Types of Glutathione Supplements
Before understanding the types of glutathione supplements, you must first understand how glutathione is produced in our bodies.
There are a lot of discussions today about the importance of antioxidants and their benefits to our health. One of the most powerful antioxidants is one that naturally exists in our cells. Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant and every red blood cell has a certain level of glutathione.
The level of glutathione in your body is important as it is called on regularly to combat the negative effects of free radicals. There are many glutathione supplements on the market and understanding what glutathione is and how it is produced by our bodies will allow you to make an educated decision when purchasing a glutathione supplement.
Glutathione is a tripeptide protein stored in the liver and consists of three amino acids. For our bodies to synthesize glutathione, the amino acids or pre-cursors must be present. Specifically, these amino acids are glutamate, cysteine, and glycine and by increasing their presence in our bodies, we can safely and effectively boost the level of glutathione.
Oral Glutathione Supplements
It would seem that the easiest way to increase the level of glutathione in your body would be to take glutathione supplements orally. However, research has shown that this is one of the least effective ways to increase the level of glutathione in your blood. The main reason for this is that the digestive system of the human body and the glutathione are digested before reaching the bloodstream.
When oral glutathione supplements are taken, the digestive system breaks down the glutathione into its three amino acids. The digestive tract has enzymes that break apart the glutathione and release the amino acids, breaking the peptide bond and essentially absorbing the amino acids individually. This individual absorption rate nullifies the purpose of the oral supplement, and glutathione is not produced.
Research has shown that a much more effective way is by increasing the levels of the precursors to glutathione first, then allowing the body to naturally produce glutathione. Triotein has been proven to be one of the best natural ways to increase the levels of precursors in the human body.
Precursors to Glutathione Production
Multiple studies have been conducted to determine the best way to boost levels of glutathione in the bloodstream. As mentioned earlier, taking an oral glutathione supplement has little effect on the levels of glutathione. What proved to be most effective was increasing a person’s intake of the precursors of glutathione.
Increasing the levels of cysteine, glutamine, and glycine leads to a significant increase in the level of glutathione in the blood. Protecting the amino acids from the enzymes in the digestive tract was what is required so that the precursors can be synthesized properly by the body and produce glutathione.
The best way to ensure the amino acids are delivered properly is through an undenatured whey protein. The whey protein is the proper vehicle for delivering the amino acids into the body, getting through the digestive system intact, and allowing for glutathione production. From extensive research, the whey protein that performed this task best was Triotein.
In repeated studies, the lactose-free Triotein delivered the most amounts of cysteine, glutamine, and glycine into the body safely and effectively with no side effects. The levels of glutathione increased the most in the subjects who were taking Triotein, versus other whey proteins and/or placebos.
Along with consuming Triotein daily, increases in the level of glutathione were enhanced through eating certain foods and increasing specific vitamin intakes. Foods such as avocados, broccoli, and Indian curry spice showed gains in glutathione production. Also increasing vitamin C and vitamin B6 helped the synthesis of glutathione.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.