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
____________________________________________
Organic farming is the production of food using all natural... Read More
"You are what you eat."Does it sound familiar? You probably... Read More
Get back to the basics - eat fresh at home... Read More
Bread is one of the oldest known recipes to man.... Read More
Do you know anyone who can't consume milk or milk-based... Read More
ABC News has recently focused on the possible anti-aging benefits... Read More
Diets concern especially Americans as they do have a "national... Read More
In order to eat fewer calories than you need, you... Read More
In a new study published by the American Heart Association,... Read More
It is often taken as a given fact that soy... Read More
Dr. Barry Sears revolutionized nutritional thinking around the world with... Read More
Images of "protein powder" containers with accomplished bodybuilders on their... Read More
Eating healthy and taking care of yourself is essential to... Read More
In the brain, a typical protein can live for approximately... Read More
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin like A and E.... Read More
For those of us that understand nutrition and it's importance... Read More
What is your brain made ofOver 50% of your brain... Read More
Several years ago, Marilyn M. couldn't even spell fibromyalgia.Now she... Read More
Diet nutrition physiqueToday, learning about diet nutrition physique isn't all... Read More
I would like to raise a question: Is Rejuvenation possible... Read More
Everyone can benefit from understanding how food affects our... Read More
You can spot a juicer a mile off at the... Read More
Sugar intake is a real concern for people who've had... Read More
The most incredible thing you can do for yourself is... Read More
With new research, new products and new skin protection advice... Read More
tidy up service Arlington Heights ..The wonders of modern science continue to amaze us with... Read More
In a world where heart disorders and diseases are becoming... Read More
Aging occurs when the body's cells die at faster rates... Read More
As any student of chemistry will assure you, acids and... Read More
Enzymes are the workers in our body that make everything... Read More
Looking into statistics, we can see the average American consumes... Read More
The Human Body is in a constant flux with the... Read More
A hundred years ago, life was very different here on... Read More
The Health and Nutrition Industry has come about as peoples... Read More
Bye Bye HolidaysHoping everyone had a fun, fantastic, exciting and... Read More
We come from a society where growing organic and just... Read More
All of my life I believed the best way to... Read More
Following these simple nutrition guidelines will allow you to lose... Read More
Food in general has the distinction of being probably the... Read More
There are basically four major components, or essential molecular components... Read More
Eating healthy and taking care of yourself is essential to... Read More
Biological clockObviously you need biological clock to time and alarm... Read More
Water is the single most important element for human existence,... Read More
Wow! Is it just me or? Wait! Let me start... Read More
Cholesterol has been around for thousands of years. It's a... Read More
Here's food for thought! Did you know the average restaurant... Read More
The field of nutrition is awash with charts, tables, diagrams,... Read More
For any kid who grew up eating doughy, thick Wonder... Read More
Green tea has been used as for medical remedies in... Read More
Finally, dieters and healthy eaters everywhere have reason to rejoice,... Read More
Nutrition |