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
____________________________________________
I'm 40-something years old, and for 40-something years breakfast has... Read More
Studies support the benefits of eating a diet rich in... Read More
How did we cure ourselves of many aches pains and... Read More
I am going to share with you possibly the most... Read More
They sit left behind on relish trays. They're often by-passed... Read More
What is the best protein powder to buy? I get... Read More
Do you need omega 3 fatty acid in your diet?... Read More
Today, more than ever, consumers over the age of 50... Read More
Soy, and most soy-based products, are nutritional powerhouses. Soybeans are... Read More
I want to tell you about the most healthful and... Read More
Heart disease results when plaque builds up inside the arterial... Read More
Is the thrill gone? Has the thrill gone out of... Read More
Coconut oil is less known compare to olive oil, corn... Read More
When Helen Boardman was still a girlish 99, she fell... Read More
Salt was used long before recorded history began. One of... Read More
Nutrition usually only comes up when people are finally deciding... Read More
Summer brings a lot of fantastic things with it, but... Read More
The nutritional support in critically ill patients can be explained... Read More
After WLS we must concentrate on eating nutrient rich food.... Read More
With all the news about Splenda of late and the... Read More
You may have heard of the "Portfolio Diet" wherein it... Read More
The problem with sugar is that it doesn't contain any... Read More
Most red and white meats are very fatty and are... Read More
Water is the single most important element for human existence,... Read More
THE RISKNo doubt you've heard of the increasingly popular "raw... Read More
luxury cleaning services Lake Forest ..The nutritional support in critically ill patients can be explained... Read More
Could it be possible that our beloved chocolate may actually... Read More
Cholesterol is present in our bodies by one of two... Read More
Essential Fatty Acids are oils, omega-3 and omega-6, that you... Read More
I'm going to be a bit radical here, but know... Read More
So what's all the shake up about anyway?. To put... Read More
You may have noticed an ever-expanding choice of oils at... Read More
At any grocery store in North America right now, there... Read More
Many low carb dieters fall victim to "carb creep," which... Read More
Apart from eating many of the wonderful vegetables and fruits... Read More
Scandinavian fishermen are a healthy bunch. It had long been... Read More
You've heard that old saying: True beauty comes from within.... Read More
I read a lot about the topics of health and... Read More
The Benefits of SnackingYou may feel regretful about snacking, but... Read More
Female and male athletes respond to training in a fairly... Read More
Ionized minerals, colloidal minerals, chelated minerals . . . What... Read More
The quality of food we eat (or lack thereof) has... Read More
Unfortunately, it has been proved beyond doubt that a large... Read More
Constipation is a condition whereby the fecal matter traveling through... Read More
You are what you eat is a simple, time tested... Read More
Why does disease begin in the digestive tract? Your digestive... Read More
We've heard it not only once or twice or even... Read More
Did you know that the food you eat when you... Read More
BASIC MEAL & MENU PLANNINGAs a basis for meals and... Read More
Nutrition facts have become a part of everyday life because... Read More
Nutrition |