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
____________________________________________
Today, more than ever, consumers over the age of 50... Read More
In order to eat fewer calories than you need, you... Read More
Much controversy and argument surrounds the idea that food may... Read More
Finally, a positive solution regarding America's difficult and costly campaign... Read More
Having a large amount of such "visceral fat" is associated... Read More
It is a question we must ask ourselves continually if... Read More
Since the beginning of time, everyday fruits have been known... Read More
If you drop a bomb, you kill not only your... Read More
Most red and white meats are very fatty and are... Read More
With so much 'diet advice' around today it is little... Read More
Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the healthiest of them... Read More
A green and lush oasis in the middle of a... Read More
One way to combat the boredom many people complain accompanies... Read More
Secretly we all want just a few things in life,... Read More
Understanding ocular nutrition and eye health can be one of... Read More
In a new study published by the American Heart Association,... Read More
The Zone Diet has been around since around 1995, when... Read More
With summer comes more sun and with more sun comes... Read More
DIETARY SOURCES OF GLUTATHIONE: Glutathione (GSH) is an antioxidant and... Read More
Do you know the risks to daily intakes of Starbucks... Read More
When Helen Boardman was still a girlish 99, she fell... Read More
How is it that we can't seem to think that... Read More
Information on potassiumWhen you read about potassium and senate document... Read More
Summer brings a lot of fantastic things with it, but... Read More
The acai (ah-sigh-ee) berry has been around for thousands of... Read More
quick home cleaning Northbrook ..The cry of "I have no willpower!" often emerges from... Read More
Studies on whey demonstrate it's an even better protein supplement... Read More
There are a number of common food mistakes that costs... Read More
Magnesium is an important mineral that serves numerous essential functions... Read More
As a low carb dieter, your diet is undoubtedly high... Read More
Summer brings a lot of fantastic things with it, but... Read More
Today we're shifting our focus from wealth to health. First... Read More
Imagine you're a cell.Inside your body runs the machinery that... Read More
Have you ever felt like you were completely losing your... Read More
First of all you have to have a bucket. You... Read More
For a natural and tasty way to improve your health... Read More
"What exercises can I do to ?? As fitness professional... Read More
Many people experience unpleasant reactions to foods they have eaten... Read More
Finally, dieters and healthy eaters everywhere have reason to rejoice,... Read More
The proliferation of fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and vending... Read More
Aging occurs when the body's cells die at faster rates... Read More
How Can... Read More
Milk is highly underrated. Experts say, America finds itself in... Read More
People are obsessed with dieting and weight loss! Don't believe... Read More
White-spotted or yellow splotched teeth may reveal more than needed... Read More
What ancient tribes and people of the Amazon have known... Read More
Fat is a nutrient that is a contributor to the... Read More
Cholesterol has been around for thousands of years. It's a... Read More
It is shocking how many people are not taking advantage... Read More
Here's food for thought! Did you know the average restaurant... Read More
Nutrition |