There are many glutathione supplements on the market including liposomal glutathione, glutathione tablets & capsules. But what is glutathione and why is liposomal glutathione considered the best glutathione supplement to take? Glutathione is an antioxidant that is required in each and every one of our cells. Glutathione is often termed “the master antioxidant” and it is used by every cell of the body to mop up damaging free radicals. Unfortunately, glutathione levels decline with age, most specifically due to poor nutrition, stress, and to toxins from the environment. 

What is glutathione?

Glutathione, also known as GSH, is an antioxidant made from three amino acids, glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine.¹ Most of the body’s glutathione is produced in the liver and, as mentioned above, Glutathione’s main role is to mop up free radicals helping to protect the body from toxic injury. Free radicals are found in our environment and also are formed in the cells when oxygen is used in metabolism to produce energy required for repair and for regenerative purposes. 

Why is glutathione important?

Glutathione or L-Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that the body manufactures itself to protect against damaging free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules as they are missing one or more electrons. To get their stability back, they steal electrons from other molecules and from our DNA which would otherwise result in damage to our body. 

Out of all the numerous nutrients that display antioxidant activity, glutathione is the most powerful donor of electrons which help neutralise these damaging free radicals and prevents oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is when you don’t have sufficient antioxidants in the body so that free radicals start damaging our genetic material as well as our organs. 

If you do not have sufficient glutathione or you have a glutathione deficiency, this can leave you vulnerable to a wide range of diseases and health concerns.^2,3 

Benefits of L-glutathione

The research into the benefits of glutathione are growing rapidly and although there are numerous benefits of glutathione, it is anticipated that many more benefits will be established with ongoing research. Glutathione may be beneficial for:

Oxidative stress - We have already touched on this earlier but one study in 2019⁴ found that GSH had a positive effect on oxidative stress. 

Brain health - The tissues in the brain may be more susceptible to oxidative stress. According to a study in 2017, cells of the hippocampus, responsible for learning and memory, are more at risk of oxidative stress than other areas. Low levels of glutathione are associated in those with neurodegenerative diseases.⁵

Age related macular degeneration – Glutathione has been found to be protective against damage to the RPE cells in the eye.⁶ The RPE is a single layer of cells that form a barrier between the retina and the underlying blood vessels and soft tissues. The RPE has very important functions for keeping the retina alive and to enable photoreceptor cells to detect light.

Supports the immune system – Keeping one’s immune system strong is paramount in keeping infections at bay. Glutathione, GSH, is thought to support specialised white blood cells that attack invading bacteria and viruses, protecting us from infection. 

A study in immunology suggests that GSH enhances your immune response to a pathogen without going into overdrive mode which would be otherwise detrimental if you suffer from autoimmune diseases.⁷

What remains clear is that glutathione deficiency and oxidative stress exists in many types of infections including numerous viral infections. It is suggested that glutathione supplements might prove to be useful.⁸

May help reduce damage to the liver – Just like any other cell In the body, liver cells require high levels of antioxidants especially glutathione. A lack of antioxidants can lead to fatty liver disease whether associated with alcohol or not. 

Glutathione at a dose of 300mg daily for four months displayed positive benefits for people with non-alcohol fatty liver disease.⁹

Detoxification – Glutathione is vital for detoxifying the liver. The liver is the major organ of detoxification since all toxins, pollutants and by-products of cellular metabolism end up there. Glutathione helps neutralise toxins, and helps in the elimination process making it very important for liver health. 

Glutathione for skin health – Glutathione is gaining popularity in its use to help prevent fine lines due to its powerful anti-inflammatory properties as well as its antioxidant properties. 

This is just a small summary of glutathione’s benefits for the body and there are numerous other benefits in protecting the nervous system, helping the respiratory system, in protecting the heart and gastrointestinal tract especially in inflammatory bowel diseases.

Which glutathione supplement should you take?

There are many glutathione supplements on the market in varying strengths most of which should contain GSH, the reduced form of glutathione which is the best form of glutathione as it is the active form and is easily absorbed by the body. The problem with glutathione supplements is that the reduced glutathione’s benefits are compromised by the stomach acids leading to poor levels in the bloodstream. This means that most oral supplements of glutathione deliver very little glutathione or GSH. 

As mentioned previously, although reduced glutathione, GSH, is the best form of glutathione to take, its absorption is hindered by its deactivation by stomach acids. 

