Dr. Jeethan Bendoor
M.B.B.S.
Private Practitioner, Metabolic and Anti-ageing Enthusiast, Mumbai
Correspondence: E-mail: drbendoor@gmail.com
Oxygen is essential for life, but its intermediaries can be a source of disease through an uncontrolled production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and more specifically of free radicals (FR) that damage the structure of cell membranes and cellular contents — in other words, oxidative stress (as a by-product of oxygen-usage) is a result of a physiological imbalance between the levels of antioxidants and oxidants in cells and tissue.
To prevent the damage caused to cells by oxidative stress, the body has a series of compounds called antioxidants. These antioxidants prevent delaying the oxidation of various oxidative biomolecules — this results in lowering oxidative toxicity with less cell and tissue damage.
Glutathione is a key and powerful intracellular antioxidant, and is commonly referred to as "the mother of antioxidants" — rightfully so, because every cell in the body uses glutathione as an antioxidant. It is, therefore, imperative that one maintains adequate levels of glutathione in cells to maintain quality health.
So, what is glutathione? Glutathione is a tripeptide composed of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine. The formation of glutathione in cells is energy-driven. Therefore, glutathione deficiency can occur when these three building blocks are in shortage, as well as when the cellular systems are in stress or have poor energy.
Reduced glutathione levels in the cells are characterised by high levels of oxidative stress, which plays a very important role in enhanced-ageing as well as several medical conditions.
Glutathione levels can be improved by supplementing with glutathione (available as oral or injectable formulations) or by consuming meat and fish (the most abundant sources of glutathione), and plant food such as brassica vegetables, polyphenol-rich fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, and green tea.
Therefore, knowledge regarding the efficient providers of glutathione synthesis and its nutritional status is critical for the development of effective therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat a wide array of human diseases.
References :
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2. Minich DM, et l. A Review of Dietary (Phyto) Nutrients for Glutathione Support. Nutrients 2019, 11, 2073; doi:10.3390/nu11092073.
3. Pizzorno J. Glutathione! Integrative Medicine 2014;13:8-12.
4. Mulata HN. Role of Endogenous and Exogenous Glutathione in the Detoxification of Free Radicals. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Toxicology 2017 Volume 7, Issue 1. ISSN: 2231-3834 (Online).
