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Every single day your body is exposed to toxins like formaldehyde, chlorine, and arsenic. Formaldehyde from carpets, new clothes, gas stoves, or furniture. Chlorine, from your drinking water, shower, and swimming pools or hot tubs. Arsenic, from fish, unfiltered water, rice, and even apples. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Your body also makes toxic compounds (something you probably don’t think about!), such as hydrogen peroxide. You might recognize hydrogen peroxide as that brown bottle that you use for disinfecting wounds. But this compound is also produced by your immune system to fight infections. A brilliantly-made disinfecting system, but in high amounts, it can be toxic. (10, 11, 12)
All of these toxins—whether made by your body or found in the environment—aren’t easily removed from your body. They can accumulate in tissues, such as the brain. Accumulation of these heavy metals and toxic compounds can lead to health issues that are often vague, and hard to evaluate. Some of these health issues include brain fog, fatigue, inflammation, sore muscles, chemical sensitivity, poor vision, mood swings, and even dementia! (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12)
Thankfully, your body makes something which helps you eliminate these toxins quite efficiently — as long as you have enough of it.
It’s called glutathione.
Glutathione is your body’s ‘master’ antioxidant. It is found everywhere in your body - your liver, brain, heart, lungs, and eyes. It is present in quite surprisingly high levels, even as high as glucose, potassium, and cholesterol levels! (13, 14, 15)
It is responsible for eliminating arsenic, formaldehyde, chlorine, excess hydrogen peroxide, and much more. As most antioxidants do, it helps to fight cellular damage. Cellular damage is what prematurely ages us, such as premature grey hair, and leads to diseases such as heart disease, cognitive dysfunction, or diabetes. Of course, aging is natural, however, premature aging is completely different and can have dangerous health outcomes. (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Having good glutathione levels can help to support healthy aging, and keep your detoxification system “well oiled”. In fact, glutathione has been studied for its significant role in brain and liver health. (19, 20, 21, 26, 27)
The problem is this: it’s not easy for your body to make glutathione. (13, 14, 15)
And not only is it difficult to make, but once it’s made, it is constantly used up because of your exposure to life’s many toxins and stress. (16, 18, 19)
Glutathione is a tripeptide made up of cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine. (14)
A large portion of glutathione in the body is created starting with a compound called homocysteine. Homocysteine is converted through two enzymes into the amino acid cysteine. Cysteine requires two more enzymatic reactions before being finally converted into glutathione. Each enzyme that does the “converting” requires very specific nutrients to function, called cofactors, including glycine, magnesium, and vitamin B6.(13, 14, 15)
This is a multifunctional, multistep process, which is delicate. If disrupted, our ability to make glutathione is weakened, as is our ability to neutralize harmful compounds.
Some people think that supplementing with building blocks of glutathione, such as N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), helps to make glutathione. This is not always true. Yes, it does give you cysteine, but what if you’re low in cofactor nutrients that allow glutathione manufacturing enzymes to work? Or what if you have genetic variations that cause your enzymes to work slowly?
In a world without as many toxins and stress as we are facing, your glutathione production may be working just fine. But this isn’t the case. We have a constant demand for detoxification, so there needs to be a constant supply of glutathione.
Did you know that once your glutathione levels are in a healthy range, your body can reuse it?(13, 14, 15)
Yes, glutathione has its own ‘recycling system’! (13)
So, how do you keep up with this toxic world and ensure that you are getting enough glutathione?
You give your body glutathione in a form that it can actually use. Supplementing with a bioavailable form of glutathione may help to sustain, recycle, and reuse to support a healthy stress response and promote healthy aging.* (22, 23)
To take the weight off of your body’s own production of glutathione, you can supplement with it directly.
Even if your glutathione production enzymes are not functioning at their best, you can support healthy glutathione levels directly.
Glutathione is a vulnerable, unstable nutrient that will oxidize (degrade) in supplement form quite quickly. This is why you want to ensure you are always getting it in a highly-absorbable form, or in an optimally-absorbed format that helps to stabilize and protect the glutathione.
At Seeking Health, we’ve designed all of our glutathione products for optimal protection, stabilization, and absorption of the glutathione.†
Seeking Health offers three different glutathione products:
First, I’ll talk about the ‘original’ version and then I’ll explain why you might benefit from one of our ‘plus’ versions. It really comes down to preference, but let me quickly explain why the liposomal delivery method is superior.†
The liposomal delivery method works by binding the glutathione to a fatty liquid base, called phospholipids. This phospholipid base, which is often sourced from soy in other brands, is sourced from non-GMO sunflower oil in our Seeking Health products.
Phospholipids are well recognized by your cells and promote healthy absorption of the nutrient it’s attached to. And without being encased in a capsule, the liquid form is more immediately absorbed.* (25)
Optimal Liposomal Glutathione provides our highest serving of glutathione of all three glutathione products. It contains a powerful 100 mg of glutathione per ¾ tsp in the form of “reduced” L-glutathione.
You will love this product if you are looking for a way to easily adjust your serving, such as starting with a small droplet and working your way up to full serving size. Or maybe you want to adjust your serving depending on your stress and toxicity exposure that day. Since your nutritional needs are constantly fluctuating depending on your environment, it is important to use glutathione with awareness, and to be careful to not take too little or too much.
Also, this versatile liquid allows for optimal immediate absorption of the glutathione because there is no capsule encasing that needs to be digested first. Because of this, it’s a great product if you want more immediate glutathione supplementation.†
Glutathione is made from the sulfur containing amino acid cysteine. (13) Sulfur has a particular taste and smell that some people do not enjoy which is present in the liquid liposomal versions.
