Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that exists within every cell in the body. It's used as a medical treatment, and its effectiveness in many medical conditions continues to be researched in ongoing clinical trials. Because it's synthesized in the body from amino acids, it's not an essential dietary nutrient--but the amino acid building blocks must be provided to ensure adequate levels of glutathione.
Definition
Glutathione is a protein that's produced in the liver from three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine. It exists as a single molecule called reduced glutathione and as two molecules joined together, which is oxidized glutathione. These two forms are the key to its important role as an antioxidant.
Antioxidants
Within the cells of the body, many chemical reactions are at work to create energy, build and break down tissues. Although the reactions are responsible for essential products such as energy, they also create byproducts called free radicals that can interact with cell tissues and cause damage to the cell. Antioxidants grab the free radicals and render them harmless. The reduced from of glutathione is available to all cells in the body, ready to serve as an antioxidant to stop damage from free radicals. One example of this occurs in red blood cells where glutathione reduces peroxides. Without enough glutathione, the peroxide would attack the plasma membranes and the red blood cells would decompose.
Other Functions
Glutathione serves other critical functions. In the kidney, glutathione interacts with amino acids to transport them across the cell membrane and into the cell. It functions as an enzyme involved in the formation of deoxyribonucleotides, which are the building blocks of DNA. Glutathione joins with drugs to make them more water soluble. In this role, it's essential for the detoxification of acetaminophen. It participates in the synthesis of leukotrienes, which are molecules that help regulate the immune response.
Supplements
According to information provided by Samuel Uretsky at the Gale Group, oral glutathione supplements don't actually increase the levels of glutathione inside the cells. In fact, "supplements of vitamin C are more effective at increasing intracellular glutathione than taking oral glutathione supplements." Supplements of alpha-lipoic acid and whey protein also help improve intracellular levels of glutathione. They work by increasing the elements necessary to synthesize glutathione, especially cysteine. One example of the many studies showing this relationship was published in the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis in December 2003, in which Grey, Mohammed et al. demonstrated that whey-based products increased glutathione levels in patients with cystic fibrosis. Their conclusion said, "This nutritional approach may be useful in maintaining optimal levels of GSH and counteract the deleterious effects of oxidative stress in the lung in cystic fibrosis."
Clinical Uses
In the same way that it detoxifies acetaminophen, glutathione is being used to reduce the toxicity of drugs used during chemotherapy. The Food and Drug Administration has classified it as an orphan drug in the treatment of lean tissue and weight loss related to AIDS. Clinical trials indicate its effectiveness is being or has been studied for a wide range of conditions--including cystic fibrosis, diabetes, neuropathy, different types of cancer (breast, lung, pancreatic), hepatitis C and autism.
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