Glutathione: The Most Important Antioxidant You've Never Heard Of

Ever heard of Glutathione?  Yeah, me neither, at least not until recently.  I'm a little embarrassed by that, being that I'm a Registered Nurse and Wellness Champion.  I supposed if I were to dig out my text books from Nursing School, I'd be able to find a sentence or two devoted to Glutathione.

I stumbled upon the Glutathione story accidentally-on purpose during my search to find something to enhance my nursing practice. I knew it had to be  holistic, complimentary, and an alternative to traditional western medicine.   Glutathione is what I will focus on primarily, but this blog will contain many, many more alternative approaches to medicine such as aromatherapy, essential oils, nutrition, supplementation, cooking, and exercise, to name a few.   But I want to start by introducing you to Glutathione.

What is Glutathione?
Glutathione is a tri-peptide made up of three simple amino acids.  It is produced by the body and found in every cell.  It is called the "Master Anti-Oxidant" and it's presence is so critical to cell function that when Glutathione ceases to exist the cell dies within hours.

There are over 98,000 scientific studies and articles on Glutathione recorded in PubMed, the official U.S.National library of medicine within the National Institutes of Health.  They can be found at pubmed.org.  These articles reveal the remarkable role Glutathione plays in the protection and function of every cell in the human body and the support of optimal health and function.  They also show the terrible consequences of low glutathione levels, and how those lower levels accelerate the aging process and increase vulnerability to the issues of aging and disease.

After the age of 20 Glutathione levels begin to drop at a rate of 10-15% per decade. Age combined with stress, exercise, infection, injury and environmental toxins deplete Glutathione levels required to defend the body from the onset of accelerated aging and disease.

The decline in Glutathione has been linked directly to an increase in oxidative stress and the onset of over 74 chronic diseases including Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and Diabetes to name a few.  The continued exposure to toxins, free radicals, radiation, and heavy metals can lower our levels of Glutathione.  This continued exposure causes cells to lose their optimum function.  As the cells are damaged, the aging process and al of its issues accelerate.  Energy levels fall, inflammation levels increase and all of the cells, tissues and organs pay the price. On top of this, injuries, infections and disease further deplete Glutathione levels.

You can raise your Glutathione levels, and in my next post I will tell you how.