(excerpts from Dr. Mark Hyman, MD’s article on Glutathione)

 You can do many things to increase this natural and critical molecule in your body. You can eat glutathione boosting foods, exercise, and take glutathione boosting supplements.

 9 Tips to Optimize your Glutathione

 Eat Foods that Support Glutathione Production

 1).  Consume sulphur rich foods. Garlic, onions, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collard greens, cabbage, cauliflower and watercress.

 2). Try bio-active whey protein, if you do not have a sensitivity or allergy to dairy products.  This is a great source of cysteine and the amino acid building blocks for glutathione synthesis. Keep in mind, the whey protein MUST be bioactive and made from non-denatured proteins. Choose non-pasteurized and non-industrially produced milk that contains no pesticides, hormones, or antibiotics.

 Exercise Your Way to More Glutathione

 3). Exercise boosts your glutathione levels and thereby helps boost your immune system, improves detoxification and enhances your body’s own antioxidant defenses. Start slow and build up to at least 30 minutes a day of vigorous aerobic exercise like walking, jogging or various sports activities. Strength training for at least 20 minutes 3 times a week is also helpful.

 Take Glutathione Supporting Supplements

4). N-acetyl-cysteine. This has been used for years to help treat asthma, lung disease and to treat people with life-threatening liver failure from Tylenol overdose. N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) is the acetylated form of L-cysteine that has been used to break up pulmonary and bronchial mucous. It is very efficiently absorbed and has been shown to protect cells directly and support the immune system. It is an antioxidant and a free radical-scavenging agent that increases intracellular glutathione at the cellular level. NAC can act as a precursor for glutathione synthesis as well as a stimulator of the cytosolic enzymes involved in glutathione regeneration. NAC has also been shown to protect against oxidative stress

5). Alpha lipoic acid. This is a close second to glutathione in terms of a powerful antioxidant.  It supports energy production in our cells, blood sugar control, brain health and detoxification. We often become depleted due to stress.

 6). Folate, Vitamins B6 and B12. These are perhaps the most critical to keep the body producing glutathione.

 7). Selenium. This important mineral helps the body recycle and produce more glutathione.

 8). Antioxidants – Vitamin C and E in the form of mixed tocopherols, work together to recycle glutathione.

 9). Milk Thistle (silymarin) has long been used in liver disease and helps boost glutathione levels.