Awareness Drive -- Glutathione and its link to many diseases.

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The Roles of Glutathione

Is Your Body’s Master Antioxidant
It is considered the master antioxidant due to its unique multifunctional characteristics as well as its unprecedented ability to neutralize many types of free radicals that assault the cell. It is the only antioxidant that can recycle itself again and again to continually fight free radicals.

Is The Primary Detoxifier of the Cell
Today we are confronted by over 80,000 chemicals in the air we breathe, the food and water we ingest, and the materials we touch and handle. Many of these toxic chemicals enter our cells and must be eliminated to protect the cell and maintain optimum function. Glutathione is the cell's first line of defense against chemicals and toxins and the primary detoxifier that can eliminate many of these toxins when it is present in optimal amounts.

Is A Powerful Chelator of Heavy Metals
Heavy metals enter our cells in the same manner as chemical toxins. Fortunately, they can be removed from the cell by a process of chelation, and glutathione is one of the cell's most powerful chelating agents.

Is The Protector of the Immune Cell
Our immune cells are designed to protect us. but what protects the immune cell? Glutathione is the protector of the immune cell and allows newly formed immune cells to proliferate to attack germs and viruses.

Is The Protector of Mitochondrial DNA
The breakdown of the mitochondrial DNA accelerates aging and increases cell death. Glutathione is the protector of the Mitochondrial DNA, and the lower the glutathione level, the more vulnerable this DNA becomes to breakage.

Is The Protector of the Nucleus of the Cell
The nucleus of the cell regulates all cell activity and protecting it is critical to the health of the cell and its optimal function. When present in sufficient amounts, glutathione gives the nucleus the protection it needs.

Reduces Oxidative Stress
Oxidative Stress is the most aggressive destructive force that assaults the cell. Cells manufacture a number of antioxidants to counter oxidative stress. Glutathione plays a primary role in neutralizing many different types of free radicals and supporting our antioxidant defense system.

Reduces Intracellular Inflammation
Inflammation is the mortal enemy to the tissues, organs and various systems of the body. All inflammation begins at the cellular level, and low glutathione levels are associated with inflammation.

Is The Re-Utilizing Agent of Ingested Antioxidants
Antioxidants that are ingested (not manufactured by the body such as vitamin C and E), once spent becomes a weak free-radical and cannot be re-utilized by the cell unless they are first converted into a usable state (antioxidant state). Glutathione is the agent that converts those 'used' antioxidants (weak free-radical) into a state that can be utilized by the cell.

Is The Reducing Agent for Hemoglobin, Allowing it to Transport Oxygen to Every Cell
The purpose of hemoglobin is to carry oxygen to all living cells. However, when it is oxidized it cannot carry an oxygen molecule and must first be reduced to an acceptable state. Glutathione protects hemoglobin from oxidizing agents and can also reduce the oxidized form to make this possible.

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Medical research supports that Glutathione protects from viruses

“Without glutathione your entire defense (immune) system would surrender to the first virus you encountered and cease to function.” - Dr. Robert Keller

Having sufficient levels of Glutathione in your body can significantly strengthen your immune system, thereby maximizing your body’s natural ability to defend itself against illness and disease.

How can Glutathione Boosts Your Immune Health?

Strengthens your immune system
Defends against illness and disease
Reduce inflammation
Fights infection, injury, fatigue, stress and environmental toxins
Functions as a powerful antioxidant and antitoxin

Those suffering from chronic illnesses such as cancer, auto-immune diseases, heart disease, Alzheimers’s disease, liver disease, arthritis and asthma – to name just a few, consistently show depleted levels of Glutathione in their bodies. Glutathione is the body’s primary antioxidant, and is found in elevated concentrations into our 20’s, at which time the levels begin to decrease as we continue to age.

Recent Medical Research: Glutathione (GSH) demonstrates Anti-viral Activity

Within an in vitro model of Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) infection, addition of GSH was able to decrease the amount of virus produced by infected cells. This report also demonstrated an acute depletion of GSH within HSV-1 infected cells less than 1hr after infection. The addition of GSH to the culture media increased the level of GSH in infected cells to levels just lower than that measured in non-infected cells and decreased the amount of virus produced by the infected cells by greater than 90%.

Follow this link to read the entire text of published abstract on this study: Evidence for antiviral activity of glutathione... [Antiviral Res. 1995] - PubMed - NCBI

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What is Migraine?



Migraine is a chronic disorder characterised by recurrent severe headaches that can last up to 72 hours. The headache is often unilateral (one sided). Associated symptoms may include nausea, increased sensitivity to light and sound, and aura. Migraines are more common in women, and may possibly be related to fluctuating hormone levels. Certain triggers may also be a cause for migraine such as stress, exercise, hunger, toxins, food additives (eg MSG), alcohol, caffeine, electromagnetic radiation, the menstrual cycle and fatigue.

The Role of Glutathione



Glutathione is the brain's most important antioxidant and free radical scavenger. Glutathione plays a vital role in mopping up harmful toxins, so if glutathione get depleted these toxins can accumulate and cause cell damage. Glutathione is able to chelate and remove mercury from the body via the liver. Glutathione also plays a vital role in the production of melatonin, an endogenous antioxidant that is involved in regulating our circadian rhythms.

How is Migraine Treated?



Migraine sufferers typically take pain relieving medications (such as aspirin, ibuprofen, paracetamol or acetaminophen), however these medicines have the unfortunate side effect of further depleting glutathione stores in the body.


The Natural Approach

Increase your body's natural production of glutathione by taking a glutathione accelerator. Taking whole glutathione supplements are deemed useless since it will be broken down as it passes the gastrointestinal tract. Injectables (IV) are also less effective because the glutathione molecule is too big to pass the cell membrane.

