9 Natural Ways to Increase Your Glutathione Levels

Glutathione is a naturally produced substance that your body needs for some specific functions. But sometimes, its level drops down and you need some artificial or natural sources to fulfill your breeds. The natural ways to increase your Glutathione include eating foods rich in sulfur, vitamin C and selenium.  Such foods can help increase your Glutathione levels. 

What is Glutathione?

Glutathione is the mixture of three essential amino acids, known as glutamate, cysteine, and glycine. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that enables your body cells to combat harmful or hazardous cells or chemicals produced in your body, including free radicals. It acts as a protector of your healthy cells from the damaged cells. It cleans the internal environment of your body by detoxifying the harmful chemicals, drugs or pollutants, most of which are created in your body.

Thus, it is right to say that Glutathione is a strong antioxidant found naturally in your body and reduces oxidative stress by combating free radicals in your body. Generally, antioxidants are obtained through food but this antioxidant is produced in your own body naturally. 

Some health conditions are also associated with the decrease of glutathione levels in your body, including:

• Hepatitis.
• Cancer.
• Parkinson’s disease.
• Type 2 diabetes.
• HIV/AIDS

Studies indicate a number of causes of lowering the glutathione levels in your body, such as chronic disease, malnutrition, under-nutrition, constant depression or anxiety and different types of infections. However, it is the common conclusion of several studies and researches that old age is the main factor of dropped levels of glutathione. With progressing age, your body cells lose the ability to produce glutathione naturally. If you want to increase your glutathione levels naturally, maintain adequate levels of antioxidants in your body. Some natural ways to boost glutathione levels naturally in your body are jotted below:

Add Regular Physical Activity into Your Routine

Doing exercise regularly is considered good for your physical as well as mental health. Physical healthcare providers and neurologists suggest doing exercise to get rid of many physical and mental health issues. Similarly, there are a number of studies that suggest exercise is a great tool to increase levels of many antioxidants, including glutathione. 

However, you need to talk to your healthcare  provider and physical trainer to know which form of workout is beneficial for you. According to bodyweight workout trainers and physical activity expats, glutathione levels increase naturally when you add both weight training and cardio into your workout routine. But excess of everything is bad and if you over-train yourself without maintaining good nutrition and rest,you will be at great risk of drop in levels off glutathione production in your body. Therefore, it is essential to add regular physical activity into your daily routine.

Eat Foods Contain Reservoir of Natural Glutathione

Although your body can produce glutathione naturally but in case of any disturbance or lack of the said hormone, you can have some dietary sources that may help you regain the optimum amount of glutathione that is needed for your body. These foods include okra, avocados or spinach. Asparagus is another rich reservoir of glutathione.

But the problem that makes it hard to rely on dietary sources of glutathione is, glutathione gained from dietary sources is difficult to assimilate or absorb in your body. 

Studies show that storage conditions and cooking resources affect the amount of glutathione found in dietary sources. Unfavorable storage conditions decrease the amount of the said hormone and affect its effectiveness. However, the glutathione gained from dietary sources just helps to decrease oxidative stress that had been created due to insufficient amount of natural glutathione in your body. This means, incorporating dietary sources to your diet plan for increasing glutathione level is not a very effective source.

Another study based on a control experiment has shown that taking glutathione-rich foods decreases the risk of oral cancer. However, more authentic research is needed to prove the theory. It is also a debate of the day that how much glutathione level is impactful on the creation of oxidative stress in your body.

Avoiding Too Much Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages

Excessive consumption of alcohol or alcoholic drinks have serious bad effects on your overall health .It also damages various organs and their function. Alcoholic beverages lead to building up oxidative stress. It damages the structure and function of your vital organs including your brain, lungs, liver and pancreas leading to serious diseases like pancreatitis, brain hemorrhage and liver cirrhosis. But for all of these the most dangerous is the effects of alcoholism on your lungs. Drinking alcohol causes depletion of glutathione from your lungs while glutathione is essential for the lung airways to function properly.. Studies reveal that healthy lungs have 1000 times more glutathione than other body parts that is the main functioning element for air exchange in alveoli. Excessive use of alcoholic beverages lead to depletion of glutathione from your lungs that causes oxidative stress there. Research has also supported the report that 70-80% of glutathione is depleted in lungs due to excessive consumption of alcohol. Therefore, experts suggest limiting your alcohol intake so that you may maintain your glutathione level within optimum range.

Get Enough Sleep

Good quality sleep always impacts your overall health in positive ways. Similarly, lack of sleep or interrupted sleep patterns leads to hormonal imbalance and creates oxidative stress in your body. Studies show that a bad sleep routine or disrupted circadian rhythm is a leading cause of decrease of glutathione level in your body. 

In addition, Another study also has revealed that people suffering from insomnia experience lower levels of glutathione peroxidase activity. 

Moreover, several research sources have claimed that the animal studies have proved that lower levels of glutathione are directly linked to sleep deprivation. So it is necessary for a balanced glutathione level that you  should have good, consistent sleep each night. Good sleep hygiene is the most essential factor that helps maintain levels of glutathione in the body.

