You may have never heard of the single most important molecule you need to prevent disease and stay healthy. While most antioxidants must be consumed from the foods you eat, glutathione (gloota-thigh’-own) is produced by the body. Glutathione is the most important antioxidant, capable of preventing cellular damage from free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides and heavy metals. This vital antioxidant is also required by plants and animals. It is found in every cell in your body, and is especially important for the brain, liver, lungs and eyes. Glutathione is your body’s primary, multifunctional protector of cells and the subject of over 98,000 peer-reviewed scientific studies.

Glutathione is produced naturally by the liver, and is primarily made up of three amino acids: L-cysteine, L-glutamic acid and glycine. Taking glutathione directly doesn’t work well (and that includes foods sources naturally high in glutathione, but poorly-absorbed, such as okra, avocados, asparagus and spinach). The key is to provide the liver with the nutritional precursors to produce adequate glutathione since that is where the most glutathione is produced.  Without adequate glutathione the liver becomes overwhelmed in its job of detoxification, often leading to impaired liver function.

What Does Glutathione Do for You?

• Chemical detoxifier – it purges toxins from the cells to be eliminated
• Free radical neutralizer – vitally important in our modern world
• Oxidative stress reducer – deficiency is linked to failure on a basic biochemical level
• Heavy metal chelator – it’s the body’s primary chelating agent
• Mitochondrial DNA protector – protecting DNA slows the aging process
• Cellular anti-inflammatory agent – low glutathione is linked to inflammation
• Hemoglobin enhancer – supports red blood cells to carry oxygen efficiently
• Helps decrease muscle damage and reduces recovery time from exertion
• Increases strength and endurance
• Shifts metabolism from fat production to muscle growth — Research shows that people low in glutathione find weight loss programs to be less effective. Glutathione creates an environment in the body, particularly in the liver, where weight loss becomes much easier.

Overwhelmed!

Humans evolved for millennia before our environment became contaminated with over 80,000 (!) harmful chemicals that are now part of our daily lives. Because of how recent the overload of environmental toxins that have inundated our country, nearly half of us have genetic inadequacy regarding producing enough glutathione to detoxify our bodies from this onslaught. These people tend to be among the sickest among us, with a deficiency present in nearly all sick people, including children.

They include people with Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, asthma, ataxia, autism, autoimmune disease, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic infections, immune deficiency, inflammation, type II diabetes, eye health issues, fibromyalgia, heart disease, kidney problems, liver disease, lung disease, metabolic acidosis, obesity, Parkinson’s disease, seizure disorders, and the list goes on.

Factors That Deplete Glutathione

• Pollution from all sources
• Smoking and vaping
• Environmental Toxins
• Infections
• Radiation, including EMF radiation and microwave radiation from cell phones, computers, smart meters and compact fluorescent light bulbs
• Liver impairment
• Medications
• Trauma
• Poor diet
• Aging

Glutathione & Chronic Illness

Glutathione is critically important because it recycles antioxidants. But problems occur when we are overwhelmed with too much oxidative stress or excess toxins. When glutathione becomes depleted we can no longer protect ourselves against free radicals, infections or cancer because we can’t eliminate toxins. This leads to further sickness and the downward spiral of chronic illness. If you are sick, old or are just not in peak shape you likely have insufficient levels of glutathione. Your ability to stay healthy and prevent diseases is dependent on your glutathione levels. It is integral in assisting your immune system do its job of fighting infections and preventing cancer. Glutathione is the most essential part of your body’s detoxification system.

The secret of its power lies in the sulfur groups it contains. Sulfur acts like fly-paper; bad things in the body stick to it, including free radicals, toxins and heavy metals. The toxins stick onto glutathione which then carries them into the bile, then the stool and out of your body.  Normally, glutathione is recycled in the body except when the toxic load becomes excessive.

