The BEST time to take glutathione supplements depends on a few factors such as if you are taking other supplements to BOOST glutathione levels and even when the most likely time is when your stomach is empty and you can wait at least 30~45 minutes before eating anything.
Best Time to take Glutathione is in the morning
The best time to take glutathione is in the morning IF you tend to drink coffee or matcha tea. Both have shown to boost glutathione levels in the blood . However, it is NOT any type of coffee. *A clinical study showed that subjects who drank UNfiltered coffee such as
-Pour Over style (using a stainless steel filter)
increased plasma glutathione by 16%.
There was only a slight increase in the homocysteine levels when drinking LARGE quantities of FILTERED coffee. The slight increase only lasted until after they stopped drinking coffee.
The compounds from matcha tea known as Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) also has been shown to support liver health and has been related to increasing glutathione activity in the body.
Glutathione and Vitamin C: The best time to take glutathione with Vitamin C
Some clinical studies have shown that vitamin C also increases glutathione activity. Vitamin C and glutathione have a symbiotic relationship because just like vitamin C can help increase glutathione activity, glutathione can also make the inactive form of Vitamin C back to its active state again. Some scientists have recommended taking Vitamin C in the earlier part of the day, so if you are taking Vitamin C to boost glutathione levels, this may be an option for you.
Best time to take Glutathione and N-Acetylcysteine
When taking the supplement N-acetylcysteine to boost glutathione production, there is no specific time that is recommended to take N-acetylcysteine. You can take this as a capsule form supplement or collagen powder that contains N-acetylcysteine. Many people take collagen powder in their protein shake. You could take the glutathione 30~45 minutes on an empty stomach BEFORE you take your protein shake that has the collagen powder in it. So if you are someone who drinks protein shakes with collagen powder, the best time to take glutathione is on an empty stomach 3-~45 minutes BEFORE you drink your protein shake.
*Glutathione Booster- Increases bioavailability and increases bioavailability more than Liposomal glutathione
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Best time to take Glutathione and Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin is another antioxidant that has been shown to support glutathione levels. Unlike glutathione that needs to be taken on an empty stomach 30~45 minutes before eating anything, Astaxanthin is best taken with/immediately after eating a meal containing some fats since astaxanthin is fat soluble.
As you can see, there are quite a few antioxidants that help support glutathione levels and production in the body, so the best time to take glutathione depends on if you are taking any other antioxidants, when your stomach is empty, or even when your stomach is empty AND you drink (if you drink any at all) unfiltered coffee or matcha on an empty stomach.
Best time to take Glutathione is in the night
The best time to take glutathione is in the night if you eat an early dinner AND you take astaxanthin. For example, you can take the astaxanthin supplement WITH your dinner and wait until at least 4-5 hours AFTER your dinner and then BEFORE you go to bed, you can take the glutathione.
Personally, when I eat an early dinner, I take my supplement containing astaxanthin in the middle of dinner and then I will take glutathione 5-6 hours after my dinner. I have found for me that I sleep better and I have more energy when I wake up.
Want to know what the difference between Glutathione vs Astaxanthin?
Now, that we have talked about some antioxidants that can help boost glutathione, here are 5 Factors that can DEPLETE glutathione.
Sources used:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5855430/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603270/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12622769/
*https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34611051/
