Cardiovascular risk and glutathione.

Glutathione is a very effective antioxidant the body produces. Antioxidants protect tissue from free radical damage. Oxidized LDL (the bad cholesterol) initiates atherosclerosis and glutathione protects against lipid oxidation. The reviewed research investigated whether glutathione could reduce cardiovascular mortality (Buijsse B, et al. 2012). The study included participants who after 5 to 12 years of follow up had died of cardiovascular disease and also a control group. The researchers concluded that individuals with both low HDL (the good cholesterol) and low glutathione activity are at markedly increased risk for death from cardiovascular disease. Glutathione is a very important antioxidant that has been known for many years, but regular glutathione when taken orally is destroyed in the stomach and provides no benefits. There are however ways to overcome that now. A form called S-Acetyl Glutathione is not destroyed in the stomach and can be taken orally, providing the benefits of glutathione. Click here to read more about the benefits of S-Acetyl Glutathione.

Buijsse B, Lee DH, Steffen L, Erickson RR, Luepker RV, Jacobs DR Jr, Holtzman JL. Low serum glutathione peroxidase activity is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in individuals with low HDLc’s. PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e38901. Epub 2012 Jun 15.