Glutathione – The Most Powerful Antioxidant

What is Glutathione?

Glutathione is one of the most important molecules your body makes. It is found in every cell and is essential for keeping you healthy. You may see it, abbreviated as GSH, is an antioxidant not only in humans but also in animals and plants.

What does it do?

It prevents oxidative damage, often caused by poor nutrition and lifestyle, lack of movement, toxic exposures and high stress. It is known as one of the most important molecules which helps the detoxification process which takes place in the liver at higher concentration.

Its role in the detoxification of harmful substances lowers inflammation, strengthening the immune system, promoting healthy brain function, and more.

Why Do You May Need More Glutathione

Normally, your body can make all the glutathione it needs. The problem is, there are things that can deplete your levels of glutathione. This includes stress, infection, inflammation, toxins, cigarette smoking, sleep deprivation, chronic acetaminophen use and chronic alcohol use. The more you are exposed to these things, the more difficult it is for the body to keep up. When this happens, glutathione eventually gets depleted faster than it can be replaced. Your body is running without its shield against cellular damage when it doesn’t have enough glutathione.

This is why I sometimes recommend a glutathione push for patients who have:

• Chronic fatigue or inflammation

• Frequent infections

• Exposure to mold or toxins

• Brain fog

• Headaches

• Skin conditions related to inflammation

What is a Glutathione Push?

A glutathione push is similar to getting your blood drawn, but instead of something getting taken out of the body, we are putting something in (in this case, glutathione). The process specifically involves a quick needle poke into a vein. Then the glutathione is slowly pushed into the vein.

The whole process typically takes around 10-15 minutes. Depending on your body’s need for glutathione, it may take a single session or require multiple over the course of a month. Personally, when I get a glutathione push done, I experience increased energy and mental clarity.

There are oral glutathione supplements out there, but they are not my first go-to. Glutathione is not absorbed well when taken by mouth. Some studies even suggest that less than 1% of glutathione is absorbed when taken by mouth. Far less than ideal. Which is when I prefer a glutathione push over taking it by mouth.

Making More Glutathione Naturally

Certain vitamins and nutrients are needed to make glutathione. Think of them like building blocks. As the body makes more glutathione, more of these building blocks are needed. Some of these nutrients include:

• Vitamin C

• Selenium

• Vitamin B2

• NAC

• Magnesium

Foods rich in sulfur: broccoli (and other cabbage family foods), garlic, onion, legumes and nuts.

In addition to the nutrients above, getting enough protein in your diet is also important. Glutathione is made up of three different amino acids: cysteine, glutamine, and glycine. A lot of foods high in protein also contain these amino acids. If you really want to get specific, here are some foods naturally rich in these three amino acids:

• Cysteine: beef, pork, lentils, oats, eggs, and sunflower seeds

• Glutamine: beef, chicken, dairy, fish, beans, nuts and seeds

• Glycine: most meats, beans, spinach, asparagus, cabbage

These nutrients are often a helpful addition to a glutathione push to get the most benefit.

Avoiding Glutathione Depletion

Avoiding things that increase the rate your body uses glutathione is just as important as getting the right nutrients. Some of my favorite tips are prioritizing quality sleep, minimizing stress, and avoiding excessive alcohol.

It is also helpful to avoid exposure to environmental toxins. While this can get overwhelming quickly, there are a few high-yield places I like to start with patients. This includes replacing all plastic with glass (especially plastic that touches food), using an in-home HEPA air filter to keep your home’s air clean, and using the EWG Skin Deep database to ensure all your self-care products are free from harmful chemicals.

If you are interested in giving a glutathione push a try, you can schedule an appointment with any of the doctors here at ISM Health – online by clicking the button below or calling our office.

At your appointment, we can quickly determine if a glutathione push is right for you and get you feeling your best.

Thank you for your review of glutathione, Dr. Hooper. I want to share why I’m obsessed with glutathione – a secret panacea. Like Dr. Hooper mentioned, glutathione is an antioxidant that helps with detoxification. I’d like to address the relationship between free radicals, cytokines, and glutathione.

Free Radicals

Free radicals are unstable molecules with unpaired electrons that make them highly reactive and short-lived, typically existing for only milliseconds. Think of them as molecular “troublemakers” with an incomplete set of electrons that desperately seek to steal electrons from nearby molecules to become stable. They are often abbreviated as ROS (reactive oxygen species).