Remember, liquids are always great options for people who cannot swallow capsules. Liquids are also absorbed faster than capsules because there is no encasing that needs to be first digested.
In addition, our founder, Dr. Ben Lynch recommends that everyone start with a low amount of glutathione, and slowly work their way up to a higher serving if needed.
Why?
Glutathione is not easily tolerated by everyone in high amounts. Some people experience side effects due to a deficiency in processing nutrients, making it important for them to monitor their glutathione intake.
This brings us to our next two glutathione products, our ‘plus’ versions.
It is incredibly important for you to remember that our bodies require specific nutrients to produce, process, regulate, and transport compounds, especially ones as important as glutathione.
If you are deficient in any of these nutrients, direct glutathione supplementation may not be broken down or recycled efficiently.
Have you tried glutathione in the past, and it hasn’t worked for you?
Have you experienced side effects from it such as anxiety, abdominal pain, dizziness, or nausea? (Of course, with any adverse reaction to a supplement, stop consumption immediately, and speak to your health professional!)
Through years of research, Dr. Ben Lynch, the founder of Seeking Health and master formulator, has uncovered the biochemical reasons why some people tolerate glutathione beautifully while others don’t.
Your glutathione pathway is constantly working hard to produce glutathione, recycle it, and break it down. The byproducts of glutathione breakdown also need to be broken down. This process continues until all the by-products are excreted or recycled into something else.
Nutrients such as riboflavin, selenium, and molybdenum are essential for this glutathione recycling pathway.Genetic variations or constant genetic stress also play a part. If any of the genes involved in this pathway contain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that affect the function of the enzyme, it can cause dysfunction in the processing. Even without genetic variations, constant stress, such as from toxins or environmental causes, also affect the activity of genes, and therefore the enzymes.
For example, the enzyme that turns cysteine byproducts into sulfate in the glutathione pathway is called the sulfite oxidase (SUOX) enzyme. In some people, the SUOX gene is working slower than ideal. If you are also deficient in SUOX’s key cofactor nutrient, molybdenum, it can further slow its activity. When a susceptible person is deficient in this nutrient, they may experience mild flushing or anxiety due to the buildup of sulfites and sulfite byproducts.
Perhaps you have gotten flushed or anxious after drinking red wine or eating dried fruits? Both of these food products use sulfites as preservatives. If you already have a sensitivity to sulfites, supplementing with glutathione can possibly increase the sulfites if you are deficient in molybdenum.
We added molybdenum to our Glutathione Plus products to support healthy SUOX function and to help avoid these issues for even the most sensitive of our clients.†
Anytime you increase your glutathione stores, the demand for enzymes that recycle and use it also increases. This is often why, even though you may not be deficient in the nutrients and enzymes, by increasing glutathione, you may become more deficient in them.
When you replenish your body with glutathione, an enzyme, called the GPX enzyme, uses it to combat toxins. This GPX enzyme requires selenium. Any used glutathione is then recycled back into usable glutathione by your GSR enzyme. This enzyme requires vitamin B2. Both selenium and vitamin B2, therefore, support glutathione use and re-use. (13, 14, 15, 24, 25)
For enhanced glutathione processing, recycling, and utilization,* Dr. Lynch created our three “plus” glutathione products:
These “plus” versions contain the important glutathione processing and recycling nutrients:
Our Optimal Glutathione “Plus” versions are also available in either a liquid liposomal or capsule format. They are intelligently designed to contain glutathione, along with the exact amount of selenium, vitamin B2, molybdenum, and PQQ for the ultimate functioning of your glutathione system.†
Glutathione Plus contains 100 mg of acetylated glutathione in an acid-resistant capsule, along with the important processing and recycling nutrients. This version is great for those wanting a taste-free, easy-to-swallow capsule. This makes it easy to take your glutathione traveling or on-the-go. It’s also great for people who want to start with a lower dose of glutathione.
Liposomal Glutathione Plus contains 100 mg of glutathione per serving, along with the processing and recycling nutrients. However, just like our original liposomal glutathione, this S-Acetyl-glutathione is bound to a fatty phospholipid complex for optimal absorption and protection of glutathione. This is great if you want a more immediate absorption than capsule form, have a hard time swallowing capsules, and for maximum dose adjustability. Starting with a single droplet and working your way up to a full dose is easy with this formula!†
Optimal Glutathione Plus lozenges contain the gentlest dose of glutathione, at 25mg per serving. They also contain the same important processing and recycling nutrients as the other 2 products. This is a great option for those who cannot swallow pills and the fruity flavor is favored by kids. Unlike capsules, when you take a lozenge, the digestion begins in the mouth rather than the stomach. If you absorb nutrients poorly, this will support nutrient absorption.†
Seeking Health’s glutathione product line is at the forefront of healthy aging and stress support.* Our three versatile ‘original’ and ‘plus’ formulas allow you to choose the one that perfectly suits your needs.
Stress and aging go hand-in-hand and can have detrimental effects on our bodies. While removing stress and toxins from our environment is important, it’s our resilience that truly matters. Though we are always aiming for a cleaner, healthier world, it's probably not going to happen today, or even in our lifetimes. Having tools to support your body’s detoxification system, immune system, stress response, and normal aging processes might just be one of the best choices you make for yourself.†
Now that you have all this incredibly important information, it’s time for you to take action!
Having glutathione in your home provides the confidence you need to know you’re supporting your body's natural ability to eliminate chemicals that you're exposed to every single day. Choose the formula that’s best for you, and venture out feeling healthy!†
Get Seeking Health Glutathione Supplements here.
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