Unless one was going to inject glutathione intravenously, I would recommend taking Liposomal Glutathione. A liposome is an oil particle that encapsulates the glutathione helping to protect it from the acids in the stomach. In this way, glutathione absorption levels can be as high as 80%.

Whilst there are a few liposomal glutathione supplements on the market, I would recommend taking Dose by VH Liposomal Glutathione. 

DoSe By VH Liposomal Glutathione contains Setria® Glutathione, a clinically studied form of glutathione shown to raise stores of glutathione. Setria® Glutathione is a pure and safe material with an assay value of between 98% and 100%, is suitable for vegetarians and is allergen-free, Kosher & Halal. 

DoSe By VH Liposomal Glutathione provides 450 mg of reduced glutathione GSH in each serving size of 5 ml so that each bottle provides 30 days supply. Taking a liposomal glutathione form of glutathione is generally recognised as safe and free from side effects. Unlike glutathione tablets and capsules which may cause some gastric discomfort for those with a sensitive stomach, liposomal glutathione is generally free from side effects. 

References:

1. Forman HJ, Zhang H, Rinna A. Glutathione: overview of its protective roles, measurement, and biosynthesis. Mol Aspects Med. 2009 Feb-Apr;30(1-2):1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2008.08.006. Epub 2008 Aug 30. PMID: 18796312; PMCID: PMC2696075.
2. Sekhar RV, Patel SG, Guthikonda AP, Reid M, Balasubramanyam A, Taffet GE, Jahoor F. Deficient synthesis of glutathione underlies oxidative stress in aging and can be corrected by dietary cysteine and glycine supplementation. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Sep;94(3):847-53. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.003483. Epub 2011 Jul 27. PMID: 21795440; PMCID: PMC3155927.
3. Minich DM, Brown BI. A Review of Dietary (Phyto)Nutrients for Glutathione Support. Nutrients. 2019 Sep 3;11(9):2073. doi: 10.3390/nu11092073. PMID: 31484368; PMCID: PMC6770193.
4. Kwon DH, Cha HJ, Lee H, Hong SH, Park C, Park SH, Kim GY, Kim S, Kim HS, Hwang HJ, Choi YH. Protective Effect of Glutathione against Oxidative Stress-induced Cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 Macrophages through Activating the Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor-2/Heme Oxygenase-1 Pathway. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019 Apr 1;8(4):82. doi: 10.3390/antiox8040082. PMID: 30939721; PMCID: PMC6523540.
5. Aoyama K. Glutathione in the Brain. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 May 9;22(9):5010. doi: 10.3390/ijms22095010. PMID: 34065042; PMCID: PMC8125908.
6. Robert Abel Jr. MD, Age Related Macular Degeneration in Integrative Medicine (Fourth Edition), 2018
7. Diotallevi M, Checconi P, Palamara AT, Celestino I, Coppo L, Holmgren A, Abbas K, Peyrot F, Mengozzi M, Ghezzi P. Glutathione Fine-Tunes the Innate Immune Response toward Antiviral Pathways in a Macrophage Cell Line Independently of Its Antioxidant Properties. Front Immunol. 2017 Sep 29;8:1239. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01239. PMID: 29033950; PMCID: PMC5626850.
8. Kumar P, Osahon O, Vides DB, Hanania N, Minard CG, Sekhar RV. Severe Glutathione Deficiency, Oxidative Stress and Oxidant Damage in Adults Hospitalized with COVID-19: Implications for GlyNAC (Glycine and N-Acetylcysteine) Supplementation. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Dec 27;11(1):50. doi: 10.3390/antiox11010050. PMID: 35052554; PMCID: PMC8773164.
9. Honda Y, Kessoku T, Sumida Y, Kobayashi T, Kato T, Ogawa Y, Tomeno W, Imajo K, Fujita K, Yoneda M, Kataoka K, Taguri M, Yamanaka T, Seko Y, Tanaka S, Saito S, Ono M, Oeda S, Eguchi Y, Aoi W, Sato K, Itoh Y, Nakajima A. Efficacy of glutathione for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: an open-label, single-arm, multicenter, pilot study. BMC Gastroenterol. 2017 Aug 8;17(1):96. doi: 10.1186/s12876-017-0652-3. PMID: 28789631; PMCID: PMC5549431.

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