Imagine you're a cell.
Inside your body runs the machinery that creates life itself. But as that machinery keeps running, day after day, you begin to get worn out - the friction and the processes that cause damage (here the "free-radicals" - highly destructive little entities generated by biochemical processes, as well as pollutants, UV radiation and other sources) start to create havoc and you begin to lose the battle to disease, old age and ultimately death.
In fact your battle would be over much sooner were it not for the numerous mechanisms that you and other mammalian cells evolved over millions of years, as protection from the injury that can result from your normal functional processes. The foremost among these internal protective systems is the "Glutathione antioxidant system."
Glutathione, a small molecule composed of three amino acids - glycine, glutamate and cysteine - acts as your cellular Super-Mop, soaking up "free-radicals" (with the help of the sulfur-containing portion of the cysteine molecule), protecting your cellular membranes and internal organs from the cascading destruction they can cause.
Besides being the major antioxidant that you produce as protection from "free-radicals," glutathione is also a very important detoxifying agent, enabling you to get rid of undesirable toxins and pollutants. If you were a liver, kidney or lung cell, you would contain high levels of glutathione, as you'd be exposed to the greatest levels of toxins.
Glutathione also helps you dispose of many cancer- producing chemicals, heavy metals, drug metabolites etc. that invade the pristine recesses of your cellular world. And Mother Nature (the first recycler) also designed you to use glutathione to recycle other well-known antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E, keeping them in their active state.
If you were a cell delegated to the immune system department, you would require glutathione for many of the intricate steps needed to carry out your essential immune response functions - such as multiplying to make many clones of yourself, to mount a full-bodied immune response, or "neutralizing" undesirable elements of the cellular community, like cancerous or virally infected cells.
But your finicky cell membrane does not allow whole glutathione molecules to cross over directly into your cellular spaces. And every time a molecule of glutathione neutralizes a destructive free-radical or toxin, it fatally binds with the undesirable element and is washed out with them in the bile or the urine.
So how do you replenish your stores and get your daily fix of glutathione? Simple. You manufacture it in your cellular factory, from its raw materials - glycine, glutamate and cysteine.
If your human eats a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables and freshly prepared meats, you should get be getting enough glutamate and glycine. But cystine comes mostly from eggs, milk and cheese. And when eggs, milk and cheese are cooked or processed, the composition of Cystine is changed to Cysteine (small difference in spelling, but BIG difference in action). While still a valuable protein, it can no longer feed your glutathione levels.
If you can get a sufficient supply of cysteine (which determines the rate at which you can make glutathione), your arsenal is well- stocked. If not, you and your human are at a strategic disadvantage in the battle of "Cell v/s Free-radical Destroyers."
As a normal, healthy cell, increasing your glutathione levels could help you and your human maintain that strategic advantage in the battle against free-radicals. If you're not really in your prime, boosting your levels could tip the scales in your favor, and help you fight the cellular damage that causes disease and aging.
Copyright 2002 Priya Shah
_____________________________________________
About the author:
Priya Shah is the Editor of the glutathione report, a newsletter featuring regular updates on the health benefits of glutathione. Get a the glutathione report
____________________________________________
Coq10 is also known as Coenzyme Q10.This co q10 is... Read More
Are you sick and tired of the confusion about our... Read More
Many of us sprinkle oregano on our pizza and stews... Read More
You must add some fresh cherries, which are now in... Read More
You can spot a juicer a mile off at the... Read More
Soy, and most soy-based products, are nutritional powerhouses. Soybeans are... Read More
You really are what you eat. You are also very... Read More
What is Cholesterol?Before we go into how to reduce your... Read More
A frequent misunderstanding about macrobiotics is that it is a... Read More
I turned into my parents' driveway in Maryland and parked... Read More
Do you know your ph? By getting ph strips at... Read More
In parts 1-6 of this series of articles titled "Take... Read More
(ARA) - By now you probably think you've heard all... Read More
Food nutrition factsFinding food nutrition facts and dietary nutrition used... Read More
The Health and Nutrition Industry has come about as peoples... Read More
Many people complain that organic foods are more costly than... Read More
What I am also going to point out is the... Read More
Because I believe diet and exercise are so important, I'm... Read More
Please feel free to comment, so that the article may... Read More
The wonders of modern science continue to amaze us with... Read More
Dieting is a pain. I think basically everyone would agree... Read More
For a considerable amount of time, nutrition has not played... Read More
Health food or heart attack on a plate? Eggs had... Read More
Random thoughts taken from valuable sources, what many nutrition experts... Read More
I confess: I'm completely addicted to Pringles. My determination weakens... Read More
tidy up service Arlington Heights ..Ambrotose? - the Nutritional Alphabet of the "Sweet Language of... Read More
"To eat an apple before going to bed will make... Read More
At any grocery store in North America right now, there... Read More
The cry of "I have no willpower!" often emerges from... Read More
When we think about the benefits of being ensuring a... Read More
Almost every woman suffers with premenstrual syndrome at one time... Read More
Great news on the chocolate front! Chocolate is good for... Read More
You really are what you eat. You are also very... Read More
Numerous reports have recently appeared in both the lay and... Read More
We all need fat in our diet on a daily... Read More
Random thoughts taken from valuable sources, what many nutrition experts... Read More
With the array of different diets and diet foods available... Read More
I'm always amazed at how many people seem to know... Read More
Modern life can be stressful. There are so many concerns... Read More
Carbohydrates have gotten a lot of bad press in the... Read More
The question most people think they need an answer to... Read More
Looking into statistics, we can see the average American consumes... Read More
OK, no more excuses. Here's how to stop making everyone... Read More
Unfortunately, it has been proved beyond doubt that a large... Read More
The Health and Nutrition Industry has come about as peoples... Read More
I confess: I'm completely addicted to Pringles. My determination weakens... Read More
Bright white teeth and fresh breath does not necessarily... Read More
I'm sure by now you've heard all about the amazing... Read More
Milk is highly underrated. Experts say, America finds itself in... Read More
A hundred years ago, life was very different here on... Read More
Nutrition |