Never Heard of Glutathione? Here's Why You Should
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When I say antioxidant, what pops into your head? Blueberries? Dark chocolate? Good for you. How about glutathione? Glute-a-what? I wouldn't blame you if you thought it had something to do with your bum, but no. Glutathione is one of the body’s most important and potent antioxidants. While most antioxidants are found in the foods you eat, glutathione is produced by your body.
What Glutathione Does
Glutathione is a key component of the body's antioxidant system
Detoxifies many compounds in the body, especially the liver
Helps protect the body against toxins from cigarette smoke, excess alcohol, and exposure to ration.
Helps support the immune system
You can see that maintaining proper levels of this antioxidant is important. But sometimes, our bodies become depleted. How? Common reasons include age, diet, chronic disease, infection, and stress.
Sources of Glutathione
Foods containing glutathione include avocado, watermelon, asparagus, grapefruit, potato, acorn squash, strawberries, and more.
Supplements
The Vitamin C connection: Researchers have discovered that vitamin C may help increase glutathione levels by attacking free radicals first, thereby sparing glutathione. They also found that vitamin C helps reprocess glutathione by converting oxidized glutathione back to its active form. In fact, researchers have found that taking vitamin C increased glutathione levels in white blood cells in healthy adults. Vitamin C IV anyone?
In Summary
It is not our intention to alarm you. Nor do we suggest you buy a bottle of glutathione. As integrative medical practitioners, we believe education helps you on your wellness path. If you have questions or are interested in assessing your levels of glutathione and a possible treatment course we encourage you to contact us.
Click here for a Glutathione fact sheet and a more complete listing of food sources.
*Antioxidants are substances that reduce oxidative stress by combating free radicals in the body.