Dr. Caitlin Fanning, ND, Naturopathic doctor and women’s health specialist, discusses the benefits of glutathione for anti-aging.
Glutathione- The Fountain of Youth
Glutathione is a vital antioxidant that is naturally found in every cell in your body. It’s sometimes known as the “Fountain of Youth” and is a key nutrient in detoxification pathways. It’s strongly anti-aging and helps prevent disease through protecting cells from damage.
Achieving optimal health, improving performance, and preventing chronic disease all rely on keeping levels of glutathione high.
DETOXIFICATION
Glutathione is the main driver of the removal of toxins through the liver. It helps our bodies get rid of both internal (metabolic) and external (environmental) waste.
If you use medications (especially Tylenol), have exposure to pesticides or other chemicals, drink alcohol, or have significant environmental exposure to toxins, you’ll likely benefit from additional glutathione support. Glutathione also helps to protect the liver cells from damage and prevent various liver diseases.
IMMUNITY
As a powerhouse antioxidant, glutathione helps your innate immune cells do their jobs effectively, and helps fight damage from infection.
PROTECTING
Glutathione protects our cells and tissues from free radicals. It helps recycle Vitamin C + Vitamin E, other primary antioxidants. This helps with healing and recovery of damaged tissues and reduces oxidative stress.
Bonus: It helps your skin look great!
METABOLISM & BLOOD SUGAR
Glutathione helps regulate blood sugar levels in the body through reducing insulin resistance. Adequate glutathione levels help to boost fat loss and lower fat storage.
Do I Need Glutathione?
With the right building blocks, the right genetics, and a superbly clean, healthy lifestyle with low toxin exposure you may be able produce adequate levels of glutathione yourself (depending on your genetics)
Glutathione is naturally depleted with aging and increased cellular stress!
Glutathione production decreases significantly with age. Interestingly, people who live longer have more available glutathione! Stress, poor nutrition, and toxin exposure will deplete your glutathione over time.
Low glutathione levels have been linked to many chronic degenerative conditions like cancer, cardiovascular, liver, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
If you have genetic mutations in the MTHFR gene or have other compromised detoxification genes, you could have a harder time maintaining optimal levels of glutathione. (Learn more about specialized genetic testing here: https://www.seekinghealth.com/collections/strategene)