I often explain free radicals’ “behavior” with a scene from Harry Potter. In The Deathly Hallows, Harry enters the Lestranges’ vault. The vault has a spell on it where, if you touch any object, it doubles – eventually the trespasser drowns in all the stuff. Free radicals are similar: because there’s a need to neutralize the missing electrons, anything they “touch” becomes a free radical too. This process is called propagation. One free radical creates more free radicals.

radicals are not bad; they help fight infections and activate beneficial stress responses – when in moderation. But when produced in excess, they attack cellular components – damaging DNA, proteins, and fats – which can lead to cell dysfunction and cell death. They are also part of normal cell mechanics. Below is a screenshot of one of the pages from the NutrEval test results from Genova Diagnostics. Those orange fuzzy balls represent the free radicals. Every cell in our body makes its own energy in a compartment within the cell called the mitochondria. Mitochondria are freaking cool, and we could write a separate email about them – or a dozen emails – because they’re that amazing. Mitochondria are our nuclear power plants that make energy for us. This basic form of energy within a cell is called ATP. The process of making ATP is very reactive, and a lot of ROS are formed. To neutralize that and prevent damage to mitochondrial DNA, we need a lot of glutathione within the mitochondria. As you can see, my own glutathione is borderline low. Antioxidants To neutralize the free radicals, antioxidants come to help. If we were on Family Feud, the top antioxidant we all know is vitamin C. Some others are: Vitamin E Vitamin A / carotenoids Melatonin – yes, get off the screen, dim the lights in the evening, and get your sleep to fight off free radicals CoQ10 Alpha-lipoic acid NAC Resveratrol Quercetin Curcumin Green tea (EGCG) All these antioxidants play “hot potato” with a free radical. They hold it just for a while, then pass it to the next one, finally reaching glutathione – the ultimate free radical quencher. I imagine it as a Zen Master that takes on this unruly free radical and neutralizes it. Technically, it takes two glutathione molecules to neutralize one free radical, but I like my metaphor. Cytokines (sai-tuh-kinez) Cytokines are small proteins released by immune cells – considered messengers. “Cyto” means cell and “kines” means movement. It’s the communication (movement) between the cells. They signal immune cells to attack viruses, trigger inflammation to fight illness, and facilitate healing and repair. But yet again, in moderation. Some of us had COVID and recovered well; some may experience long-COVID syndrome. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the three long-COVID symptom clusters are: Persistent fatigue with bodily pain (myalgia) or mood swings Cognitive problems (forgetfulness or difficulty concentrating, commonly referred to as “brain fog”) Ongoing respiratory problems (shortness of breath and persistent cough) Other symptoms of long-COVID are: Cardiovascular manifestations (palpitations, chest pain, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) Neurological symptoms (headache, dizziness, altered smell/taste) Gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, bloating, diarrhea, altered eating patterns) Musculoskeletal pain and sleep disturbances I attribute these lasting ailments to the cytokine storm. During COVID, the body releases cytokines to fight off the virus. Depending on our immune system and antioxidant levels, cytokines can overpower the system as they manage the damage. Even after we test negative for COVID, we may still feel tired, foggy, and emotionally dysregulated because elevated cytokine levels remain in the body. Cytokines and free radicals egg each other on: free radicals can induce cytokine production, while cytokines can stimulate free radical generation – creating amplifying feedback loops that drive inflammation. The best suggestion during and after COVID is to make sure to increase your antioxidant intake from food or supplements. But why not do it all the time? Story Time I had COVID – a really bad one – a few summers ago. I “recovered,” since my test was negative, but I still felt tired and out of breath. I was able to go to work and get things done, then come home and spend the rest of the day lying on the couch. I truly understood fatigue at that point. My kiddo wanted a piggyback ride, and I could only take one step with the extra weight. I felt that fatigue in my heart and lungs. Knowing what I know, I gave myself a glutathione injection every other day for about a week and a half. Only then did I start to feel like myself again. I’ve offered the same treatment plan to my patients, and they also gained their energy back after frequent glutathione injections. I get asked, “How often should I get it?” It depends. If you’re looking for maintenance, it can vary between weekly to monthly injections. If you’re recovering from an illness, then more frequent. Conclusion: Glutathione supports the body in ways we often don’t realize until we’re depleted – whether from daily stress, illness, inflammation, or recovering from something like COVID. When free radicals and cytokines start amplifying each other, the body needs enough antioxidant support to break the cycle and return to balance. If you’re curious whether glutathione might help your energy, immune system, recovery, or overall resilience, feel free to reach out. We can talk about what frequency makes sense for your body and your goals. Your body is always trying to heal. Sometimes it just needs a little extra support to get there. Schedule An Appointment Warmly, Dr. Jamie Agisheva Clinic Owner and Director