The Importance of Glutathione for Thyroid Health

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Protect Your Thyroid with the Help of Glutathione

This might be the first time that you are hearing about the importance of Glutathione – a small, yet highly important molecule that you have to make sure it is on its highest levels in your body if you are interested in keeping your thyroid gland and your overall health in the ultimate condition.

In the following, we will explain what you need to know about Glutathione, but most importantly why is it important for preserving your thyroid health untouched.

You will soon learn the natural ways to increase your Glutathione levels and live a happy, and most importantly, healthy life to the fullest!

What is Glutathione?

Glutathione is a rather simple molecule that is built by three very important amino acids – cysteine, glycine, and glutamine. These three amino acids are known to have vital roles in maintaining the human body in the ultimate condition and health, which makes Glutathione is a pretty important molecule, despite its small size.

Glutathione [i]is normally produced in the human body, by being able to regenerate itself in the human liver. Glutathione is also used by each and every single cell in the human body, so you can understand how important this small molecule really is.

You might be familiar with Vitamin C and Vitamin E being referred to as important antioxidants, responsible for protecting our bodies against the damage of the free radicals. But did you know that Glutathione is often referred [ii]to as “the mother of all antioxidants” and “nature’s biggest antioxidant”? By being such a powerful antioxidant as it is, Glutathione protects our bodies against the damage of oxidative stress and the free radicals, making its production of vital importance to us.

Because Glutathione is highly important to every cell in the human body, is it of high importance that we prevent Glutathione levels from dropping low. By doing so, we are exposing our bodies to the great dangers [iii]of cancer, autoimmune diseases, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, heart attacks, strokes, and many other potential health issues.

The overall health benefits of Glutathione

In the following, we will list a few of the biggest health benefits of Glutathione known to man before we proceed to what we came here for – the importance of Glutathione for your thyroid gland.

  • It reduces [iv]the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease;
  • It reduces oxidative stress, and with that, it fights [v]against autoimmune diseases;
  • It reduces the impact of uncontrolled diabetes type 1 and type 2;
  • It reduces the oxidative damage in the brain of autistic children;
  • It improves the insulin resistance in older individuals;
  • It has anti-aging properties[vi];
  • It may prevent heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disease, neurodegenerative diseases, autism, etc.;

Why is Glutathione important for your thyroid gland?

Knowing what we have, so far, told you about Glutathione, it should not come as a surprise that Glutathione plays a vital role in maintaining your thyroid gland and its functions in good condition. You may already know that your thyroid gland is the most metabolically active body tissue.

Your thyroid gland, under the influence of the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), proceeds to produce the Th4 (thyroxine) only to be later converted into Th3 (triiodothyronine). These are the two major thyroid hormones through which the thyroid gland controls every single body function.

But what exactly does Glutathione do to maintain your thyroid gland in the ultimate health condition? During the production of thyroid hormones, a big amount of free radicals is normally produced as well, free radicals which are essential to be eliminated as soon as possible in order to prevent the negative effects of their gather up, that we mentioned previously.

This is where Glutathione comes in handy. When Glutathione is present in the ultimate levels in your body, it is able to access this issue and solve it in a matter of minutes, preventing any negative effects from occurring. However, if your body is struggling with Glutathione deficiency, the free radicals that we mentioned earlier will only gather up and cause an imbalance in the thyroid health, and soon in your overall health as well, to happen.

But that is not all. If your immune system is, for any reason, compromised, it can cause an imbalance in the Th1/Th2 system, causing it to attack its very own healthy body tissues. This will, as expected, resulting in autoimmune disease.

When the thyroid gland is compromised in the middle of such happening, what is expected to develop is the Hashimoto’s thyroiditis[vii]. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is defined as an autoimmune disease which develops as a result of the antibodies being directed against the thyroid gland, causing chronic inflammation to occur.

How to increase your Glutathione levels naturally?

As you come to understand, it is of vital importance to make sure that you are introducing enough Glutathione to your body, despite its ability to produce it on its own. In the following, we will list some of the best natural methods to increase your Glutathione levels efficiently.

