Save Muscle Mass with Glutathione - The Master Antioxidant
Glutathione is often referred to as The Master Anti-Oxidant. This is because it can be found in nearly every single cell in the body at the same concentration as some of the most important nutrients for energy and cellular function, like glucose, potassium, and even cholesterol.
To really understand glutathione, though, it’s first necessary to know what anti-oxidants are and why you need them.
Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals in the body. Free radicals are molecules that can cause harm if their levels become too high in one's cells. They are short-lived ions that may lead to different illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer by damaging cellular DNA.
Your body produces free radicals during metabolism; remember the Krebs Cycle from high-school biology? Your body also uses antioxidants to help keep these free radicals in check. Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants. When too many free radicals are produced, they can impair cell regeneration and repair, leading to accelerated aging and certain diseases, as mentioned above.
An article on Medicinenet.com called "What Does Oxidative Stress Mean? Free Radical Damage," says that oxidative stress can lead to symptoms such as:
Fatigue
Memory loss or brain fog
Muscle and/or joint pain
Wrinkles
Gray hair
Decreased eyesight
Headache
Sensitivity to noise
Susceptibility to infections
Unstable blood sugar levels
Many of you might think, "damn, I have most of those. I thought it was just from aging!" It's true that many of the "symptoms" of aging overlap with these symptoms. It makes sense then to pay attention to our antioxidant levels.
The Master Antioxidant
You've likely heard of glutathione from social media, your favorite health and beauty posts, or perhaps being touted by an athlete or your personal trainer. But what is glutathione, what does it do, and where does it come from?
Glutathione is comprised of three amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. They are glutamine, cysteine, and glycine. Most of the body's cells make glutathione, but the liver is the real powerhouse, combining these amino acids after they, and sulfur-containing foods, have been ingested. Because so many cells can produce and recycle glutathione, normal blood levels are relatively low. However, there are times when glutathione production might not be able to keep up with demand. Poor nutrition, stress, illness, and environmental toxins can lead to an overall decline in glutathione.
Glutathione’s activity is important to nearly every system in your body. Very often, it is valued for its function in liver detoxification because it binds to heavy metals, chemicals, and other toxic substances, making them more water-soluble and more easily urinated or defecated out.
Glutathione is also abundant in the respiratory system. As one of the first systems in the body to respond to outside threats, your nose, mouth, throat, and lungs constantly respond to large numbers of free radicals from increased oxygen presence, infectious diseases, and toxic environmental exposures such as dust, smog, and smoke. Glutathione is so important in your lungs that the fluid that lines the lungs contains a huge amount of glutathione compared to circulating blood levels.
Age-Related Muscle Loss
Sarcopenia is the technical term for age-related muscle loss. According to a 2014 review published in The Lancet: Diabetes & Endocrinology, titled Sarcopenia: A Fate Worth Challenging, loss of muscle mass and strength is an important risk factor for accelerating rates of physical disability, hospitalization, and death in the older population. It is associated with progressive health conditions such as heart failure. Muscle mass begins to decline after early middle age and many people will lose a substantial percentage of their quadriceps muscles, the ones that are essential for rising from a sitting position.
Retaining muscle mass and strength is critical as we age. Peak muscle mass and strength is seen between 20 and 30 years of age. Small decreases are noted between ages 30 and 50 and decreases accelerate after the fifth decade of life, with some people experiencing as much as a 15 percent strength loss per decade, with more than 50 percent of fast-twitch muscle fibers being lost by 75 years of age.
But don't wait until then to start! The more muscle mass and tone you have now, the less impact sarcopenia will have later. Staying fit, eating right, and limiting exposure to environmental toxins is a win-win because, according to the Lancet article, "perhaps the biggest concern for the projected burden of sarcopenia is the recognition that accelerated muscle loss occurs in people with diabetes and obesity."
So it's more than just wanting to look fabulous today. Sticking with your exercise routine and healthy diet now will also create a buffer against age-related muscle loss later. If your motivation to do your workout ever wanes, just remember those quadriceps and tell yourself, "If I don't stand up for myself today, I may need help standing up tomorrow!"
Related article: How much muscle can you gain in a month?
Glutathione: The Unsung Hero
At the risk of glutathione's head getting any bigger, one might wonder how The Master Anti-Oxidant, helps with muscle building. Glutathione helps to preserve the muscle protein synthesis pathway. How? By protecting nitric oxide from free radicals. Nitric oxide is produced within skeletal muscle fibers and has various functions in the skeletal muscles. It is essential for normal glucose uptake during muscle contractions.
Two other antioxidants, vitamin C and vitamin E are both recycled by glutathione, allowing them to be re-used to remove free radicals and decrease oxidative stress. The brain and nervous system are particularly susceptible to oxidative stress, in part because of the high percentage of oxygen required for healthy brain function.
Related article: The 5 Best all-natural supplements to boost testosterone in men 2022
Vulgar Fruit? Glutathione and Citrulline Supplementation
Glutathione isn’t famous as a go-to supplement for supporting muscle mass and strength. However, according to an article in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (JISSN), glutathione may be a key participant in building muscle mass and strength. In a study of men who actively weight lifted, some took 200 mg/day of glutathione and 2 grams/day of citrulline. After 4 weeks, lean muscle mass and strength was significantly increased in the supplement group compared to the placebo group.
