Contemporary Health: Glutathione - Essay Example

Contemporary Health: Glutathione Cliché goes, “health is wealth”. Indeed, health is wealth and it is a must to take care of it. Many people do not meet the minimum required daily allowance for minerals and vitamins. With this, dietary supplements gain popularity. Different supplements can be bought over the counter that would suffice the lack of certain vitamins and minerals in the body. The most common dietary supplements are Vitamin C, Vitamin B complex, Calcium, Vitamin E, and others. There are dietary supplements which claim to have all the necessary minimum required allowance of vitamins and minerals per day. The ultimate goal of taking dietary supplements is to be healthy and to fight sickness and diseases. More recently, the fad about anti-oxidant surfaced the mainstream market. They say that anti-oxidants are stress-busters and disease-fighters. Anti-oxidant can help maintain a healthy, disease-free body. It also eliminates or reduces the effects of free radicals in the human body (Palkhivala, 2005). Free radicals are elements that can cause cell deterioration which could lead to sickness. The supplement also helps strengthened the immune system of the body (Palkhivala, 2005). Aside from these amazing benefits, anti-oxidant also gives the users beauty benefits. With these, anti-oxidant dietary supplements became popular in the market. One the most famous anti-oxidant supplements are the glutathione tablets or capsules. What is Glutathione? Glutathione is also known as L-glutathione and GSH (The Glutathione Experts, 2007). Another name for glutathione is gamma-Glutamylcysteineglycine (Uretsky, 2005). According to Dr. Gustavo Bounous of McGill University, Canada, glutathione is an element, particularly a molecule, generated in every cells of the human body (Alison, 2005). This molecule is present is two forms. One form is called the monomer, also known as reduced glutathione, and is a one molecule protein. Monomers are the dynamic glutathione. On the other hand, a two joint protein molecule is called a dimmer or oxidized glutathione. Dimmers are transformed to monomers by an enzyme called glutathione reductase (Uretsky, 2005). Purified glutathione in extorted structure is a whitish, powdery substance. It is also soluble in water and alcohol (Uretsky, 2005). It is composed of three amino acids or tripeptide—cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine. One of the amino acids needed in construct glutathione is cysteine. Cysteine is a product of a larger amino acid, homocysteine. The rapid transformation of homocysteine to cysteine is very vital in the production of glutathione (http://www.prozactruth.com/gluta.htm). Untransformed and accumulated homocysteine in the cells destroys cell membrane, harms blood vessels, which could amplify the chance of cardiovascular complications. To ensure fast transformation of homocysteine to cysteine, intake of vitamins B6, B12, and folate is needed (http://www.prozactruth.com/gluta.htm). Where to find natural glutathione? Unpopular to many, glutathione can be found in the daily food people eat. People who eats well-balanced meals can have higher glutathione intake than those who not (Palkhivala, 2005). Usually, glutathione can be found in fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh and well-prepared meat (Palkhivala, 2005). The food taken by human will yield certain amino acids which are needed to produce glutathione in the cells. Eating whey protein is a good stimulant in manufacturing glutathione in the cells because it contains plenty of amino acids (http://www.prozactruth.com/gluta.htm). However, glutathione absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, where most nutrients are absorbed from food, is not that active (Uretsky, 2005). The highest content of glutathione in the body can be found in the liver (The Glutathione Experts, 2007). Benefits of Glutathione This wonderful anti-oxidant helps cells to maintain a trouble-free operation (Palkhivala, 2005). Glutathione is vital in the production of lymphocytes or cells which have immunity function in the body. Thus, glutathione boosts the immune system of the body and with this; the body is more adept in fighting diseases. Glutathione protects the cells from free radicals and other elements that could damage the cells. Glutathione is not only an anti-oxidant, but it also helps the body in recycling other anti-oxidant such as Vitamin C, E, A and Co-enzyme Q10 (http://www.prozactruth.com/gluta.htm). Other benefits of glutathione are skin protection, concentration improvement, and slow aging (Uretsksy, 2005). Human’s liver filters all the chemicals in the body, especially during intake of medicines or alcoholic beverages. It is important to maintain a well-functioning liver. Glutathione helps eliminate chemicals in the liver to keep it healthy and functioning (Palkhivala, 2005). Heavy metal poisoning is treated using glutathione treatment. Glutathione helps in chemotherapy