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 Omega Zone Diet and specialists' opinion"Omega RX Zone -... Read More
1. Look for high quality, crystalline, free-form, amino acids (AAs)... Read More
When it comes to the topic of sports nutrition there... Read More
Our bodies are truly incredible machines. What makes cells healthy?... Read More
Media coverage of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has incited... Read More
Some fats are good for you. Your body can't function... Read More
During a recent discussion with my father about low carb... Read More
Nutrition facts have become a part of everyday life because... Read More
Studies on whey demonstrate it's an even better protein supplement... Read More
Your Non-Conscious Mind is 98% of your full power. Over... Read More
It is ironic how something as obvious as nutrition has... Read More
You may have noticed an ever-expanding choice of oils at... Read More
There are a lot of very good reasons to eat... Read More
When I hear the word fat I usually think of... Read More
Before we get to honey we have a question from... Read More
Originally, all foods were "organic" ? grown and prepared without... Read More
America's focus on nutritious eating began to receive national attention... Read More
Have you ever thought about where your drinking water comes... Read More
Our bodies need cholesterol. We use cholesterol to produce vitamin... Read More
"What exercises can I do to ?? As fitness professional... Read More
The importance of protein in a healthy diet is well... Read More
Copyright ? 2004 priya shah Glutathione, the body's... Read More
This is usually the forgotten element of most mass programs.... Read More
You've heard that old saying: True beauty comes from within.... Read More
Did you know that the food you eat when you... Read More
maide service in Buffalo Grove ..Biological clockObviously you need biological clock to time and alarm... Read More
Several years ago, Marilyn M. couldn't even spell fibromyalgia.Now she... Read More
Can You Lose Weight Through Eating?You get fat when you... Read More
Carbohydrates - found in grains, breads, pasta, and sugar, as... Read More
Modern life can be stressful. There are so many concerns... Read More
I know you've heard this many times - "Drink more... Read More
As you've probably heard before, your post-workout meal may very... Read More
Because all of us have been brought up eating junk... Read More
Millions of people around the UK consume dairy products on... Read More
You may have noticed an ever-expanding choice of oils at... Read More
When you actually sit down and think about it, bottled... Read More
Mannatech's patent-pending glyconutrients complex, Ambrotose, is perhaps the greatest wellness... Read More
In a new study published by the American Heart Association,... Read More
The American Heart Association recommends that you eat a variety... Read More
With today's time constraints, stressful jobs, and "thin is in"... Read More
I'll preface this article by saying that it will help... Read More
Having a large amount of such "visceral fat" is associated... Read More
Our bodies need cholesterol. We use cholesterol to produce vitamin... Read More
For most people, the concept of capsulized food? usually conjures... Read More
If you're looking for a power-packed entr?e or soup to... Read More
I'd like to explain an important concept that most online... Read More
It is shocking how many people are not taking advantage... Read More
A frequent misunderstanding about macrobiotics is that it is a... Read More
In large part, you're in control of your health, not... Read More
NutrientsFat, Sugar, Sodium and CarbohydrateThe sections on a food label... Read More
Nutrition |