Citrulline is an amino acid that was first isolated from watermelon, Citrullus vulgaris. Citrullus meaning fruit (think citrus) and vulgaris meaning... common. Yeah, a bit of a letdown, but hey, you're still reading!
Although citrulline is an amino acid, it is not one of those used by humans to make proteins. But if this is a blog about building/maintaining muscle mass, why should you care about it? The reason we care is that citrulline is converted by the body into arginine which is one of many amino acids that the body DEFINITELY uses to make proteins.
According to the JISSN article mentioned above, unlike arginine, citrulline bypasses the liver and is transported to the kidneys where it is directly converted into arginine. It is also not metabolized in the intestines like arginine is. This means that a lot of citrulline is making it to the kidneys for conversion. The upshot of all this is that citrulline may not be an "essential amino acid," but it acts like one.
Boost Your Glutathione Levels
Healthy levels of glutathione can be supported in many ways. As mentioned earlier, glutathione is made up of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamine, and glycine. Some consider cysteine to be the bottleneck in the body’s ability to make glutathione because its creation depends on the amount of cysteine available. Supplementing with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can be helpful to increase glutathione production.
According to a Healthline.com article, Top 9 Benefits of NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine), cysteine is a "semi-essential" amino acid meaning your body can produce it from two other amino acids, methionine and serine. It becomes essential only when the dietary intake of methionine and serine is low. Cysteine is found in most high-protein foods, such as chicken, turkey, yogurt, cheese, eggs, sunflower seeds, and legumes like peanuts. Whey protein supplements are very high in cysteine as well.
Besides being necessary for the creation of glutathione, ingesting enough cysteine and/or NAC is important for a variety of health reasons. This amino acid also helps with chronic respiratory conditions, fertility, brain health, preventing kidney and liver damage, blood-sugar regulation, and immune function.
Lifestyle changes can be supportive of glutathione levels as well. Eating a diet filled with antioxidant-rich foods, such as the Mediterranean diet, can indirectly support healthy glutathione levels. Meditation and breathing techniques that relieve stress have a positive impact on glutathione as does aerobic exercise like walking, swimming, and jogging. Ironically, weight training also increases glutathione levels.
A Healthline.com article, 10 Natural Ways to Increase Your Glutathione Levels, lists these foods/nutrients that help maintain your levels of The Master Anti-oxidant:
Whey protein powder: It contains high amounts of cysteine.
Sulfur-rich foods: Beef, fish, and poultry; cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, watercress, and mustard greens; allium vegetables like garlic, shallots and onions.
Foods that are high in vitamin C.
Selenium-rich foods: organ meats, cottage cheese, brown rice, Brazil nuts, or a supplement.
Supplementing glutathione and other antioxidants is yet another strategy. Glutathione can be broken down rapidly in the digestive tract. Because of this, it is important to select a glutathione supplement that is formulated to survive exposure to digestive enzymes and be well absorbed. A study reported by the NIH (National Institutes of Health) found that taking a daily liposomal glutathione supplement, such as Amandean's Liposomal Glutathione, elevated stores of glutathione and impacted immune function and levels of oxidative stress.
Collagen Supplements
Although cysteine is the only amino acid NOT found in collagen, methionine and serine certainly are. These two amino acids, as mentioned above, are used by the body to make cysteine. Amandean offers many great varieties of collagen supplements that not only provide these two amino acids but all the others that are the building blocks of all proteins found in the body, including muscles. For more information on collagen, see my blog Collagen 101: What Is It and What Is It Good For?
Take-Aways
Glutathione is The Master Anti-Oxidant and so much more. Studies suggest it can be helpful in muscle building, and as a result, potentially reduce the risk for various age-related health issues, including age-related muscle loss.
Resistance training is instrumental for building and maintaining lean muscle mass and strength and glutathione supplementation may help. Not only that, but all individuals in every life stage can engage in strength training routinely to stay mobile and capable of everyday activities and to prevent falls and fractures. Dumbbells and barbells may appeal to certain populations, but resistance bands or a person’s own body weight can be effective for those who prefer not to join a gym.
Consider these points:
Age-related muscle loss begins in our 30s and increases during middle age.
Regular exercise/resistance training decreases the likelihood of diabetes and obesity; two major contributors to sarcopenia or age-related muscle loss.
Glutathione is a potent antioxidant that protects the cells from disease-causing free radicals and protects the molecules that build muscle.
Regular exercise/resistance training is a twofer: They build/maintain muscle mass and increase glutathione levels.
Liposomal glutathione supplementation optimizes the health effects of The Master Anti-Oxidant.
Supplementation with citrulline is a potent adjunct to glutathione.
Supplementation with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can be helpful to increasing glutathione production.
Whey protein powder, sulfur-rich foods, vitamin C-rich foods, and selenium-rich foods contribute to the production of glutathione.
Collagen helps the body make and maintain muscle mass.
