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
____________________________________________
The cry of "I have no willpower!" often emerges from... Read More
Because all of us have been brought up eating junk... Read More
The egg, the symbol of birth, of life and, therefore,... Read More
You may have heard that essential fats are an important... Read More
Sprouts not only taste good, but they are also a... Read More
Bright white teeth and fresh breath does not necessarily... Read More
Do we really need a home water filter? Can't we... Read More
Did you know that there might be poison in many... Read More
The concept isometric has been a part of the health... Read More
With the release of the new dietary guidelines, in the... Read More
Some of the things you think you know that just... Read More
You can eat whole flax seeds but you need to... Read More
Cholesterol has been around for thousands of years. It's a... Read More
Food nutrition factsFinding food nutrition facts and dietary nutrition used... Read More
What is Cholesterol?Before we go into how to reduce your... Read More
If you want to lose weight, there is one thing... Read More
Have you seen those "fat free" foods in supermarkets? Have... Read More
If you have a business trip tomorrow morning, you've probably... Read More
1880s - Characterization of monosaccharides by Emil Fischer.1952 - Fresh,... Read More
In order for a person to actually have a healthy... Read More
In health circles there has been much recent talk about... Read More
An American culture that is marked by a chronic lack... Read More
Every person on earth has experienced pain at one time... Read More
Liquid vitamin mineralThe liquid vitamin mineral dietary supplement is a... Read More
The best weight training and cardio workouts will do very... Read More
family-safe home cleaners Arlington Heights ..According to the Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis... Read More
Cholesterol has been around for thousands of years. It's a... Read More
Meal sizes and frequency are very important. Over the years... Read More
In this newsletter we will discuss the current controversy about... Read More
Each and every person living in the UK is... Read More
What is health? Everyone wants this thing called health, and... Read More
Who suffers from Eating Disorders?Eating Disorder sufferers are male and... Read More
Vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are essential to the development... Read More
Female and male athletes respond to training in a fairly... Read More
How Can... Read More
Fats have been unfairly lumped together as being all bad... Read More
Please feel free to comment, so that the article may... Read More
Picture yourself in one of the following scenarios.You're cruising along... Read More
The dangers of processed foods and diets Why is that... Read More
With all the news about Splenda of late and the... Read More
Nuts are readily available and provide a highly nutritious food.... Read More
Heart disease results when plaque builds up inside the arterial... Read More
A flood of scientific evidence about fish oil points to... Read More
It's really hard to believe that something could be worse... Read More
Cholesterol is present in our bodies by one of two... Read More
"To eat an apple before going to bed will make... Read More
I'm going to be a bit radical here, but know... Read More
Lactose is the primary carbohydrate in milk. Cow's milk contains... Read More
PROTEIN DEFICIENT? CHANCES ARE YOU ARE!Did you know that 9... Read More
The egg, the symbol of birth, of life and, therefore,... Read More
Nutrition |