Masterjohn article on eating glutathione
FYI. Here is an useful article on restoring glutathione levels which is the body’s main antioxidant. (And defense against glycation!). I’ve heard on this site that glutathione does not survive digestion but that is incorrect according to Masterjohn. This article provides a good database for eating glutathione. Many common foods are listed. He also provides his thoughts on glutathione supplements. He also mentions that NAC plus glycine works for this purpose, which is what I learned here (and now do) some time ago. If you are concerned about NAC (I’ve heard that some are), eating or directly supplementing glutathione is a path to ensuring sufficient glutathione.
3 Likes
For the most part, he’s wrong. Just because glutathione theoretically can be absorbed (which he mentioned and to which I agree) doesn’t mean a significant portion of it will be absorbed after ingestion under realistic conditions. The studies he linked to do not prove that it was absorbed intact after oral ingestion. Sure, ingestion of glutathione can in some instances increase glutathione in vivo, but that doesn’t mean it was absorbed intact. It’s more likely that it was broken down to its building blocks, which were then absorbed and then were used by the body to produce glutathione again in cells. In any case, the amount of glutathione in food is far too small to likely have an impact on glutathione levels. Ingesting cysteine or NAC is a much more effective way to raise it.