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
____________________________________________
Last year I had a number of clients who started... Read More
A beautiful smile and healthy mouth actually can come from... Read More
Looking into statistics, we can see the average American consumes... Read More
The Health and Nutrition Industry has come about as peoples... Read More
Modern life can be stressful. There are so many concerns... Read More
Remember the old adage, you are what you eat? The... Read More
Every where you look you see articles or news or... Read More
The acai (ah-sigh-ee) berry has been around for thousands of... Read More
Omega-3 appear to reduce the risk of heart attack. A... Read More
According to the renowned research scientist and inventor of the... Read More
(Part 1 of a Special 5 Part Series on Body... Read More
The word 'homeostasis' is made up of two Greek words:... Read More
The Benefits of SnackingYou may feel regretful about snacking, but... Read More
With so many people concerned about natural and organic foods... Read More
Proper hydration is extremely important during exercise. Adequate fluid intake... Read More
Did you know that much of our dry skin comes... Read More
There are numerous diets out there that guarantee that they... Read More
Organic farming is the production of food using all natural... Read More
Dr. Christine Wood, M.D, a practicing pediatrician in Encinitas, California,... Read More
Do you know anyone who can't consume milk or milk-based... Read More
As a low carb dieter, your diet is undoubtedly high... Read More
OmegaRx Fish Oil, quoted as being close to a Medical... Read More
Milk is highly underrated. Experts say, America finds itself in... Read More
What is health? Everyone wants this thing called health, and... Read More
Copyright ? 2004 priya shah Glutathione, the body's... Read More
cleaning lady near Deerfield ..If you are like most people, you don't enjoy the... Read More
Dr. Christine Wood, M.D, a practicing pediatrician in Encinitas, California,... Read More
The factors that affect the nutritional requirements of an individual... Read More
What Ever Happened to the Basic FourThe USDA was originally... Read More
For most people, the concept of capsulized food? usually conjures... Read More
Some of the things you think you know that just... Read More
The research in support of dietary omega-3 fatty acids (such... Read More
Several years ago, Marilyn M. couldn't even spell fibromyalgia.Now she... Read More
The subject of health care itself often seems plagued with... Read More
For decades science has been looking for the answers to... Read More
Cranberry juice was first made by American settlers in 1683.... Read More
People who consume too much alcohol have good chance of... Read More
About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More
A fictional overheard conversation at a Thelma's Fine Dining.Hi, I'm... Read More
How many magazines have you read where they tell you... Read More
Making simple changes to your food diet can help remedy... Read More
Can You Lose Weight Through Eating?You get fat when you... Read More
Random thoughts taken from valuable sources, what many nutrition experts... Read More
The makers of Bumble Bee Tuna generated some buzz today... Read More
Dieters who dejectedly complain they are figuratively "stuck" with their... Read More
Toxic metals exist in our environment as pollutants in our... Read More
1880s - Characterization of monosaccharides by Emil Fischer.1952 - Fresh,... Read More
Carbohydrates have gotten a lot of bad press in the... Read More
You can eat whole flax seeds but you need to... Read More
You wouldn't judge a book by its cover, would you?You... Read More
Nutrition |