studies, a clinical trial was suggested.3  The first such study reported that the group with extremely low T helper cell counts who were given 3-8 grams of NAC daily had double the number of two-year survivors as the untreated group. Sadly, the article reported, no companies were willing to fund further trials.4

Detoxification. Mainstream medicine acknowledges NAC for one indication: it is the generally accepted treatment for a type of liver failure that sometimes results from acetaminophen (Tylenol) poisoning.5  This ability to detoxify some chemicals makes it a lifesaver against certain drug overdoses and toxic metal poisoning.6

Heart Disease. NAC is becoming an indispensable heart supplement for reasons entirely separate from glutathione. Perhaps better than any other therapy, nutritional or pharmaceutical, it eliminates the cardiovascular threat posed by lipoprotein(a), a product of cholesterol metabolism recognized only within  the last few years as an independent risk factor in heart diseases. In doses of 2-4 grams a day, NAC brings lipoprotein(a) down to a less threatening level. Traditional medicine has yet to introduce a treatment for dealing with this hazard.7
NAC reduces hypertension by relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow. It might also be useful in treating congestive heart failure. It works well in conjunction with the heart drug nitroglycerin; the combination opens up the blood vessels three times greater.8  During the initial treatment of an evolving heart attack, Australian cardiologists have discovered quite recently that a dose as high as 15 grams allows more of the heart muscle to remain intact than was the case in those who were not treated.9

Breathing Problems. NAC helps you cope with respiratory impairments in several ways. Conventional medicine uses it widely in inhalants to ward off asthma attacks.10  It's effective against simple colds and bronchial infections, too, complementing vitamin C by working to break up mucus. In a dosage of 1.8 grams a day, NAC was shown to help people with pulmonary fibrosis.11 And it may prove to be the treatment of choice in the often fatal adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).12

Colitis. The colon tissues of Crohn's and ulcerative colitis patients are depleted in glutathione, proportionately to the severity of the condition.13 

Women's Hair Loss.   One of the consequences of the nation's low-fat obsession is a lack of sulfur, and one of the consequences of a sulfur insufficiency, particularly for women, is hair loss. NAC is one of the best of a short list of sulfur-containing supplements, and dosages as high as 5 grams per day can stop hair from falling out. Sometimes the hair may even grow back. Eating more eggs and meat, our best food sources of sulfur, is also effective. Remember, however, that the nutrient may help only when the hair loss originates with a sulfur deficiency.  Supplements won't affect male pattern baldness.

SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS
Researchers aren't asking whether we should try to raise our glutathione levels. We certainly should, because most of us, especially as we age, don't have as much as we need for optimum health. The more difficult question is how best to raise the concentration of glutathione in our tissues. The nutrient is abundantly available from fresh fruit, vegetables, and meats. In general, however, we don't eat enough of the right foods to make an appreciable difference. The body also manufactures it from a handful of nutritional building blocks, namely the amino acids cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid, plus selenium and vitamins B2, and B6. The trick is to use all these building blocks, because consuming more glutathione may not be the answer. Scientists disagree whether or not glutathione-rich foods and glutathione supplements actually elevate the level found in blood. Some test results failed to show any impact from doses as high as 3 grams, while other research concludes that the body does absorb the antioxidant. What accounts for the difference? Success, hinges on the method of supplementation.
It's quite possible glutathione capsules alone may be futile. The nutrient has a short shelf life and begins to lose its antioxidant ability when exposed to air. That which remains active at the time we swallow it would be broken down by the digestive system into its individual proteins before it could be absorbed intact. The most practical and reliable way to obtain the antioxidant is through supplements of its building blocks. A formula for an adult who is at high risk for recurrent cancer, because it's considered an absolute mandate to provide the full spectrum of antioxidant nutrition for such people. In addition to the "traditional" antioxidants, natural carotenoids, selenium, tocopherols and tocotrienols, vitamin C, and assorted flavonoids (Pycnogenol, grape seeds, bilberry, and turmeric are all glutathione boosters), try to create an optimal blood level of glutathione.
It's a good idea to rely on the following supportive nutrients:
 NAC 3,000 mg, lipoic acid 300 mg, selenium300 mcg,  riboflavin 100 mg, pyridoxine 200 mg and L-glutamine 3,000 mg.
The combined dosage of the above nutrients above  is usually divided into three equal portions and taken near meals. For those with less urgent conditions, the dosage is one-third or one-half; in treating advancing cancer, consider doubling the dosage.

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