From the Guidelines
Glutathione supplementation is not recommended for reducing surgical morbidity or mortality in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery, as recent high-quality studies have shown no significant benefit. The most recent meta-analysis 1 included 19 RCTs with 1243 patients scheduled for elective major abdominal surgery and found that glutamine supplementation, a precursor to glutathione, did not affect overall morbidity (RR = 0.84; p = 0.473) and infectious morbidity (RR = 0.64; p = 0.087). However, patients treated with glutamine had a significant reduction in length of hospital stay.
Key Points
- Glutamine is involved in various biological processes, including anabolic functions, acid-base regulation, and ammonia metabolism 1.
- Depletion of glutamine storage during stressful events has been reported, and exogenous supplementation is associated with several benefits, including improved protein synthesis and modulation of the immune system 1.
- A recent multicenter double-blind RCT found no significant differences in hospital mortality and infection rate between patients receiving glutamine supplementation and those receiving standard parenteral nutrition 1.
- The current evidence suggests that glutathione supplementation may not be beneficial for reducing morbidity and mortality in surgical patients, but may have other benefits, such as reducing length of hospital stay 1.
Considerations
- The body's ability to absorb oral glutathione is limited, which may affect its effectiveness as a supplement 1.
- Consuming sulfur-rich foods, exercising regularly, and getting adequate sleep can naturally support the body's glutathione production 1.
From the Research
Glutathione Overview
- Glutathione (GSH) is a critical antioxidant that helps fight against oxidative stress 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- It is the most abundant nonprotein thiol in mammalian cells and plays a key role in detoxification, antioxidation, and immune function 3, 5, 6
Bioavailability and Supplementation
- The bioavailability of oral glutathione is limited, making supplementation challenging 2
- A sublingual form of GSH has been shown to have superior bioavailability compared to oral GSH and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) 2
- Dietary γ-Glutamylcysteine may help preserve adequate GSH levels when synthetic pathways decline in activity 4
Health Outcomes and Disease Prevention
- Low glutathione levels are associated with various disease states, including cancer, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease 3, 6
- Exercise-induced oxidative stress can be minimized with glutathione and NAC supplementation 3
- Boosting glutathione levels may promote good health and achieve healthy longevity 6