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The Anti-Toxin, Anti-Disease Amino Acid

by Dr. David Williams

Published 04/30/09

Glutathione's Detox Role

Much of glutathione's ability to improve your longevity and overall health comes from its role in detoxifying various chemicals, thereby preventing them from damaging your cellular DNA. When you increase glutathione, you in turn increase GST enzymes.

There are several ways you can help to raise your glutathione levels and help increase the production of the GST enzymes.

1.     The cruciferous family of vegetables is one of the richest food sources of glutathione. The most potent vegetable is Brussels sprouts. Others include: cauliflower, broccoli (particularly the flowers, not the stem), cabbage, kale, bok choy, cress, mustard, horseradish, turnips, rutabagas, and kohlrabi.

As usual, while most medical researchers in this country spend all their efforts on isolating a drug from beneficial plants and herbs, researchers in Europe and elsewhere often focus their efforts on ways to use the food to get the most beneficial results.

Researchers in the Netherlands found that GST enzyme levels could be increased as much as 30 percent simply by eating about 10 ounces of Brussels sprouts over a seven day period. And although I wouldn't want a continuous diet of Brussels sprouts, it's evident that eating vegetables from the cruciferous family can have a significant impact on GST and glutathione levels in a very short period of time. It is also one of the least expensive anti-aging and anti-cancer programs you'll find. (Carcinogenesis 95;16(9):2125-8)

2.     In addition to the cruciferous vegetables, both garlic (Allium sativum) and the ripe seeds of the common green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) work synergistically with GST enzymes. Including these two items in your diet will help make glutathione and its dependent enzymes more effective.

3.     In the Slovak Republic, researchers recently discovered in animal studies that eating red beets not only reduced cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but also decreased cholesterol deposits in the aorta and increased GST enzyme levels, making the animals less susceptible to chemically induced colon cancers. (Nahrung 00;44(3):184-7)

4.     At the University of Illinois, researchers found that including the herb rosemary in the diet could increase GST enzyme activity. The strongest activity resulted when an extract of the herb was given by injection, but ingesting the herb extract orally (at concentrations of 0.25 to 1.0 percent of the diet by weight) showed a 3.5- to 4.5-fold increase in GST activity, which is very significant. (Cancer Lett 96;100(1-2):139-44)

It appears that rosemary's benefits have been known for hundreds of years. Even the most superficial research will reveal that rosemary has been used in about every form imaginable and for just about every condition. It has been used as a tea, an antiseptic wash, for baths, as a fumigant, and as a rubbing oil. The leaves were even smoked for the treatment of tuberculosis, colds, and flu. I'm sure its reputation as a rejuvenator and healing agent is in part due to its ability to increase GST enzyme activity-though its antioxidant potential is probably also a factor. Rosemary is a popular and effective additive to essential fatty acid/fish oil supplements.

5.     You can raise glutathione levels through the regular use of specially processed whey protein powders. This is one of the primary reasons I so strongly recommend a protein "shake" for breakfast each morning. The one protein powder that has been shown to increase glutathione levels is called Designer Protein by Next Proteins. It comes in several flavors. The Natural and French Vanilla flavors have no artificial sweeteners, while the Vanilla Praline, Chocolate, and Strawberry are sweetened with acesulfame-K. Designer Protein can be purchased from most health food stores or from Nutrition Express, 800-338-7979. A fruit smoothie made with 1 or 2 scoops of protein powder, 1/2 cup of skim milk, a piece of fresh fruit (1/2 banana, strawberries or blueberries to taste, etc.), 1/4 cup of flaxseed, 3 or 4 cubes of ice, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon is my basic recipe. (You can add any other powdered or liquid supplements you desire to your drink as well, e.g., creatine, liquid iodine drops, bee pollen, royal jelly.)

6.     You can also increase glutathione levels by taking the amino acid N-acetylcysteine. N-acetylcysteine is converted in the body to glutathione. Taking 600 milligrams daily of N-acetylcysteine has been shown to increase blood plasma levels of glutathinone by 38 percent. (Euro J Can 95;31A(6):921-923)

N-acetylcysteine is available from Jo Mar Laboratories, 251 B East Hacienda Ave., Campbell, CA 95008, www.jomarlabs.com, or call 800-538-4545. If you make your own capsules or mix it with your food or drink, a daily dose of 600 mg will run in the neighborhood of 10 cents a day.

7.     You can also take glutathione powder, and while it's possible that it may be one of the more reliable methods of raising glutathione levels, it's also the most expensive. Jo Mar offers glutathione in bulk powder form at $38.50 for 50 grams, plus shipping. In homemade capsules or with food or drink, a daily dose of 500 mg will run in the neighborhood of 39 cents a day. Jo Mar offers both glutathione and N-acetylcysteine in capsule form at a somewhat higher price.

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