  • Consume foods which are rich in sulfur – Since recent studies [viii]show that sulfur is highly important in the production of Glutathione in the body, it is essential that you intake more sulfur-rich foods. The best food choices are – garlic, onion, beef, fish, and cruciferous vegetables among the others.
  • Increase your Vitamin C intake through supplements and food – Vitamin C has been shown to increase the levels of Glutathione in the white and red blood cells. That is why, it is essential to make sure you intake the recommended amounts of Vitamin C on a daily level, through supplements and food. Intake 500-1,000 mg of Vitamin C daily by eating oranges, lemons, kiwis, broccoli, cauliflower, guavas, etc.
  • Include a whey protein supplement in your diet – Whey protein is a good source of cysteine, which as we mentioned earlier, is one of the compounds of Glutathione. By supplementing with a quality whey protein, you are naturally increasing your cysteine levels, and with that, you are increasing your Glutathione production.
  • Buy yourself a quality milk thistle supplement – Milk thistle is a herbal supplement extracted from the milk thistle plant called Silybum marianum. It contains three compounds, all of which are known for their strong antioxidant properties. But that is not all. Milk thistle is also considered [ix]being able to increase the Glutathione levels in the body. So consider buying yourself a quality milk thistle supplement.
  • Consume natural Glutathione-rich foods – There are many food choices that are offering a great amount of Glutathione that you can intake by consuming them on a daily level. These food choices would include avocados, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, etc.
  • Get a good night sleep – Since the lack of sleep has been linked to a decrease in the Glutathione levels, it has been considered of vital importance that everyone gets enough sleep to prevent any decrease in the Glutathione levels. As you know, a regular 8-9 hours of sleep are vital for a healthy body and mind.
  • Avoid excessive alcohol consummation – Research [x]has shown that people who drink excessive amounts of alcohol on a regular level are exposed to a decrease in their Glutathione levels, especially in their lungs, by 80 to 90%. While drinking a glass of wine or beer occasionally is not forbidden, we advise you to keep away from any excessive alcohol intake in the future, for the sake of your overall health.
  • Create a habit to exercise regularly – Regular physical activity, combined with a well-balanced diet and proper rest, can be quite beneficial to your Glutathione levels. However, we advise you to keep away from any overtraining and exhaustion which are known to cause a decrease in your Glutathione levels.

Is it safe to use Glutathione supplements?

If you are worried that you are not introducing enough Glutathione through your diet, we would advise you to add a quality Glutathione supplement as well. However, since Glutathione is not considered to be quite as effective when taken orally, you might want to think about taking cysteine, selenium, methionine, and alpha lipoic acid (ALA) in the form of supplements. All of these supplements have been shown effective in the process of increasing the levels of Glutathione in the body.

They are considered safe to be used when used according to the instructions. We would recommend focussing on taking a quality cysteine supplement, as the most important precursor in the production of Glutathione in the body. Please talk to your healthcare provider about any questions that you might have about the use of Glutathione supplements.

Conclusion

Glutathione’s size might make it easy to forget about, but its role, or should we say roles in the human body, surely does not. Glutathione has been and still is one of the most interesting molecules to be scientifically researched, and with a good reason, that is!

This small molecule is able to protect us against multiple autoimmune diseases, autism, neurodegenerative disease, and many others just as long as you intake it in the recommended dosages on a daily level. And when you think about that, it is surely not a difficult task to do as long as you use our methods to increase your Glutathione levels naturally and you buy yourself a quality supplement as well.

Trust us, and you will be thankful for the following advice when you remember to this moment years later!

References

[i] Pizzorno J, (February 2014) Glutathione!, Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal 13(1): 8–12
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684116/

[ii] Forman HJ, Zhang H, Rinna A, (August 2008) Glutathione: Overview of its protective roles, measurement, and biosynthesis, Molecular Aspects of Medicine 30(1-2):1-12
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696075/

[iii] Bellatori N, Krance SM, Notenboom S, Shi S, Tieu K, Hammond CL, (March 2009) Glutathione dysregulation and the etiology and progression of human diseases, The Journal of Biological Chemistry 390(3): 191-214
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2756154/

[iv] Arosio E, Marchi SD, Zannoni M, Prior M, Lechi A, (August 2002) Effects of Glutathione infusion on leg arterial circulation, cutaneous microcirculation, and pain-free walking distance in patients with peripheral obstructive arterial disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Mayo Clinic Proceedings 77(8):754-9
http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)62019-3/abstract

[v] Perricone C, De Carolis C, Perricone R, (July 2009) Glutathione: A key player in autoimmunity, Autoimmunity Reviews 8(8):697-701
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19393193

[vi] McCarty MF, DiNicolantonio JJ, (October 2015) An increased need for dietary cysteine in support of glutathione synthesis may underlie the increased risk for mortality associated with low protein intake in the elderly, Age 37(5):96
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26362762

[vii] Hu S, Rayman MP, (May 2017) Multiple nutritional factors and the risk of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Thyroid: Official Journal of the American Thyroid Association 27(5):597-610
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28290237

[viii] Grimble RF, (June 2006) The effects of sulfur amino acid intake on immune function in humans, The Journal of Nutrition 136(6 Suppl):1660S-1665S
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16702336

[ix] Muriel P, Garciapina T, Perez-Alvarez V, Mourelle M, (December 1992), Silymarin protects against paracetamol-induced lipid peroxidation and liver damage, The Journal of Applied Toxicology 12(6):439-42
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1360480

[x] Joshi P, Guidot DM, (April 2007) The alcoholic lung: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and potential therapies, American Journal of Physiology. Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology 292(4): L813-23
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17220370

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