Using NAC as a glutathione precursor

[Xaxist]

Glutathione and NAC

The reason to implement supplementation with NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) would be to increase glutathione levels. As many of you know, glutathione is a powerful ‘master’ antioxidant in every cell of our body and actually helps to potentiate other antioxidants (e.g., vitamins C and E). Glutathione is a tri-peptide (3 amino acids) produced by your body. The three building blocks are the amino acids cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid (or L-glutamate, not the same thing as glutamine).

Getting glutathione directly from oral supplementation into your blood is problematic at best since you end up digesting it. Most oral glutathione supplements are poorly absorbed and a waste of money. The best way to boost your glutathione is to provide your body with what it needs to construct this valuable antioxidant. Since cysteine is widely considered to be the most difficult component to get (cooking destroys much of it in our diets), the focus of this post will be on cysteine augmentation with a focus on NAC.

Cysteine Supplements to Boost Glutathione Levels
*L-cysteine: old school direct supplementation of cysteine but has negligible impact on raising glutathione levels.
*SAMe (s-adenosylmethionine): The amino acid methionine is converted to cysteine in your body. A form of methionine, SAMe has been shown to increase glutathione levels.
*NAC (n-acetyl cysteine): This is a modified form of cysteine available both as a drug and as a supplement, and is known to have positive effects on glutathione production. In fact, a prescription form of this is used for acetaminophen poisoning in hospitals.
*RiboCeine (D-ribose-L-cysteine): This is a newer cysteine amalgamation that combines the glutathione precursor cysteine with the monosaccharide ribose to yield D-ribose-L-cysteine. This is able to pass through the digestion intact to create a boost in systemic glutathione production according to limited data.

NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine) Supplementation
At present, NAC is probably the most popular supplement for boosting glutathione via cysteine augmentation and has been proven to work. This is used by doctors to treat liver toxification, angina, ALS, and Alzheimer’s. So this would make it a safe bet for everyone, right? Not so fast, there is no such thing as a perfect supplement or drug, and this is no exception.

While there is no doubt that NAC supplements are moderately effective, there can be toxic side effects such as headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, and nausea. Also, NAC decreases Zinc, so supplementing with additional zinc and copper is recommended along with Vitamin C to help prevent the cysteine from converting to Cystine, which can form kidney and bladder stones.

According to recent research at The University of Virginia, N-Acetyl-Cysteine forms a red blood cell derived molecule that makes blood vessels think they are not getting enough oxygen. This can lead to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a serious condition characterized by high blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood to the lungs. The results appeared in the September 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Warnings and Contraindications:
--High doses (7+ grams) of cysteine can be toxic to human cells and may even lead to death.
--NAC may raise levels of homocysteine, an amino acid marker for heart disease. If you are over 30, and have a history of heart disease in your family, you should have blood work and talk to your doctor before/during NAC supplementation.
--Taking NAC by mouth may cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
--People with cystinuria, a kidney condition in which too much cysteine is lost in the urine, should not take cysteine supplements.
--Treatment with NAC may strengthen the effects of some medications that suppress the immune system, such as azathioprine (Imuran), cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), or prednisone (Deltasone). Do not take NAC with these medications without talking to your doctor first.
--NAC may strengthen the effect of nitroglycerin and isosorbide (Isordil), two medications commonly used to treat chest pain, and this combination may also raise the risk of side effects, such as severe headaches, and abnormally low blood pressure.
--NAC strengthens the effect of oxiconazole (Oxistat), an antifungal medication.

CONCLUSIONS
NAC can be very helpful in boosting glutathione levels in your body but there is a dark side to this supplement so weigh the risks, talk to your doctor, and make your own informed decision.

ADDENDUM: Whey as a glutathione booster
Whey is a more natural way of boosting your glutathione levels and since many of us here routinely use whey protein, other supplementation of cysteine may not really be needed (keep in mind that many of the studies on glutathione are on compromised patients with active disease processes). Un-denatured bio active whey (e.g., cold processed) should provide support for systemic glutathione production.

[austinite]

Getting glutathione directly from oral supplementation into your blood is problematic at best since you end up digesting it. Most oral glutathione supplements are poorly absorbed and a waste of money. The best way to boost your glutathione is to provide your body with what it needs to construct this valuable antioxidant. Since cysteine is widely considered to be the most difficult component to get (cooking destroys much of it in our diets), the focus of this post will be on cysteine augmentation with a focus on NAC.

Every study on earth says otherwise.... NAC orally at 600mgg s very effective and 100's of members have shown this in their CMP's including myself. Liver transplant patients use oral NAC as part of their supplementation regimen. It's not moderately effective, it's incredibly effective. Better than any over the counter supplement available to us today.

Anyway, please always provide the source of the original author. Googling some excepts from your posts yields lots of results of identical excerpts on the other websites.

There's no need to talk to your doctor. NAC is safe. Most of us use it daily between 600 and 2400mg with only benefits. Nothing compares to NAC.

[Xaxist]

Every study on earth says otherwise.... NAC orally at 600mgg s very effective and 100's of members have shown this in their CMP's including myself. Liver transplant patients use oral NAC as part of their supplementation regimen. It's not moderately effective, it's incredibly effective. Better than any over the counter supplement available to us today.

