Oxidative stress from free radicals can damage all tissue including the brain and the nervous system.
In addition to that, there are many substances that could be damaging to the brain and the nervous system.
For these reasons the body has been equipped with certain protective mechanisms, the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier and the blood-brain barrier are two such mechanisms.
If we could support the protective functions of both the brain and the nervous system, it would be beneficial, I think we all can agree on that.
The good news is that there are several things we can do, and there is one thing which is both very effective and also easy to implement.
The blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier efficiency can be enhanced by increasing glutathione within the epithelial cells (Ghersi-Egea JF, et al. 2006).
Epithelial cells line the surface of the blood vessels.
Glutathione is the most effective antioxidant the body is making, but as we get older we make less and need more.
Oxidative stress has been associated with both mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease (Pocemich CB, Butterfield DA, 2012).
This makes a good case for supplementing with glutathione.
Some years back we were not able to do that in a meaningful way, since the glutathione on the market was not very effective in raising blood levels of glutathione.
Actually most of the glutathione on the market is still in a form which is oxidized in the stomach (destroyed) and does not do much good.
The glutathione needs to get into the cells which need protection.
S-Acetyl Glutathione is such a substance and is for that reason a very effective antioxidant.
The good news, it is also very easy to take since it comes in small capsules.
Ghersi-Egea JF1, Strazielle N, Murat A, Jouvet A, Buénerd A, Belin MF. Brain protection at the blood-cerebrospinal fluid interface involves a glutathione-dependent metabolic barrier mechanism. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2006 Sep;26(9):1165-75. Epub 2006 Jan 4.
Pocernich CB1, Butterfield DA. Elevation of glutathione as a therapeutic strategy in Alzheimer disease. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012 May;1822(5):625-30. doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2011.10.003. Epub 2011 Oct 12.
Effective S-Acetyl Glutathione
Glutathione is your primary defense against aging, but regular glutathione is oxidized (destroyed in the stomach) and provides little value. S-Acetyl Glutathione is easily absorbed and provides protection.