S-acetyl L-glutathione is a glutathione variant. （Glutathione is a tripeptide compound condensed by glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine through a peptide bond. It is the most important low molecular mercaptan in mammalian cells under antioxidant stress. It was discovered in 1921. Dr. al Mindel, a famous American Nutrition and health care expert, said that glutathione is an anti-aging amino acid with three times the efficiency. It is widely distributed in various organs of the human body. It mainly plays a role in maintaining the biological function of cells and protecting the integrity of the cell membranes. Clinically, it is used in the treatment and adjuvant treatment of a variety of diseases, including chemotherapy patients, radiotherapy patients, various hypoxemia, liver diseases, drug toxicity, and so on） S-acetyl L-glutathione attaches acetyl functional groups to glutathione, which makes the structure of glutathione more stable and more conducive to the absorption of the body. It is a high molecular biological product conducive to oral absorption.
What is the status of S-acetyl L-glutathione in the human body?
Acetyl glutathione improves its integrity in the intestine and a high concentration is absorbed by our blood. Glutathione is a very effective antioxidant and is naturally produced by the body (and is the only intracellular). It has been shown to support neuronal health, liver function, and immune system health. After the age of 45, the body begins to produce less and less glutathione, and many people begin to maintain their glutathione levels through supplementation. Unfortunately, most glutathione supplements have little bioavailability because the molecule breaks down rapidly after oral administration. S-acetyl-l-glutathione is an altered form with acetyl functional groups. This greatly improves its ability to remain intact in the intestine and allows higher concentrations to be absorbed into the blood and play a role there.
How effective is the combination of glutathione precursor and other nutrients?
As can be seen from the above, s-acetyl-l-glutathione and glutathione are basically the same, so we will have questions about the effect of such a stable structure on other products.
NAC (N-acetylcysteine) is an effective method to supplement glutathione. After oral administration of NAC, NAC is absorbed in the intestine and metabolized into cysteine in the liver. Cysteine is the rate-limiting substrate of glutathione. Unless the liver function is damaged, NAC supplementation can effectively increase the glutathione level of the body.
Excessive exercise will cause oxidative stress to the body and reduce the level of glutathione in the body. In a double-blind clinical study of the control group published in 2018, the subjects were divided into three groups according to the level of glutathione in the body. The subjects in the high-level, medium-level, and low-level glutathione groups were supplemented with 600mg x 2 NAC every day for 30 consecutive days. After the trial period, it was found that NAC can increase glutathione, but it can only significantly improve the subjects in the low-level glutathione group. The conclusion of the study is that NAC can increase the glutathione level of glutathione deficient people and reduce oxidative stress.
Paracetamol may be the most used OTC drug. We basically use paracetamol for colds, headaches, abdominal pain, toothache... And some people use it for years. But even though acetaminophen is considered a safe dose, it can cause stress on the liver. In the double-blind control group clinical study in 2018, healthy subjects used 1g x 4 paracetamol every day for 4 consecutive days. It was found that the glutathione level in subjects decreased significantly, but NAC supplementation could maintain the glutathione level of subjects unchanged.
Fatigue after exercise is related to the decrease of glutathione levels caused by oxidative stress after exercise. In the clinical study in 2005, after the subjects took wrist strength exercise, the intervention group was supplemented with NAC (150 mg/kg body weight), while the control group only had normal saline. After repeated wrist strength tests, the fatigue of the NAC intervention group was delayed by 30%, the oxidation of glutathione was also reduced, and the performance of the wrist strength test was improved by 15%. The conclusion of the study is that NAC can delay muscle fatigue and improve exercise performance by improving glutathione homeostasis.
In addition to glutathione precursors, a supplement NAD + precursors can also increase glutathione levels. In the control group clinical study in 2020, it was found that NR supplemented with NAD + premise can increase the glutathione level of subjects. There are two groups of subjects in this experiment, young people and the elderly. It is found that the oxidative stress of the elderly is high and the glutathione level is low. After NR supplementation, the nad level of the young and the elderly increases significantly, but only the glutathione of the elderly increases, and only the oxidative stress of the elderly decreases significantly, which is of little help to the young. The study concluded that NR may only help people who lack antioxidants.
Clinical studies have found that 4 cups of green tea a day for 8 weeks can increase antioxidants and glutathione levels in the blood. Supplementation with lipoic acid, selenium, and silymarin can increase the level of glutathione in the body.
Improving dietary quality can increase glutathione levels. Increasing whole foods, vegetables and fruits can increase the level of glutathione. Among them, foods containing organic sulfur antioxidants, including asparagus, avocado, cucumber, beans, spinach, and papaya, have the most significant effect, but heating will degrade organic sulfur antioxidants, so eating raw or reducing heating temperature and heating time will help.
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