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Asthma and the importance of glutathione



Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterised by wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.

Chronic oxidative stress and the depletion of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione play a key role in the development of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

Oxidative stress and depleted gluathione levels can trigger an attack



High oxidative stress coupled with depleted glutathione levels makes this chronic condtion worse. It also explains why some of the typical triggers make asthma worse.

Exercise creates significant oxidative stress. In asthmatics whose glutathione levels are already low, this additional oxidative event can be enough to trigger an attack. A similar phenomenon is seen in people with COPD.

Supplementing Glutathione levels is of benefit in Asthma
Taking glutathione accelerator can help the body's production of natural glutathione. With high levels of intracellular glutathione, cell functions are optimized reducing oxidative stress and inflammation at the cellular level.

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Glutathione and Fertility



Scientific studies have demonstrated that low glutathione levels may be linked with infertility and pregnancy complications.

Oxidative stress is thought to play a significant role in both male and female infertility. Oxidative stress has been found to affect sperm quality in males and ovarian function in females.

Glutathione reduces the oxidative damage by neutralising the harmful free radicals.


Low glutathione levels linked with poor sperm quality



There is growing evidence that oxidative stress is a primary cause of male infertility.

Decreased glutathione levels have been shown to be linked with poor sperm quality


Low glutathione levels decrease egg quality


Human ovum with corona radiata surrounding it

Every month the ovaries create around 10 - 20 follicles which house immature eggs. Usually only one of these follicles goes on to create a fully mature egg which has the potential to be fertilised by a sperm.

Paszkowski et al showed that low concentrations of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the follicle may affect the egg's ability to be fertilised. Glutathione peroxidase is one of the body's most important enzyme antioxidants. Oxidative stress, marked by low levels of the glutathione peroxidase enzyme, can cause low fertilisation rates.

More about Oxidative Stress in Female Infertility

More about Oxidative Stress in Male Infertility


Good News! Glutathione may help reverse Infertility. Being the Master Antioxidant in the body, glutathione's role in treating infertility is in its ability to reduce oxidative stress. Increase your glutathione levels thru glutathione accelerator/enhancer/booster.

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Glutathione and Lupus



Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or "lupus") is a systemic auto-immune disease that can affect any part of the body. The immune system attacks the body's own cells and tissues, causing inflammation and damage.

The most common organs affected are the heart, joints, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys and nervous system. Symptoms of the disease often come and go with alternating flare ups and remissions.

As with other auto-immune diseases, glutathione deficiency is evident in lupus. This is thought to play a key role in triggering the underlying inflammation which is central to this disease.

Glutathione (GSH) is the body's most important anti-oxidant and plays a vital role in maintaining the immune system.

A published study in PubMed:




110 scientific papers here

Elevated levels of inflammatory markers were associated with a depletion of Glutathione in study subjects suffering from Lupus and Arthritis; scientific paper here

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GLUTATHIONE and AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

Autoimmune Conditions are named or categorized according to where in the body cytokines are being overproduced and how the disease manifests itself. For example, an overproduction of these cytokines in the joints causing pain and swelling is called Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). It may go by different names and occur in different places in the body, but ultimately, autoimmunity is one disease with many different faces.
Because immune system cytokines are the culprit, the most common conventional treatment for autoimmune disease is immunosuppressive drugs, like steroids. Steroids are used because they are able to suppress the over-productive cytokines. Unfortunately, the steroids don’t just stop the over-active part of the immune system, they also suppress the already under-active segment of the immune system.
This practice is not unlike the use of chemotherapy, which poisons the good and the bad cells of cancer patients. Steroids can also affect your mood and cause depression, muscle weakness, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Is Your Diet to Blame?
Your diet plays a major role in activating or suppressing cytokines. I can’t stress this enough. Just about anything you put into your mouth will have a negative or positive consequence on your autoimmune condition. It is as if everything that you swallow is sending a signal to your immune system to either cause more cytokines or less.

Maintaining an Immune system for Autoimmune Sufferers
To successfully reverse the effects of autoimmune diseases, we must do two things: combat oxidative stress, and re-balance the immune system.
Is there something you can do that naturally takes care of both requirements?
Autoimmune Diseases – Reverse Oxidative Stress With GlutathioneThere has been much research done in the last 20 years or so about the antioxidant benefits of glutathione.
In this way, reducing oxidative stress, glutathione can be very helpful in reversing the damage done by autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune Diseases – Re-Balance Your Immune System With Glutathione
So should you be afraid to boost your glutathione levels? Many have expressed concern that if their immune system is already overactive, raising glutathione will only make it worse. Actually, studies have shown just the opposite to be true. In a normal healthy functioning immune system there are optimal levels of all its components, like white blood cells, different types of T-cells, B-cells, and so forth. What glutathione does is make sure that you maintain these optimal levels.
There are also little “scouts” that your immune system sends out that are used to tell your body whether a tissue is friend or foe. These little scouts are called cytokines. Cytokines cause inflammation, which is why many of these autoimmune diseases are known for their inflammation.
Glutathione keeps the cytokines honest, so they stop tagging good guys as bad guys. They only tag bad guys bad, and good guys good, so that your killer cells only end up destroying what should be destroyed.
So basically glutathione knows what to do and gets busy doing it, correcting whatever imbalance a person may have, whether they are immunodeficient, or have one of the autoimmune diseases.
In Conclusion, we know that there are two conditions that must be addressed when it comes to autoimmune diseases – oxidative stress and re-balancing the immune system. Glutathione effectively addresses both roles to help to combat autoimmune diseases.

[YJOB]

Thread locked.

This is not really an awareness thread.
Instead, it is to make others aware that you have a gluta product for sale in another section of the forum.