Glutathione

Glutathione is one of those compounds that looks incredibly simple on paper but plays a massive role in cellular biology.

It is a tripeptide made from just THREE amino acids:

• Glutamate
• Cysteine
• Glycine

Glutathione is produced naturally inside cells throughout the body, with the liver playing an especially important role in its production, recycling, and metabolism.

So why does it get so much attention?

Glutathione is one of the body’s major antioxidant and redox molecules. In plain English, researchers study it because it helps cells deal with oxidative stress, the cellular wear and tear produced by normal metabolism, environmental exposure, inflammation, and other biological processes.

It also plays an important role in the liver’s detoxification chemistry. Glutathione can bind to certain reactive compounds so they can be processed and eliminated more effectively. That is one of the reasons the glutathione system has been studied so extensively in liver and cellular-protection research.

Another fascinating area is aging. Glutathione levels and the body’s ability to maintain its glutathione system can change with age, which has made it an important molecule in longevity, mitochondrial, and oxidative-stress research.

Research involving glutathione has explored:

• Antioxidant defense
• Oxidative stress
• Liver detoxification pathways
• Mitochondrial function
• Cellular aging
• Immune-cell function
• Inflammation-related pathways
• Recovery from cellular stress
• Skin biology and pigmentation
• Recycling of other antioxidants

Glutathione has also attracted considerable interest in cosmetic and skin research. Because oxidative stress and melanin production both influence the appearance of skin, researchers have investigated glutathione in relation to pigmentation, skin tone, and overall skin biology.

And here’s the part we love:

Glutathione isn’t some brand-new compound that suddenly appeared in the wellness world. It was first identified more than a century ago and has since become one of the most extensively researched antioxidant molecules in biology.

Three amino acids.

One incredibly important molecule.

And a research story that stretches from the liver and mitochondria all the way to oxidative stress, aging, immune biology, and skin research.

For laboratory research only.