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Foreign clinical excellence meets excellent results. Today, we're going to talk about NAC, or N-acetylcysteine. It is a very potent antioxidant as well as an anti-inflammatory. We will discuss some of the foods, the benefits of taking it, what it can affect, and some of the dosages that you can take to benefit from NAC.
The food sources are onions and garlic. NAC will convert to L-cysteine, and with some sulfur-containing foods, it will convert in the liver to make glutathione. Glutathione is a very important antioxidant; it's one of the most potent ones that our body can produce. The benefits of NAC include helping the detoxification pathways, improving insulin sensitivity, and aiding in insulin resistance or diabetes, which helps with blood sugar management. Additionally, it is an anti-inflammatory that affects cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor, interleukins, and NF-kappa B. It helps balance your immune system. Oftentimes, we give patients glutathione for those who have autoimmune processes to help calm the inflammatory process and the immune system.
Another condition we discussed was PCOS, which relates to insulin sensitivity. NAC affects dopamine centers as well as excitatory centers for glutamate. Dopamine is basically the pleasure neurotransmitter, so if you can affect dopamine, it will help with addiction, bipolar disorder, depression, OCD, and anxiety. There are quite a number of studies on how NAC can benefit patients who have OCD and the anxiety that comes with it. The benefits of glutamate for some patients include preventing or slowing down Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Another thing is that NAC helps to thin out mucus in the lungs. If you have pneumonia or pulmonary obstructive disease, it can help thin the mucus and assist with breathing in these diseases. In fact, in 1963, it was classified as a drug and was used for lung disease. It is still used for acetaminophen overdose (Tylenol overdose) because it can significantly impact the liver. So, they use NAC as a drug.
Recently, there have been issues with the FDA, and Amazon has removed all NAC products from their site. However, it is still commercially available and can be bought through nutrition stores and shops.
Regarding dosages, when we look at NAC, you can take anywhere between 600 to 1800 milligrams a day in divided doses. It is best taken on an empty stomach; however, if you experience nausea or loose stools, you might want to take it after your meal. Things that will enhance NAC include selenium, cordyceps, and gotu kola. With these combined nutrients, NAC can help recycle glutathione, improve your antioxidant levels, and enhance overall health. When there is a lot of oxidation and stress in our body, tissues break down, and every cell in your body takes an oxidative blow. Glutathione acts as a protective shield, helping to protect against oxidation and the inflammatory process.
NAC is a very important nutrient for many different patients. With respect to COVID, if you have lung issues, breathing issues, or mucus in your lungs, NAC can be beneficial for those patients who have a lot of mucus built up within the lung structures. They use things like prone positioning to help release some of the mucus, but utilizing NAC would provide added benefit.
Today, we're going to talk about NAC, or N-acetylcysteine. Last week's video generated a lot of questions about how glutathione works, its mechanisms, and what supplements you can take to improve glutathione levels. So, let's go into it. The main purpose of taking NAC is to improve glutathione levels. Glutathione is a tripeptide made up of three amino acids: glycine, L-glutamic acid, and L-cysteine. NAC will convert to L-cysteine and help convert into glutathione.
One of the most important things to understand is that glutathione is one of the most potent antioxidants that our body can produce. It reduces the effects of what we call reactive oxygen species (ROS). Reactive oxygen species are produced in the mitochondria, and if they are produced, they start to damage some of the structures and pathways needed to produce energy. This damage causes inflammation, which in turn produces more reactive oxygen species, creating a vicious cycle. Glutathione is a very important antioxidant that helps recycle some of the glutathione and reduces oxidative effects.
Oral administration of glutathione (GSH) does not adequately restore glutathione levels. If you take oral glutathione, it rapidly breaks down in our body by the liver and intestines. Glutathione is broken down before it can be utilized. It does not cross the cell membrane as a whole structure. In some studies, the half-life of glutathione is only about 90 minutes, making it short-lived.
As we age, glutathione levels decrease, leading to more reactive oxygen species, more inflammation, and basically aging. So, let's look at some of the supplements we can take. Before we discuss supplements, what foods can we eat to help improve glutathione levels? You want to increase sulfur-containing foods like onion, garlic, broccoli, and kale. While whey protein can also improve glutathione levels, for most patients we treat in our office who have some sort of autoimmune condition, whey protein or milk protein is really a no-no. Therefore, I suggest focusing on sulfur-containing foods.
Exercise itself will also improve glutathione levels. Additionally, coffee enemas are known to help with cancer treatments, such as Gerson Therapy. However, whether they improve glutathione levels is questionable. Some studies suggest that taking oral caffeine and coffee enemas do not significantly improve glutathione levels, but coffee does have a lot of antioxidants, so there are some benefits to drinking coffee.
