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
____________________________________________
In the last twenty years, a huge and growing body... Read More
This free list of fat burning foods will help you... Read More
The word herb is used to refer to any part... Read More
Secretly we all want just a few things in life,... Read More
First some terminology.Fructose ... a five carbon sugar that occurs... Read More
Proper hydration is extremely important during exercise. Adequate fluid intake... Read More
"It's not what you eat, it's what's eating you that... Read More
You must add some fresh cherries, which are now in... Read More
I'd like to explain an important concept that most online... Read More
I start from the premise that eating instinctively means eating... Read More
The old clich? that you are what you eat is... Read More
At any grocery store in North America right now, there... Read More
Salt was used long before recorded history began. One of... Read More
The ingredients list found on the back or side panel... Read More
Did you know that there might be poison in many... Read More
Omega-3 appear to reduce the risk of heart attack. A... Read More
Liquid vitamin mineralThe liquid vitamin mineral dietary supplement is a... Read More
White-spotted or yellow splotched teeth may reveal more than needed... Read More
Who suffers from Eating Disorders?Eating Disorder sufferers are male and... Read More
Finally, a positive solution regarding America's difficult and costly campaign... Read More
During a recent discussion with my father about low carb... Read More
Constipation is the passing of dry, hard faeces fewer than... Read More
Your fiber intake is a critical factor in weight loss... Read More
Everyone can benefit from understanding how food affects our... Read More
Diets don't work. If they did the U.S. of A.... Read More
tidy up service Arlington Heights ..All carbohydrates are not the same. Generally it is assumed... Read More
How well do you know about vitamin K? This vitamin... Read More
Do we really need a home water filter? Can't we... Read More
A flood of scientific evidence about fish oil points to... Read More
Please feel free to comment, so that the article may... Read More
It is amazing to be able to say I am... Read More
I'm 40-something years old, and for 40-something years breakfast has... Read More
1880s - Characterization of monosaccharides by Emil Fischer.1952 - Fresh,... Read More
In order to eat fewer calories than you need, you... Read More
Biological clockObviously you need biological clock to time and alarm... Read More
Sugar intake is a real concern for people who've had... Read More
How many times have you tried to diet/lose weight in... Read More
Following a diet program of any sort can sometimes be... Read More
Anyone who has spent a day fasting from food, or... Read More
Toxic metals exist in our environment as pollutants in our... Read More
You can trust me that I make sure to take... Read More
Have you ever watched someone who appears thin and healthy... Read More
Did you know the average American gains 5-7 pounds every... Read More
Fruit calories are very healthy as compared to calories in... Read More
Most red and white meats are very fatty and are... Read More
During the past thirty years there has been a steadily... Read More
Heart Disease remains the number one cause of death in... Read More
You are what you eat is a simple, time tested... Read More
Bright white teeth and fresh breath does not necessarily... Read More
The wonders of modern science continue to amaze us with... Read More
Nutrition |