Setria® Glutathione is a tripeptide consisting of three amino acids: glutamate, cysteine, and glycine. It is found to varying degrees in all cells, tissues, body fluids, and organ systems.
Glutathione is recognized as the great protector. Without glutathione, each cell would become so ravaged by free radicals that it would disintegrate. A lack of glutathione would also negatively affect the liver and immune system. By fighting free radicals, glutathione supports the liver so it can carry out its job of detoxifying the body. Likewise, preventing free radical damage also helps promote a healthy immune system.
Our bodies obtain glutathione in two ways: from the foods we eat and from our own internal production. Because of the body's ability to make glutathione, it is not considered an "essential" nutrient. Under some conditions, though, the body's need for glutathione is outpaced by its ability to produce it.
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Factors Affecting Glutathione Status
- Time of Day: According to researchers at Emory University, levels of glutathione vary over a 24-hour period, spiking about six hours after each meal and hitting their lowest point in the morning hours.
- Age: Young, healthy people tend to have enough glutathione. However, glutathione levels start to decline at around age 45 and continue to decline until death.
- Health Conditions: Glutathione status may be depleted by a variety of different health conditions.
- Diet: The best dietary sources of glutathione are freshly prepared meats and fresh fruits and vegetables (both raw and cooked). Most processed foods have little to no glutathione.
- Glutathione Antagonists: Some foods - such as cereals, bread, and dairy products - are not only lacking glutathione, they actually act as glutathione antagonists. Common beverages such as tea and coffee also contain glutathione -destroying compounds, although in lower concentrations.
- Lifestyle Factors: Because cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol intake cause an increase in free radical production, both habits deplete glutathione levels.
- Medications: Both prescription and over-the-counter drugs can lower glutathione status.
- Weight: People who are overweight tend to have lower glutathione levels than those who are within normal weight range because excess fat is correlated with oxidative (free radical-induced) stress.