Glutathione Supplementation Increases Body Stores, may be Significant for Overall Health Maintenance

by | May 3, 2016 | 2014, Antioxidants, Glutathione

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In a human study of 54 adults, supplementing 250mg of glutathione daily reduced cellular damage by 10%.

Glutathione is the major antioxidant made by the body inside each cell. It has numerous functions, including protection against cell damage (oxidative stress), detoxification, and maintenance of the immune system (1, 2). Low levels of glutathione have been shown to impair immune system function (3) and increase susceptibility to disease-causing organisms (4) and cell damage (5),all of which can lead to cancer (6), cardiovascular diseases, arthritis and diabetes (7, 8).

Now a new study (9) suggests that oral glutathione supplementation in humans can help increase levels in the body and may have a significant impact on heath maintenance. The study involved 54 non-smoking adults (13 men, 41 women) aged 36 to 57. They were given either 250 milligrams (two 125-mg capsules = 18 subjects), 1,000 mg (two 500-mg capsules = 20 subjects), or a placebo (16 subjects), per day of glutathione for 6 months. Blood samples were taken before the study and at months 1, 3, 6, and 7. After 6 months, all subjects stopped supplementation for 1 month (called the “washout period”) and then had blood samples taken to see if any gains observed during the 6 months of supplementation were reversed.

After 6 months, those in the 250-mg group saw increases of 17% throughout the blood but a 29% increase inside red blood cells (p < 0.05). In the 1,000-mg group, 30% increases were seen in red blood cells, white blood cells, and lymph cells along with a 264% increase in buccal cells (found in the mouth) (p < 0.05). In both groups, glutathione levels returned to the levels seen before the study started after the 1-month washout period. No significant changes were seen in the placebo group at any of the measurement periods.

What’s more, cell damage (oxidative stress) decreased in the supplement group. Using a ratio comparing the levels of damaged to undamaged glutathione that is known to be an indicator of oxidative stress (10), researchers saw a 10.3% ratio reduction (indicating less cell damage in the body) in the 250-mg group (0.39 to 0.35, p < 0.05) and a 17.2% ratio reduction in the 1,000-mg group (0.380 to 0.315, p < 0.05).

These findings may have implications regarding the treatment of diseases associated with reduced GSH levels (6), especially HIV infection as depletion of glutathione levels is thought to be an important factor in the disease’s progression (11, 12). The 264% increase in mouth cells correlates with previous research showing higher levels of glutathione levels to decrease the risk of mouth cancer (13).

They concluded that “These findings show, for the first time, that daily consumption of glutathione supplements was effective at increasing body compartment stores of glutathione.”

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

Source: Richie, John P., Sailendra Nichenametla, Wanda Neidig, Ana Calcagnotto, Jeremy S. Haley, Todd D. Schell, and Joshua E. Muscat. “Randomized controlled trial of oral glutathione supplementation on body stores of glutathione.” European journal of nutrition 54, no. 2 (2015): 251-263.

© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Posted July 7, 2014.

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