Why Does Your Skin & Body LOVE Glutathione!?

Not only did we just get back from travels and the hot topic in other countries for health and wellness is Glutathione, but Glutathione is trending! It is a question that has been coming in both via email and at my events. Given by now most know I am a total research nerd and I cannot stop until I feel I have gotten to the source of the question, I feel compelled to share what we have been practicing in our own home over the last few years concerning Glutathione. When it comes to Glutathione, I want to discuss what we know to be true, and misunderstandings associated with how to get it, how it is absorbed, and how your body produces it.

Over the last three years I have been looking heavily into how good Glutathione levels can support and promote health not only for the skin but the systems of the body. Glutathione has become recently coveted in the world of skincare due to its ability to combat signs of aging and improve the overall health and appearance of the skin. As I have discussed in the past, the quality of our skin is synonymous with the quality of our immune system. Glutathione is necessary for a strong immune system, proper detoxification, healthy energy levels, and antioxidant support. It is a superhero for our overall health, longevity and wellness.

The cell requires three precursors brought to the cell to produce Glutathione, including glutimate, glycine, and cysteine. Glutathione plays a vital role in protecting the body from harmful toxins and free radicals, which can cause damage to the cells and contribute to the aging process. It protects the skin against oxidative damage which reduces wrinkles and can help to eliminate age spots, liver spots, brown spots, lentigines and dark circles under the eyes. In improving the health of the body’s cells this can reverse symptoms of what we associate with aging.

The good news is that your body produces its own Glutathione. The bad news is that toxins from poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, ageing, infections and radiation all deplete it. So how do we up these Glutathione levels in our body?

New research recently identified that the body’s ability to deliver cysteine to the cells play a key role in human health not only associated with replenishing antioxidants and nourishing the brain, but also in the production of Glutathione. When we are wanting to support the production of Glutathione in the body, we often look to consume foods rich in cysteine, such as the free cysteine in eggs, chicken, or broccoli. The problem lies in getting the cysteine to the cell. The free cysteine that moves from our mouth into the stomach is destroyed by the enzymes in our digestive system.

Let’s look at some conventional methods used to deliver cysteine to the cells to help raise Glutathione levels.

Cysteine can be delivered to the cells as a drug via intravenous (IV) and nebulization, but these methods can only be prescribed and supervised by a health care practitioner and come with a number of negative risk factors. We can seek Glutathione supplements on the market containing glutamate, glycine, and cysteine, however the free cysteine is once again destroyed in the digestion process. NAC or N-Acetyl Cysteine is not Glutathione but a drug with one of the precursors which is bonded to an acetyl molecule. When taken orally cysteine in this form is only 9% bioavailable.

This information was a major barrier to upping my Glutathione levels.

I continued to study different options on the market to support my Glutathione levels and they all faced the same obstacle of getting the free cysteine to my cells without becoming destroyed in the process. This is when I found the company Immunotec. What this company did through research first published in 1978 by Dr. Gustavo Bounous, the inventor of Immunocal, was discover a way to get the cysteine to the cells without degradation in the gut.

Dr. Bounous discovered that bonded cysteine, two cysteine molecules attached by a disulfide bond, could pass through the digestive system and reach the cells without degradation. This bonded cysteine can only be found in the whey fraction of unpasteurized cow’s milk. The bonded cysteine isolated from the whey fraction of cow’s milk is typically neutralized during normal milk pasteurization processes.

The company Immunotec developed and patented a method that isolates and protects the bonded cysteine (Glutathione precursors) containing molecules in the whey fractions of cow’s milk while yet complying with pasteurization laws. The bonded cysteine isolated from the whey fraction of cow’s milk is converted from liquid to a powder for consumption as a natural food supplement. It takes five litres of raw milk to harvest the glutathione precursors found in one pack of Immunocal. Nonetheless, eating the bonded cysteine in the Immunocal powder (food) is 159% bioavailable when compared to the next available oral alternative NAC (a drug) at 9% bioavailability. This is what we have been using for the last two years and I feel so happy with our choice.

If you are interested in knowing more about upping your Glutathione levels with Immunocal click the link here.