You found it! This article provides a list of food sources and dietary supplements to help you boosts your glutathione levels naturally in your body.
What is glutathione?
Glutathione (GSH) is a substance naturally found in every cell in your body(specifically in your liver), it protects and detoxifies every cell from destructive free radicals, oxidative stress, radiation exposure, mercury and other heavy metals. The presence of free radicals and their oxidative damage in your body can lead to rapid aging and acceleration of chronic disease.
Considered to be the “The Mother of All Antioxidant” and “The Defender of the Cell“, glutathione is a simple molecule that contains three amino acids:[1]
- Glutamic Acid or L-Glutamate
- Cysteine
- Glycine
Among the three, cysteine is the most important amino acid, and the one that is hardest to get from the usual diets and often gets destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract.
By the age of 20, your body’s natural production of glutathione decreases every decade and further reduced by:
- chronic stress
- poor diet
- smoking
- consumption of genitally modified foods
- infection
- radiation
- exercise
- injury
- medication
- artificial sweeteners
- accumulated environmental toxins
And by the age of 40, your glutathione level are severely depleted, resulting in reduced energy levels, increased inflammation and an acceleration of the disease process. Dietary sources of glutathione are therefore necessary to replenish stores and avoid losses.
Without enough glutathione:
- the liver cannot cope with the accumulation of toxins
- immune system cannot function properly
- the cells have little resistance against bacteria, viruses and cancers
- the body cannot even make use of vitamins such as C and E
Many diseases have now been associated with glutathione deficiency such as:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- cystic fibrosis
- cancer
- chronic fatigue
- Multiple Sclerosis
- heart disease
- asthma
- diabetes
- macular degeneration and many others
In order to raise your glutathione levels, you need to increase your dietary consumption rich in sulphur-containing amino acids and of the precursors to glutathione — the amino acids glycine, glutamate and cysteine.
Here are some food sources and dietary supplements that can help boost glutathione production naturally:
1. Bone broth contains all of the glutathione precursor amino acids: glutamine, cysteine and glycine. If you are interested to make your own bone broth, watch the video below by Heather Dessinger.
2. Consume foods high in sulphur.
Sulphur is required for the synthesis of glutathione, one of the premier endogenous antioxidants. [3]Sulfur-rich vegetation comes with extremely potent organosulfur compounds that offer a lot of benefit than animal meat. Sulfur is needed for manufacturing of alpha-lipoic acid and vitamin B1, both are important glutathione cofactors.
Foods high in sulfur include:
3. Milk Thistle, Silymarin
Milk thistle, also known as silymarin, is a powerful antioxidant supplement that helps boost glutathione levels.
4. Whey Protein Isolate
Whey protein is an excellent source of cysteine – the amino acid building block responsible for glutathione synthesis. Whey protein contain rich in sulfur-containing amino acid called alpha-lactalbumin, which helps fight cancer, strengthening the immune system and most especially increases glutathione level.
6. Organic Curcumin (Turmeric)
Turmeric contains curcumin – a compound known for its potent anti-inflammatory and healing qualities. Studies have shown that curcumin has been found to increase glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in rodent liver which contribute to its anti-inflammatory and anti- carcinogenic activities .
7. Selenium
Selenium is an essential component of glutathione peroxidase reduces potentially harmful oxygen radicals.[5] Selenium main function is to build immune system, fights cancer cells and protects from cardiovascular diseases and many others. Selenium rich foods are brazil nuts, mushroom, chia seeds, brown rice, cabbage and beans.
- Glutathione: The Mother of All Antioxidants by Dr. Mark Hyman
- Traditional Bone Broth in Modern Health and Disease by Allison Siebecker
- Why You Should Eat Sulfur-Rich Vegetables
- http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=78
- http://vri.cz/docs/vetmed/46-1-1.pdf
- How Coffee Enemas Work – Gerson Therapy