Glutathione is made naturally in the body from three amino acids: glycine, cysteine, and glutamate. Both glycine and glutamate are naturally found at plentiful levels in the human body. Cysteine, however, is always the limiting reactant in your body’s glutathione production process. Cysteine is found in the body at lower levels than glycine and glutamate because, unlike the other two, cysteine is not commonly found in foods. In fact, glutathione itself isn’t found in any foods. The only way to increase cysteine levels and, more importantly, glutathione levels is to take either glutathione supplements, cysteine supplements, or both.
Let’s start with the cysteine supplementation method. The production of glutathione proceeds as follows: glycine + glutamate + cysteine = glutathione. Your body runs out of cysteine much faster than it runs out of either glycine or glutamate. However, when you do have enough cysteine to create glutathione, the following two reactions occur within the cells of your body: First, gamma-glutamylcysteine is synthesized from glutamate and cysteine by the enzyme GCL (glutamate cysteine ligase). This first step is what uses up the cysteine in your body. Next, the amino acid glycine is attached to the gamma-glutamylcysteine by the enzyme glutathione synthetase. Glutathione is not produced by the standard method of cellular protein synthesis because the complex step of bonding glutamate to cysteine exceeds the capabilities of a ribosome, which is the cellular component responsible for most protein synthesis. Instead, cells use the two enzymes, glutathione synthetase and GCL, to produce glutathione, effectively eliminating the need for the middleman, the ribosome.
Once glutathione is made, it exists in the body in both oxidized and reduced states. In the oxidized state, where the glutathione has lost an electron, it is ineffective as an antioxidant (because it is itself oxidized). If the glutathione levels of the body are high enough, the oxidized glutathione is able to react with another oxidized glutathione, forming a substance that is easily converted back into effective glutathione in its reduced state. Glutathione in the reduced state is capable of neutralizing harmful free radicals by donating an electron, effectively eliminating the free radical. Because it is necessary to have high levels of glutathione in order for glutathione to self-restore, it is highly advisable for anybody to take glutathione supplements.
As an alternative to relying on your body’s natural glutathione production process, many people are choosing to take glutathione supplements. These supplements are chemically engineered, yet are identical to the glutathione naturally produced in your body. However with glutathione, more is certainly better, since glutathione is such an important antioxidant, immunity booster, and natural detoxifier.
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