Oxidative Stress and Glutathione
Oxidative stress in the outside world is the chemistry that causes things to rust. Inside your body it can cause damage to the proteins that keep your cells and their membranes running. Glutathione protects your cells against free radicals that cause oxidative stress.
Glutathione deficiency contributes to oxidative stress, which plays a key role in aging and the pathogenesis of many diseases (including seizure, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, liver disease, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, HIV, AIDS, cancer, heart attack, stroke, and diabetes).
PMID: 14988435
Free radicals are formed when oxygen interacts with molecules and must be neutralized or they will cause cells to “rust”, meaning they will die or perform poorly. Studies have shown that oxidative stress increases with aging. Over time, free radicals can lead to degenerative diseases including heart disease, memory problems, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis.
Glutathione is considered the most important antioxidant because it is the only antioxidant capable of working with enzymes. One enzyme, glutathione peroxidase, works with GSH to prevent membranes from being “rusted” or oxidized. Glutathione also helps activate the better-known antioxidants, vitamin C and vitamin E.
