The Benefits of Glutathione

Glutathione, also known as GSH, is a molecule found naturally in your body. Produced by the liver, glutathione is made up of three amino acids: L-cysteine, glycine, and L-glutamate. Glutathione is thought to offer antioxidant effects, as well as stimulate the immune system. Proponents claim that glutathione supplements can help treat and prevent a number of health conditions.

Also available in certain foods (such as fruits and vegetables), glutathione is sold in dietary supplement form as well. Although glutathione plays a vital role in the body, oral glutathione supplements are digested to the three antioxidants, and the benefits are thought to be due from the L-cysteine.

Glutathione is said to protect against a wide range of health problems, including alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, asthma, atherosclerosis, cataracts, chronic fatigue syndrome, colitis, diabetes, glaucoma, heart disease, hepatitis, high cholesterol, liver disease, osteoarthritis, Lyme disease, and Parkinson's disease.

In addition, glutathione is purported to reverse the aging process, prevent cancer, and preserve memory.

Maintaining optimal levels of glutathione is essential to your health, according to a 2004 report published in the Journal of Nutrition. The report's authors note that glutathione plays a key role in antioxidant defense, the breakdown of nutrients, and regulation of many biological processes (including immune response). The authors also point out that glutathione deficiency contributes to oxidative stress, which in turn influences the development of many diseases (including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, liver disease, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, cancer, heart attack, stroke, and diabetes).

While research on the use of glutathione supplements is fairly limited, there's some evidence that glutathione may offer certain benefits when taken in supplement form (but again, it could be due to the increase in L-cysteine as glutathione is digested into its amino acids). Here's a look at several key findings from the available studies:

Inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis are characterized by oxidative stress, and glutathione is a key antioxidant in gastrointestinal tissue. Animal-based research suggests that glutathione supplementation may aid in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. In a 2003 study published in Digestive and Liver Disease, for instance, scientists discovered that glutathione supplementation significantly improved damage to the colon in rats with colitis.

In tests on rats, the authors of a 2001 study from the American Journal of Physiology found that a combination of glutathione supplementation and exercise training may help boost antioxidant capacity and protect against the oxidative damage and decrease in heart function caused by ischemia-reperfusion (the restoration of blood flow to an area that had previously experienced deficient blood flow).

Glutathione shows promise in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders, suggests a small study published in Medical Science Monitor in 2011. For the study, 26 children (ages three to 13) with an autism spectrum disorder were assigned to eight weeks of treatment with either glutathione supplements or transdermal glutathione (a type of treatment that involves delivering active ingredients through the skin). Results showed that glutathione supplements helped increase participants' glutathione levels to some degree. The study's authors call for further research on the use of glutathione supplements and its potential to improve symptoms of autism spectrum disorders.

A number of personal-care products containing glutathione are marketed for their supposed skin-whitening effects. These products include soaps and creams. However, some people take glutathione supplements for skin-whitening. Although glutathione is often touted as a natural solution for whitening of the skin, there is no scientific support for this claim.

In some cases, healthcare professionals administer glutathione through use of an IV. When given intravenously, glutathione is typically used to treat conditions like Parkinson's disease, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. In addition, administering glutathione through an IV is sometimes used to treat the side effects of chemotherapy, hemodialysis treatment, and bypass surgery.

Healthcare professionals sometimes inject glutathione to protect against chemotherapy side effects or to treat infertility.

Due to a lack of research, little is known about the side effects of using glutathione supplements. However, there's some concern that the use of glutathione supplements may cause cramping and bloating. In addition, some people may experience allergic reactions to glutathione supplements (such as a rash).

Widely available for purchase online, glutathione supplements and glutathione-containing personal-care products are sold in many natural-foods stores, drugstores, and stores specializing in dietary supplements.

Any benefits of oral glutathione supplementation may be due to the increase in L-cysteine. Other supplements, such as N-acetylcysteine, may provide the L-cysteine needed to raise glutathione levels in the body in a less expensive way.

Due to a lack of supporting research, it's too soon to recommend glutathione for any health condition. If you're considering the use of glutathione for a condition, make sure to consult your physician before starting your supplement regimen. Self-treating a chronic condition and avoiding or delaying standard care may have serious consequences.