Glutathione(glue-ta-thigh-own), not a household word, yet. At present over 80,000 articles have been published on the significant role of glutathione in health and wellness. So here is the question that you are waiting to get answered.

What is glutathione(gsh)?

First, let's make this clear... Glutathione is not a supplement, vitamin nor an exogenous antioxidant. Now, that we have that out the way, what is glutathione?

'Glutathione is a peptide(very small protein) that occurs naturally within the body, where it is assembled by individual cells from its three components-- the amino-acids glycine, glutamate(glutamic acid), and the all-important cysteine'.(Glutathione..Your key to health page 6)

why does every cell need it?

Your immune system is constantly on the prowl for pathogens-agents for cellular damage, toxicity and disease. To neutralize them your body needs a ready of glutathione.

Each and every cell in the body is a biological machine that is gradually worn down by the work of staying alive. It's a imperfect system.

Like all machines, cells derive their energy from the consumption(oxidation)of fuel- nutrients and oxygen- but at a price. This process while normal as it may be produces harmful waste products(free radicals or oxy-radicals)

one of our cells most routine tasks is to neutralize and remove these wastes, and the key substances it uses is glutathione. Glutathione is the body's principle endogenous(self-made) antioxidant.

Glutathione(gsh)...The master antioxidant.

On page 8 of the book 'glutathione-- your key to health', gsh is the master antioxidant because it replenishes the action of many antioxidants. Here's what happens:

when vitamins c and e pick up an oxy-radical(oh) they must hand it off to the gsh system so they are free to back and get others. Gsh neutralizes these oxy-radicals. It is gsh - not the vitamin- that ultimately neutralizes the radical.

The gsh molecule encounters a destructive positively charged oxy-radical(oh) and gives it a electron. Now that radical with the added electron is now(oh2). So now you have 2h( which is 2 hydrogen molecules) and o( which is 1 oxygen molecule). So, what is h2o?-water.

That's right! Gsh neutralizes the oxy-radical turning it into harmless water. What a great system!.

Do not leave yourself unprotected... Raise your glutathione levels

healthy growth and activity of our immune cells depends upon the availability of gsh. Experimental depletion of gsh severely diminished the ability of these cell to fight destructive agents and leaves the door wide open to diseases.

According to the physical desk reference(pdr), glutathione deficiency includes but limited to hiv/aids, certain cancers, cataracts, asthma, diabetes, hepatitis, alzeheimer's disease, parkinson's.

In a number of studies, the level of intracellular gsh in the lymphocytes corresponds directly to the effectiveness of immune response.

One thing is very clear, that our body needs a constant supply of glutathione(gsh). Each and every day of our lives our gsh levels are challenged.

The environment, the food, the water, the air with all the contaminants demands adequate levels of gsh if we are to enjoy a measure of good health and avoid major diseases. Ok, so the smart and practical thing to do is to find out how to raise gsh levels.

The safest and surest way to raise gsh is to eat the food that contains the three components that's needed for the cells to manufacture gsh: glycine, glutamate(glutamic acid) and cysteine.


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