by decreasing the toxicity and increasing the success of a drug used called cis-platinum (Uretsky, 2005). Sickle cell anemia, Parkinson’s disease, liver cancer, diabetes, is some of the disease where glutathione is used as treatment. Glutathione also increase the sperm counts of male (Uretsky, 2005). According to a study of Dr. Jeremy Appleton of the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, most patients with serious diseases such as AIDS and cancer are also suffering from diminishing glutathione in their cells (Palkhivala, 2005). Old people with high level of glutathione in the blood are healthier than those who have low levels (Uretsky, 2005). Although this is the case, the actual and scientific relation between aging process and glutathione has not yet been established (Uretsky, 2005). Current studies are being done to determine other benefits of glutathione such as treatment for asthma, cancer, and even AIDS (Uretsky, 2005). How to take it? Oral intake of glutathione is not well-absorbed by the body (Palkhivala, 2005; Uretsky, 2005). As of the moment, there is no study that proves that oral intake of glutathione could give dramatic results (Monson and Schoenstadt, 2008). Thus, glutathione in oral form that are advertised in the market may have a misleading claim. Most of the advertised glutathione oral form claims to deliver radical changes. Another form of glutathione is the inhaled glutathione. Unlike oral form, inhaled glutathione requires medical prescription. It is not yet an approved FDA-medication. However, some preliminary studies have discovered that this form of glutathione helps in the treatment of asthma, emphysema, and other lung diseases (Monson and Schoenstadt, 2008). Although direct injection of glutathione is not also approved by FDA as medication, direct injection through the veins is more effective (Palkhivala, 2005). Some studies show that direct injection helps eliminates some toxic and harmful effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients. Side Effects Currently, there have been no reported serious side effects of intake of glutathione (Monson and Schoenstadt, 2008). Monson and Schoenstadt see this lack of side effect of glutathione coming from insufficient study and observation of glutathione (2008). They believe that intake of glutathione which are available in the market has side effects; however, no reports have been received. They advise the people to take precautions and contact or report to their health care specialists any side effects felt in using glutathione. One scientifically proven effect of excessive production of glutathione in the cells is skin whitening (Miras and Miras, 2008). Most people do not consider this as side effect. In fact, many people used glutathione for skin whitening purposes. Many dermatologists prescribe glutathione as skin whitener because it is proven to whiten skin and adds numerous of benefits to the body (Miras and Miras, 2008). Glutathione converts eumelanin or the dark, brown, yellow pigmentation to phaeomelanin or the reddish white pigmentation. Glutathione has no harmful side effects. However, other substances that are needed and works hand-in-hand with glutathione may have side effects. Some of the co-factors or the substances that work together with glutathione are Vitamin E and Selenium. Excessive Selenium, an intake of higher than 400 mcg/day, may result to hair loss, numbness of fingers and toes, whitish stains on the nails of the fingers and toes (Miras and Miras, 2008). More than 400IU per day is considered to be an overdose of Vitamin E. An overdose could turn Vitamin E in toxic that can upset the gastrointestinal tract and neurological function of the body (Miras and Miras, 2008). Silymarin, a substance that stimulates the production of glutathione in the liver, could result to cramps, gas, and diarrhoea when taken excessively. References Barclay, Laurie. “Glutathione Protects Against Oxaliplatin Neurotoxicity”. Medscape. 2002. 30 November 2008. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/440461 . “Glutathione”. 30 November 2008. http://www.prozactruth.com/gluta.htm . MedHelp. 30 November 2008. http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/432382 . Miras, Lindley, and Cecille Miras. "What Are the Known Glutathione Side Effects?." What Are the Known Glutathione Side Effects?. 21 Oct. 2008. EzineArticles.com. 30 Nov 2008 . Monson, Kristi and Schoenstadt, Arthur. “Does Glutathione Cause Side Effects?”. 2008. 30 November 2008. http://chronic-fatigue-syndrome.emedtv.com/glutathione/glutathione-side-effects.html . Palkhivala, Alison. “Glutathione: New Supplement on the Block”. WebMD. 2005. 30 November 2008. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50746 . Uretsky, Samuel. “Glutathione”. Healthline. 2005. 30 November 2008. http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/glutathione . “What is Glutathione”. The Glutathione Experts. 2007. 30 November 2008. http://www.glutathioneexperts.com/ . Read More