Why Is Glutathione so Important to Your Health Especially Now?

Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant found in every cell in the body. It is made of three amino acids: glutamine, glycine, and cysteine (a sulfur-bearing amino acid). Glutathione is critical for the detoxification of carcinogens such as benzene (commonly found in the automotive exhaust), heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium, and lead, and common chemicals such as BPA. It is involved in many biochemical functions in the body, the benefits of glutathione include: 

• Make DNA - the building block of proteins and cells.
• Support immune function.
• Form sperm cells.
• Fight against free radicals.
• Involve in certain enzymes functions.
• Regenerate vitamins C and E.
• Remove toxins such as mercury and fluoride out of the brain.

Methylation mutation can affect the production of glutathione. It is a metabolic process that involves attaching small molecules called methyl groups to fragments of DNA. If your methylation cycle is interrupted, it can affect your health in many ways, including the production and recycling of glutathione, which is the master antioxidant in the body. Methylation can also affect your DNA expression, the function of neurotransmitters, and immune responses. Improving methylation is very important to everyone because it is a critical biochemical process that has a significant impact on your health. The breakdown in methylation can put you at a higher risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, and cancers, etc. Many drugs can affect the methylation process, such as anti-acids, oral contraceptives, HCTZ, and the toxins such as pesticides, toxic heavy metals, and air pollutions.

Here are some tips to improve methylation in your body:

1. Detoxify your body regularly by eating a very clean diet. Eat more dark, leafy greens.
2. Add more food sources of Vit. B group and folate to your diet, such as nuts and seeds, leafy dark green vegetables, asparagus, lentils, and avocados. A methylated B complex that provides an active form of vitamins B2, B6, B12, and folic acid can support methylation. Be aware that animal protein, sugar, and saturated fat deplete your body’s vitamin stores.
3. Limit caffeine and alcohol intake because they can deplete your B vitamin levels.

4. Quit smoking because smoking deactivates vitamin B6.
5. Avoid medications that interfere with methylation.
6. Improve stomach acid and gut health with juicing such as celery juice and cabbage juice.

7. Consider supplements that support methylation if you are not able to get the nutrients sufficiently from food sources, such as magnesium, zinc, B12, and 5-MTHF (the activated form of folic acid).

8. Get plenty of sleep and reduce stress.

There are other ways to boost glutathione levels in your body. For example, incorporate sulfur-rich food in your diet, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, artichoke, cauliflower, and kale. Sulfur is important for producing glutathione. Vitamin C plays an important role in maintaining glutathione levels. Therefore, taking vitamin C supplements may help increase glutathione levels in your body. Including foods high in glutathione is a great way to boost glutathione levels in your body, such as avocados, spinach, and okra, because dietary glutathione is not fully absorbed by the body. Turmeric helps boost glutathione production, many studies have shown that turmeric and curcumin extract have the ability to increase glutathione levels. You can also take glutathione supplements to support your health and immune function. Now it is flu season, recent studies suggested that glutathione supplementation can help relieve the respiratory symptoms of COVID-19. If you have taken the covid vaccine, which can deplete glutathione in your body, it is important to take a proactive approach to boost your glutathione levels with a proper diet and supplementation.

I hope you enjoy the information, for more self-care tips on holistic health and TCM, please visit https://optimalhealthsolutions.ca.