Glutathione is the most powerful antioxidant your body produces and yet few people understand its importance. However, there is hope as experts are beginning to realize and communicate the connection between low glutathione levels and chronic disease. “It is critical for immune function and controlling inflammation. It is the master detoxifier and the body’s main antioxidant, protecting our cells and making our energy metabolism run well,” says Mark Hyman, MD, a pioneer in functional medicine. “In terms of staying healthy, it is one of the most important molecules in the body.”

Glutathione helps protect your body from toxins, neutralizes free radicals, enhances the immune system and assists the liver in the detoxification process. But is your lifestyle conducive to producing enough glutathione for optimal health? The typical American lifestyle depletes your body’s stores of this antioxidant – everything from poor diet to medications to stress to pollution.

What is Glutathione?

Glutathione is made from three amino acids: glutamic acid, cysteine and glycine. The key to Glutathione’s power is found in the sulfur chemical groups it contains. Sulfur is a sticky molecule that acts as a “sticky pad” and collects harmful objects, such as free radicals and toxins, before they cause any damage and flushes them out of your system.

Glutathione is found in every cell in the body and protects your cells “power plants” called the Mitochondria from viruses, bacteria and toxins.  Dr. Hyman calls Glutathione the “Mother of all Antioxidants” because it is so vital to your health.  Most antioxidants have a very short life, sacrificing themselves after disposing of a free radical.  Glutathione, however, has enough power to not only bring other antioxidants back to life but it also can recharge itself, continuing its protective and detoxifying cycle.

Keeping yourself healthy, maintaining a health immune system and preventing many diseases depends on increasing and maintain your levels of Glutathione.

How Do I Get More of It?

1. Consume sulfur-rich foods. The main foods are garlic, onion and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, cauliflower, watercress, etc.).
2. Exercise increases your glutathione levels. 30 minutes of cardio each day and 30 minutes of strength training 3 times a week will boost your glutathione levels, improve your immune system and help with detoxification.

3. Take supporting supplements to improve your body’s ability to produce glutathione
   1. N-acetyl-cysteine
   2. Alpha lipoic acid
   3. Methylation nutrients. These are perhaps the most critical to keep the body producing glutathione. Methylation and the production of glutathione are the two most important biochemical functions in your body. Take folate (in the active form of 5 methyltetrahydrofolate), B6 (in active form of Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate) and B12 (in active form of methylcobalamin).
   4. Selenium

How Can Soli Help?

• Soli Wellness Assessment. Our Wellness Protocol is designed to assess your overall ability to produce energy and use nutrition properly. This is key to getting the nutrients and energy into the cell to produce Glutathione in the first place.

• Genetic Methylation Testing. As stated above, your methylation ability is very important for many functions and productions in the body, including glutathione production. Most of us are missing genes or have mutated genes that cause our methylation pathways to break down and functions to go awry. With genetic testing, we can determine where your methylation pathways are breaking down and which nutrients are needed to keep them working smoothly.

• LifeStyle Coaching. Schedule a time to meet with our LifeStyle coach to assess your diet and implement goals to optimize your glutathione levels.

• GCEL – Intracellular Glutathione is a supplement with a combination of nutrients to optimize your glutathione levels.