Glutathione is a very small protein that occurs naturally in your cells. As cells use it up, it has to be replenished. Your cells work to neutralize toxins, as they do so, your body must continually produce glutathione from three building blocks: glycine, glutamate, and cysteine. These building blocks are all amino-acids which is why glutathione is called a “tripeptide”.
Stay with me, this won’t be a chemistry lesson!
When all three building blocks are present, your cells can manufacture glutathione and you are more resistant to disease. Cysteine is the most important of the three building blocks because it is hard to find in food.
The diets of most people are deficient in foods containing cysteine. As a result you don’t have enough to produce the glutathione you need.
The sports nutrition industry touts the benefits of taking cysteine and other supplements but this method is problematic. Cysteine must be taken in a form accessible to the body. On its own cysteine is not readily able to survive its trip through your digestive tract. This is true of many of the supplements available on health food store shelves. You should always use caution when taking any supplement...be sure you are comfortable with “why” you should take it and with the quality of the product.
Over the last two decades a lot of research has been done into the importance of glutathione for the proper functioning of many body systems. Stay tuned as we continue to learn about the important function that glutathione plays within the body and why it is essential to good health.
Steps to Improve Your Health
Dr. Steven Dell
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