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
____________________________________________
First of all you have to have a bucket. You... Read More
You can start today - right now, even - on... Read More
High Fructose Corn SyrupBefore we get to high fructose corn... Read More
For a considerable amount of time, nutrition has not played... Read More
Health food or heart attack on a plate? Eggs had... Read More
Cholesterol is an essential building block of every cell in... Read More
You would probably think that I was writing a lot... Read More
Students might start thinking a little differently, once they learn... Read More
I confess: I'm completely addicted to Pringles. My determination weakens... Read More
You can trust me that I make sure to take... Read More
Some of the things you think you know that just... Read More
Remember the old adage, you are what you eat? The... Read More
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin like A and E.... Read More
Monosodium glutamate, commonly known as MSG, was thought of as... Read More
Endurance Sports are like music concerts. They start at a... Read More
The fact that diet directly affects behaviour is no news,... Read More
In this newsletter we will discuss the current controversy about... Read More
Nails are a protective horn at the end of our... Read More
Do you know the risks to daily intakes of Starbucks... Read More
Constipation is a condition whereby the fecal matter traveling through... Read More
Herbal teas have long been known to have medicinal benefits... Read More
Nutrition has everything to do with health. This isn't news,... Read More
You may have heard that essential fats are an important... Read More
Scandinavian fishermen are a healthy bunch. It had long been... Read More
You may have heard of the "Portfolio Diet" wherein it... Read More
kitchen deep cleaning Lake Forest ..Here's a conundrum: While experts agree that high cholesterol and... Read More
Do you know the risks to daily intakes of Starbucks... Read More
Today, more than ever, consumers over the age of 50... Read More
These are questions we have to ask ourselves? because after... Read More
With today's time constraints, stressful jobs, and "thin is in"... Read More
The first place that we cut corners when we are... Read More
Whether you're concerned about cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or simply... Read More
In today's world, there's a definite need to be proactive... Read More
I'll preface this article by saying that it will help... Read More
Constipation is the passing of dry, hard faeces fewer than... Read More
When it comes to the topic of sports nutrition there... Read More
Diets concern especially Americans as they do have a "national... Read More
Following these simple nutrition guidelines will allow you to lose... Read More
Beans. Legumes. Pulses. Whatever you call this plant group, they... Read More
Eating grain products - breads, cakes, cereals - have long... Read More
Apart from eating many of the wonderful vegetables and fruits... Read More
The reason I remember the first time I was served... Read More
What are Glyconutritionals?The Greek word "Glyco" means "Sugar". Most people... Read More
Your face turns flush and your skin starts to itch.... Read More
The Immune System is probably the most important system in... Read More
Did you know that much of our dry skin comes... Read More
The subject of health care itself often seems plagued with... Read More
Coke, more commonly known as cocaine is a highly addictive... Read More
The natural antioxidants in Oat Bran can significantly reduce blood... Read More
You are what you eat is a simple, time tested... Read More
Nutrition |