How to Increase Glutathione Levels Naturally

• Enjoy high-sulfur foods These include cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, kale, cabbage, collards and Brussels sprouts; organic beef, fish, eggs and poultry; and ‘allium’ veggies including garlic, onions and shallots. Supplementing with MSM is another easy way to obtain bioavailable sulfur. (Sulfa drugs are not the same as sulfur, so don’t be concerned if you are allergic to those drugs.)
• Include vitamin C from food and supplements daily.
• Selenium is a glutathione co-factor nutrient, so make sure to consume selenium from supplements and foods regularly. (Avoid taking inorganic forms, such as selenium selenite, which adversely interacts with Vitamin C and other nutrients.) Good sources include: brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, garlic, whole grains, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, raisins, shellfish, and both freshwater and saltwater fish. (Excess selenium is potentially harmful, so be prudent.)
• Move your body: moderate exercise naturally increases glutathione, while excessive exercise depletes it. Start slowly and build up to 30 minutes/day of aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking. Strength training also helps.
• Limit alcohol – chronic and excessive alcohol consumption uses up glutathione at an accelerated rate. This can potentially worsen both liver and lung health.
• Get enough sleep —7 to 8 hours of restful sleep also support glutathione. People with insomnia have significantly lower glutathione activity.
• Eat foods containing turmeric, or take a supplement.
• Milk thistle seeds contain silymarin, shown to elevate glutathione levels.
• N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is used by hospitals in cases of acute Tylenol poisoning. It saves lives by rapidly increasing glutathione in the liver. (For those concerned about vaccination risks, avoid Tylenol [acetaminophen] and do what you can to elevate glutathione levels so that the body can detoxify properly.)
• Methylcobalamin B-12, methylfolate and vitamin B-6 (as P5P)
• Alpha lipoic acid or R- Alpha lipoic acid
• S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) supplementation has been shown to increase cellular glutathione content in persons suffering from a genetic glutathione synthetase (This appears to be prevalent among those on the autism spectrum.)
• Cellfood®, a sulfur-based water additive, is shown to increase glutathione levels while simultaneously reducing oxidative stress. The effect was higher in study participants taking Cellfood® as compared to other antioxidants, such as alpha-lipoic acid. (Item #1224–available through Healthy Habits®.)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25114898

Improvement of oxidative and metabolic parameters by Cellfood administration in patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases on chelation treatment.

Fulgenzi A¹, De Giuseppe R², Bamonti F², Ferrero ME¹.

OBJECTIVE:

This prospective pilot study aimed at evaluating the effects of therapy with antioxidant compounds (Cellfood®, and other antioxidants) on patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases (ND), who displayed toxic metal burden and were subjected to chelation treatment with the chelating agent calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (CaNa2EDTA or EDTA).

METHODS:

Two groups of subjects were studied: (a) 39 patients affected by ND and (b) 11 subjects unaffected by ND (controls). The following blood parameters were analyzed before and after three months’ treatment with chelation + Cellfood® or chelation + other antioxidants: oxidative status (reactive oxygen species, ROS; total antioxidant capacity, TAC; oxidized LDL, oxLDL; glutathione), homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folate.

RESULTS:

After 3-months’ chelation + Cellfood® administration oxLDL decreased, ROS levels were significantly lower, and TAC and glutathione levels were significantly higher than after chelation + other antioxidants treatment, both in ND patients and in controls. Moreover, homocysteine metabolism had also improved in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS:

Chelation + Cellfood® treatment was more efficient than chelation + other antioxidants improving oxidative status and homocysteine metabolism significantly in ND patients and controls. Although limited to a small number of cases, this study showed how helpful antioxidant treatment with Cellfood® was in improving the subjects’ metabolic conditions.

• Free glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSH) levels and GSH/GSSH ratios measured in blood obtained from subjects unaffected (control) or patients affected by neurodegenerative diseases (ND). All subjects’ values were determined before the beginning (basal values) and after three months of treatment with Cellfood or other antioxidants (see text). *P < 0.05 versus all basal values; ^# P < 0.05 C versus ND (basal values).

Read more about the unique and powerful benefits of Cellfood®.

If you have a “mystery illness”, one that no one seems able to determine why or how to fix except to prescribe more toxic and unsafe medications, then glutathione could be the missing substance. It may also be the reason why you experience ill health at all. By deliberately increasing your glutathione levels you should feel better sooner and avoid future problems.

Relevant Healthy Habits® Product:

Cellfood®, a sulfur-based water additive, is shown to increase glutathione levels while simultaneously reducing oxidative stress. The effect was higher in study participants taking Cellfood® as compared to other antioxidants, such as alpha-lipoic acid. Click here now to learn more about Cellfood®; and here to learn more about the vital role of glutathione for good health.

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