What Reduces Glutathione in the Body?
If you are taking glutathione supplements, there are some lifestyle habits that may be depleting the glutathione in your body.
Why is glutathione such an important antioxidant for your body?
Unlike other major antioxidants such as Vitamin A, C, and Vitamin E, Glutathione is actually made in the body.
It also plays a KEY ROLE in supporting a proper functioning immune system.
Glutathione is essential in building/repairing your tissues and your cells.
Like other antioxidants, it also helps the body defend and repair against inflammation throughout the body and neutralize free radicals that cause aging.
When I am treating different clients with stubborn, hard to treat melasma, I often ask them of their lifestyle habits to get an insight of what may be causing their pigmentation to be treatment resistant.
Here are some of the factors that reduce glutathione in the body:
Medications that reduces glutathione in the body:
-Antacids
-Acid Blockers- for treating heartburn, acid reflux, and ulcers
-Analgesics-Pain medications
-Antibiotics
-Antivirals
-Tricylic Antidepressants
A common pain reliever, Acetominophen are specifically damaging to glutathione levels. This includes everything from OTC Tylenol to Prescription pain medications such as Vicodin, Percoset, and Darvocet.
If you have enough glutathione in the body, this can counteract it. However, if your liver is working overtime in trying to breakdown these medications, your glutathione levels cane be reduced.
2nd Factor that Reduces glutathione in the body:
Smoking/ 2nd hand Smoke ( ie casinos, nightclubs)
These unstable molecules wreak havoc on healthy cells, eventually leading to cell death. IF you don't have enough glutathione in your body, several studies have shown that glutathione production is greatly reduced in your mid-40's and exposure to smoke further reduces the amount of glutathione in cells.
3rd Factor: Excess Body Fat Reduces Glutathione in the body:
A fatty liver depletes the body of glutathione and is more prone to aging stressors.
4th Factor: Drinking alcohol can deplete the glutathione in the body:
The liver plays a key role in helping the body breakdown and removing waste. The liver can help filter out chemicals from medication, food, and alcohol.
Drinking alochol can deplete the body of glutathione. Glutathione is mostly concentrated in the lungs as well as the liver. So the most drastic reduction of glutathione is in the lunge NOT the liver.
*A study was done at Emory University comparing lung glutathione level of young, healthy functional alcoholics and non-alcoholics. There was an 80-90% reduction of glutathione levels in the alcoholics compared to the non-alcoholics.
LAST FACTOR that depletes glutathione levels is: Lifestyle- Long Term Stress+ Poor Diet+Lack of sleep/ poor quality sleep
A stressful lifestyle depletes the body of nutrients and a poor diet that is lacking vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help give the body energy and heal, will also deplete the body of glutathione.
Studies have also shown that when a person has HIGHER levels of glutathione, they tend to sleep better and wake up refreshed.
Another antioxidant that helps BOOST glutathione levels in the body is an antioxidant that ALSO helps BOOST vitamin C and is 6000x MORE powerful than vitamin C.
How to Increase Glutathione Naturally
If you are practicing any of these lifestyle habits regularly, then taking glutathione supplements may help only a bit. I would recommend also taking a supplement that helps BOOST glutathione MORE than just taking liposomal glutathione.
Glutathione BOOSTER Supplement
*Sources used:
http://www.whsc.emory.edu/_pubs/em/2008fall/truth_alcohol.html
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15878691/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26708755/
