Your cells are under assault 24/7 from both external and internal forces that can cause unruly, inflammatory free radicals to form. Like a robber in the night, free radicals steal energy from well-functioning cells, which causes oxidation—or rust—that can lead to long-term destruction.
To counter free radical damage and inflammation, cells produce their own antioxidant called glutathione. By antioxidant standards,
glutathione is a heavyweight. Scientists call it the “master antioxidant”, because it regulates how all other antioxidants are used, such as vitamins C and E, and CoQ10. It’s made of amino acids and is so vital to good health that there’s a complex enzymatic process for ensuring it’s always in stock.
In your younger years, production of glutathione is high and efficient. But as you get older, production degrades as the important enzyme, cysteine, loses its capacity to keep up with your body’s needs. Cysteine is an amino acid building block and precursor to glutathione.
When this occurs, you can actually AGE FASTER. One report indicates that glutathione levels in adults over 45 may have already decreased
by an alarming 50%! Worse yet is that the steady decline continues unless you do something about it.
How NAC helps: As a replica of cysteine, NAC mimics its effects and nudges the body to boost glutathione production.
Your body can synthesize many amino acids on its own. But cysteine is considered a ‘conditionally essential amino acid’ that you produce only in limited amounts, which is why
NAC supplementation is critical as you age. In women over 60, high glutathione levels are linked to “excellent physical and mental health”, according to studies.