Incorporate More Sulfur-Rich Foods into Your Diet

Glutathione contains a major element that forms the basis of its structure and function. The element is sulfur. Sulfur is not only a structural unit of glutathione but it also provides structural and functional support to many proteins and enzymes. This mineral is naturally found in some proteinaceous foods and plant foods. This means you need a rich amount of sulfur to prepare glutathione in your body naturally. Studies show that sulfur is naturally packed in amino acids especially in these two, cysteine and methionine. Red meat, poultry products and fish are rich sources of these amino acids. Some cruciferous vegetables including mustard green, broccoli, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are the greatest reservoir of sulfur. These are vegetative sources of sulfur. If you’re a vegan you can consume these vegetables to maintain the hormonal balance in your body.

In addition, eating sulfur-rich foods also help decrease oxidative stress by maintaining balance of glutathione levels. More examples of sulfur containing vegetables are garlic and onions that are easily available.

Consume Foods Rich in Vitamin C

Citrus fruits like orange, lemon, grapefruit and strawberries are rich sources of vitamin C. This is also found in bell papers, kiwi and papayas. Oxidative stress damages the cell structure leading to malfunctioning but vitamin C protects cells from this damage. It is not an effective antioxidant itself but it also levels other antioxidants, such as glutathione. 

In addition, recent research revealed that they also have a tendency to attack free radicals. This ability makes it perfect for sparing glutathione.

In other research, it is claimed that vitamin C supplements can increase the levels of glutathione in your white blood cells, if you have no other health issues. Therefore, the experimental study was made on 20 people. They were given 500-1000 mg of vitamin C supplements for 4 months continuously. Results showed that the glutathione level was 20% increased in their white blood cells. 

Thus, it is proven that taking a minimum 500 mg of vitamin C daily can help increase your glutathione levels up to a great extent. 

However, these researches or studies show the effects of vitamin C on glutathione levels in supplement form. There is no clear verification to prove if the foods containing vitamin C have the same effect as supplements. More research is needed to verify the theory that foods rich in vitamin C can help increase glutathione levels in your body.

Incorporate Foods Containing Selenium into Your Diet

Glutathione needs a co-factor for its activity and selenium is the co-factor. You can get selenium by eating beef, cheese, brown rice, and fish. Increased supply of selenium plays a role in increasing your glutathione levels. However, some studies show that taking selenium supplements causes chronic kidney disease. 

According to a study, people were given 300 mg of selenium daily for two months. Their blood examination showed that they had increased levels of glutathione in their bloodbath. 70% of people also got kidney diseases. 

In addition, patients surviving on hemodialysis often take selenium supplements to increase the levels of glutathione peroxidase. But once again, all above mentioned studies involve selenium supplements instead selenium-rich foods. Therefore, more research is needed to check if selenium-rich food also has the same effects as selenium supplements.

Consider Milk Thistle

Glutathione levels can be boosted by using milk thistle supplements. It is also a natural way because milk thistle supplements are extracted from the milk thistle plants. Milk thistle has a combination of three active compounds, which are collectively called silymarine. It is a highly antioxidant substance that is found in milk thistle plants in higher concentrations.

In addition, silymarine was found to be the best replacement for glutathione. It is also considered good to increase the level of natural glutathione in certain circumstances. It increases the glutathione levels without damaging the body cells.

Try Turmeric Extract

The last common and popular natural herb, turmeric, is also known as a spice in the subcontinent. It also has some medicinal features that makes it a perfect choice for relieving pain in injuries and recovery procedures. Its main component curcumin is highly concentrated in its pure raw form. Therefore, experts suggest extracting curcumin from turmeric in its raw form. 

According to several studies, turmeric and its extract curcumin can increase the glutathione levels naturally. As the curcumin in turmeric helps restore the required levels of glutathione and improve their enzyme action.

Possible Side Effects of Glutathione

Although several studies show their findings about the beneficial effects of glutathione, researchers are still trying to find out anything about the complications related to glutathione use. In the most recent research of food and drug authority, it is stated that using glutathione powder is also associated with adverse side effects, including:

• Vomiting.
• Nausea.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Lightheadedness.
• Low blood pressure.
• Chills.
• Body aches.

The research centers have declared that excess use of powdered or injectable glutathione have higher concentrations of endotoxins which are responsible for many complications in the human body. These substances are linked with severe health conditions. So using glutathione without the consultation of a certified-healthcare professional can cause serious side effects.

Conclusion

Glutathione is a naturally occurring substance that your body can make on its own. It is a powerful antioxidant that is also found in other dietary sources. Several factors like sedentary lifestyle, increasing age, and poor diet affect the natural production of glutathione in your body and as a result the glutathione knees get down in your body. Sometimes, the situation gets worse and glutathione has been depleted completely. This is a matter of concern but the good thing is you can maintain the glutathione leeks by increasing your physical activity, getting enough sleep, avoiding tobacco products and alcohol and eating a balanced diet. 

Other ways to improve the concentration of glutathione in the body include, using vitamin C products, taking milk with the supplements, adding turmeric to your diet and eating fresh vegetables in bulk quantities. In short, you shouldn’t worry about decreasing levels of glutathione. You can fulfill your needs by other means.