by F.A.M.
(United States)
Hello, your site is very informative and you seem to know exactly what you are talking about. However, I would like to inquire about a product I found that is manufactured in Japan and is an oral glutatione that uses it in its free form. These are the ingredients:1. Glutathione in free form, 2. N-ACETYL-L-CYSTEINE (NAC), and 3.Vitamin C ROSEHIPS. Apparently this product seems to work really well as opposed to other oral glutathione products in free form.
Answer:
Thanks for your question and your compliment. I gather that you are asking about the effectiveness of the ingredients in this product. This product will raise your glutathione if you take it several times a day, but it has nothing to do with the glutathione in it. Here's why:
Oral glutathione, or free form glutathione, has been shown in studies to be ineffective. That is why the formula has a precursor- N-Acetyl-Cysteine or (NAC) and Vitamin C.
The NAC is an effective precursor or building block for glutathione production, however, since it is an over the counter drug, you should familiarize yourself with the side effects and contraindications here here. It is not recommended for infants or children, and has a limited amount of research done on the safety of daily chronic usage. NAC has a long history in emergency medicine, but has only been studied and used for a few short years as a daily supplement.
NAC also has a short half life, so you need to take it several times a day to be effective. Vitamin C is an essential co-factor to glutathione production, so the NAC and Vitamin C are essentially the only active ingredients in this formula. The glutathione is added since many believe, incorrectly, that oral glutathione raises glutathione in your cells.
A natural bonded cysteine product such as Immunocal has been proven in medical studies to be safe and effective in raising and sustaining glutathione, and only needs to be taken once a day.
You can order Immunocal here.