One of the supplements you can take is S-acetyl-L-glutathione. This product has an acetyl group attached to glutathione, which helps protect it as it passes through the gut and improves cell membrane transport. Another option is liposomal glutathione, where glutathione is bound to phospholipids, allowing it to be absorbed in the gut and through the cell membrane.
There are other precursors that can help enhance the recycling of glutathione. Some of these precursors or regenerators include selenium, alpha-lipoic acid, NAC, cordyceps extracts, gotu kola extracts, milk thistle extracts, and L-glutamine. If you take these on an empty stomach and follow them with omega-3 or EPA/DHA fish oil, you can enhance the absorption of glutathione into your system, leading to a more profound effect.
Many companies make combination packets of these supplements. I will list some of the supplements we use in our office below in the description. There are a couple of different delivery methods we use. One is oral glutathione, where we use S-acetyl-L-glutathione and liposomal glutathione. We also use a combination of these to enhance recycling properties.
Another way to improve glutathione is through transdermal transmission. If you use a cream that contains glutathione and some cofactors and apply it to a specific area, such as the neck for someone with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, it can help reduce the inflammatory process and lower TPO and TG antibodies in the body.
It's important to use combination therapies for some patients. Some people may only need a maintenance dose and some recycling nutrients, while others may require a more intensive approach. Understanding the mechanisms and how to take these supplements to improve glutathione levels in our body is crucial.
Today, we're going to talk about the different delivery methods for NAC and glutathione. Before I get started on the delivery methods, let's recap what NAC and glutathione are and their benefits. I've made videos on this topic before, so I'll link those videos below for a more in-depth view of NAC and glutathione.
Let's get right into the NAC delivery methods. Food sources first: NAC can be obtained from cruciferous vegetables, garlic, onions, meat, fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, and whey protein. It is prevalent in animal products, garlic, onions, and cruciferous vegetables. Exercise will also increase glutathione, which is important for reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS).
The benefits of NAC and glutathione include improved detoxification, improved insulin resistance, and benefits for conditions like PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). They are important for brain health because they help with dopamine and glutamate, which are crucial for addiction problems, bipolar disorder, OCD, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, they have anti-inflammatory effects, dampening inflammation by impacting cytokines and helping to thin out mucus in the lungs.
In 1963, NAC was classified as a drug and was used for chronic lung issues and acetaminophen overdose. It is still used today. Enhancers and regenerators of glutathione include selenium, alpha-lipoic acid, NAC, cordyceps, gotu kola, and milk thistle. You can also use L-glutamine and some fish oil to help enhance absorption and recycling. Glutathione is produced in the liver and can be recycled for reuse, making it the most important and powerful antioxidant in our body.
NAC is the precursor to glutathione. I will link those videos below for a better understanding of what NAC and glutathione do.
Now, let's get into the delivery methods for NAC and glutathione. First, oral delivery methods: I use a product called Glutathione Recycler, made by Apex Energetics. I am not sponsored or funded by any nutritional companies, as I believe my opinion might skew if I were. This product contains all the precursors for glutathione, including cordyceps, gotu kola, and NAC.
For NAC, you want to use between 600 and 1800 milligrams per day in divided doses. It is usually best taken on an empty stomach; however, if you miss your dosage, it is better to take it after a meal than not at all.
Another oral delivery method I use is a product called Tumero Active, which contains L-glutathione, S-acetyl-L-glutathione, and liposomal glutathione. This product is great because glutathione breaks down easily in the gut. The idea is to use different forms to bypass the gut and improve absorption in the GI tract.
Now, for transdermal delivery, we use a cream called Oxycell. This cream can be applied to the skin and has great local anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. For example, if someone has Hashimoto's thyroiditis, they can apply the glutathione cream to the neck to help reduce inflammation in that area.
We also have a suppository for glutathione called Xenaplex, which contains organic coffee extract and glutathione. After a normal bowel movement, you can use this suppository to boost glutathione while bypassing the gut.
The final delivery method is nebulizing glutathione. I use a product called L-Glutathione Plus from a company called Vera Naturals. You open one of the capsules and use a nebulizer. You can mix it with saline solution or distilled water, close it up, and breathe it in. If you have sinus problems, breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. If you have lung problems, breathe in deeply to get it into the lungs.
You can use glutathione in multiple ways, and when you're sick, you can utilize all of these delivery methods to boost your glutathione levels and recover from health issues. I will link the products below. Unfortunately, some of the products are prescription-only, so you will need to find a physician willing to prescribe them for you. I will try to link equivalent products as well.
My name is Dr. Jin Sung. We are clinical excellence meets excellent results, and we'll see you next week on the healthy side. Have an awesome day!