Anyway, please always provide the source of the original author. Googling some excepts from your posts yields lots of results of identical excerpts on the other websites.

There's no need to talk to your doctor. NAC is safe. Most of us use it daily between 600 and 2400mg with only benefits. Nothing compares to NAC.

Did you even read the whole thing? I said glutathione - the end product not the amino acid amalgams; and if you read further, I state that NAC does boost glutathione. I wrote this myself from information garnered from many sources including my own brother who is a doc at Tufts University. Don't dismiss me just because you don't agree 100%.

[austinite]

I commented on your comments. You said it's moderate. No it isn't. You said you must consult a doc, no you dont. That's why I didn't quote the entire post. You said it, not me. Like I said, the post you made is all over the net, identical. Cutting and pasting excerpts is not writing.

No offense man, just pointing out the obvious .

[Xaxist]

#1: it is not a cut and paste job although there are certainly fragments including the UVA study.
#2: I seriously doubt you had time in 7 minutes to read the whole thing, google it to death, and respond. Very little of it would be 'identical' to published material.
#3: The first line of your first comment clearly shows you didn't read it carefully as I state that NAC does increase glutathione very clearly in more than one place in the article.
#4: my brother is a research doc at Tufts, and is neck deep in these sorts of studies so I stand by my balanced assessment.

It is safe based on your opinion which is not equivalent to fact. I agreed in my conclusion that NAC boosts glutathione but that there can be risks which I outlined. I understand that you don't agree but trying to torpedo my post is not appreciated.

[t-dogg]

Lol, popcorn time

[austinite]

Ok... You don't have to appreciate it. Don't paste other peoples writing. My opinions are based on scientific evidence and experience. Doesn't sound like you have actual experience.

Either way. Like I said... Just pointing out the obvious. No need to take offense. Carry on...

[Xaxist]

No need to take offense? You attack a well researched post and accuse me of pasting other people's stuff because you don't agree? Obviously the information has to come from somewhere but the only 'pasted' stuff are in the warnings and contraindication section.

You know what, you are 100% right. NAC has zero risks, so let's tell everyone to use it even if they are on predisone or are prone to kidney stones. In fact, free base the shit, I don't care; I am done arguing with a know-it-all that didn't even bother to read the post carefully before you started up.

YOUR THE MAN, AUSTIN!

[t-dogg]

^^^^^^


59 posts in on this site and already acting like this.

[austinite]

No need to take offense? You attack a well researched post and accuse me of pasting other people's stuff because you don't agree? Obviously the information has to come from somewhere but the only 'pasted' stuff are in the warnings and contraindication section. You know what, you are 100% right. NAC has zero risks, so let's tell everyone to use it even if they are on predisone or are prone to kidney stones. In fact, free base the shit, I don't care; I am done arguing with a know-it-all that didn't even bother to read the post carefully before you started up. YOUR THE MAN, AUSTIN!

Nac prevents stones. Prevents cholesterol stones. Try and stay up to date. No more pasting please. That's all I'm asking. If you want to spew wrong info that's fine, I'm happy to correct you every time. But don't paste, that's just lame.

Be yourself man, don't copy. Not so hard.

[ppwc1985]

No need to take offense? You attack a well researched post and accuse me of pasting other people's stuff because you don't agree? Obviously the information has to come from somewhere but the only 'pasted' stuff are in the warnings and contraindication section. You know what, you are 100% right. NAC has zero risks, so let's tell everyone to use it even if they are on predisone or are prone to kidney stones. In fact, free base the shit, I don't care; I am done arguing with a know-it-all that didn't even bother to read the post carefully before you started up. YOUR THE MAN, AUSTIN!

I was getting kidney stones a few months back, MRI showed that my kidneys was full of small kidney stones. Painful, I started supplementing with NAC Ed 600mg no more kidney stones. I researched NAC just to be for sure it was safe even though austinite was for sure. I never found nothing to prove otherwise.

[t-dogg]

Made me look it up. Interesting for kidney stones.

[jimmyinkedup]

Glutathione and NAC


ADDENDUM: Whey as a glutathione booster
Whey is a more natural way of boosting your glutathione levels and since many of us here routinely use whey protein, other supplementation of cysteine may not really be needed (keep in mind that many of the studies on glutathione are on compromised patients with active disease processes). Un-denatured bio active whey (e.g., cold processed) should provide support for systemic glutathione production.

This is something rarely mentioned that should be. It is also the only time the quality of the whey protein you use plays any role or difference in effect. In other word - I dont think plain old whey concentrate vs hydrolyzed whey makes a damn bit of difference in body composition or muscle building results. However when it comes to gutathione, it does.

[Juced_porkchop]

Nac prevents stones. Prevents cholesterol stones. Try and stay up to date. No more pasting please. That's all I'm asking. If you want to spew wrong info that's fine, I'm happy to correct you every time. But don't paste, that's just lame.

Be yourself man, don't copy. Not so hard.

THIS!-------^

or cite sources...