Glutathione - Anti-Aging and the Fountain of Youth

Has the answer to the legendary quest for the "Fountain of Youth" been hiding under our noses (or actually within our own cells) all these years? Perhaps!

The most widely accepted theory of aging is based upon the free-radical theory. In other words, the cumulative effect of oxidative stress eventually degenerates the body's ability to win the daily battles within, and ultimately the war.

Several scientists have found that blood Glutathione levels predictably decline with age in otherwise healthy men and women.

But wait....

Because Glutathione is so critical and central to all of the primary processes of cellular protection, it begs one to question what would happen if we could slow or reverse the age-related decline we see in Glutathione levels.

Research has already shown that the age-related decline in Glutathione levels has a direct link to the onset or severity of many diseases.

In fact, Glutathione has been referenced in thousands of studies and medical papers discussing its role or possible therapeutic use in nearly all areas of health.

So, what would happen if we could preserve or elevate our Glutathione levels? While direct human studies have not yet declared Glutathione the sole victor in our quest for ete
al youth, numerous studies give us reason to look closer.

Doctors J.P. Richie and Calvin Lang, Department of Biochemistry, University of Louisville demonstrated that Glutathione levels decline with age in several organisms including mosquitoes, mice, and humans..

They proposed that restoring Glutathione levels to those of a younger person might result in an extension of life. In their first experiment, they increased the Glutathione levels of mosquitoes by 50-100 percent.

The result? The average mosquito lifespan increased by 30-38 percent. Ok, I realize that helping a mosquito live longer may not sound like good news, but it confirmed their Glutathione hypothesis and demonstrated a specific mechanism of aging that can be nutritionally modified. That is definitely some good news for all of us.

Ok, let's move up the food chain a little bit further.

Dr. Buonous of the Montreal General Hospital Research Institute studied the effects of a biologically-active, non-denatured whey protein diet. The non-denatured whey protein fed mice had an average lifespan of 27 months (equivalent to a human age of 80 years old ) as compared to the control diet mice who only averaged 21 months (equivalent to a human age of 55-60 years old).

Not only did the mice lifespan increase by 30 percent, they clearly showed an increase in Glutathione tissue levels as the result of a diet rich in a bio-active whey protein concentrate.

In a study of enzyme activity in older humans, Dr. Helle Anderson at Odense University in Denmark compared levels of Glutathione reductase in centenarians between 100-105 years old to a group of individuals aged 60-79. They found that the centenarians had higher Glutathione concentrations than the comparison group.

Dr. Mara Julius at the University of Michigan studied a community-based sample of 33 subjects over the age of 60. Dr. Julius found that higher Glutathione levels were associated with fewer illnesses, higher levels of self-rated health, lower cholesterol, lower body mass index, and lower blood pressure. This was an important study because it confirmed the clear evidence of Glutathione's importance to overall health in a non-control group, a community-based sample.

Another point to notice in this study was the higher levels of self-rated health. No one wants to just live longer unless they can also live longer in vibrant health.

We also know that one of the characteristics of aging is a decrease in the immune system which could account for numerous diseases and infections associated with growing older. Not surprisingly, researchers have also proven that low Glutathione levels are linked to this increased susceptibility.

Drs. Dayang Wu and Simin Meydani at Tufts University showed that by adding Glutathione to the white blood cells of elderly people, immune activity approached levels of much younger individuals.

Clearly, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that Glutathione is perhaps the closest thing to the 'Fountain of Youth' yet discovered.

However, discovering Glutathione's importance to your health is only the first step. We must understand how to preserve or boost our Glutathione levels to help ensure optimal health.

"You must get your levels of Glutathione up if you want to keep your youth and live longer. High blood levels of Glutathione predict good health and a long life. Low levels predict early disease and death." Excerpt taken from Jean Carper's bestseller 'Stop Aging Now!'