HIGHER GLUTATHIONE LEVELS REDUCE MUSCLE INFLAMMATION AND FATIGUE...

If you’re an athlete and you’re serious about performing at a high level, then you can’t afford to ignore your glutathione levels.  Glutathione (or GSH) plays a fundamental role as your body’s master antioxidant in improving how long you’re able to be active before tiring.  The higher your levels of GSH, the longer it’ll take before you become fatigued.

The field of study on the impact of GSH on performance has grown greatly over the past several years.  The Journal of Applied Physiology alone has over 200 articles that study the effects of improved GSH levels on performance.  Overwhelmingly, they have found that supplementing with glutathione-enhancing products has a positive effect on recovery from exercise and exertion.

One of the earlier studies in 1998 conducted by L.C. Lands, V.L. Grey, and A.A. Smountas demonstrated that higher levels of GSH reduces the levels of oxidative stress that forms in muscles – a condition that results in strenuous muscular contractions and fatigue.  Their findings showed that proper supplementation to improve GSH levels resulted in “greater power” and “increased the amount of work” subjects could perform during a given task.

A later study conducted by I. Medved et al. demonstrated that enhanced GSH availability in well-trained individuals resulted in improved gains in periods of prolonged exercise.  Another study performed just a few years ago by F. Ferreira and M.B. Reid found that pre-treating with GSH enhancing supplements “improves performance of limb and respiratory muscles during fatigue protocols and extends time to task failure during volitional exercise.”

Simply put – increased glutathione levels allows you to perform at a higher level for longer periods of time and allows you to recover faster.  Whether you’re working out regularly, adventuring on the weekends, or playing sports at an elite level  you need to supplement your diet with products that enhance glutathione.

Articles Cited:

Lands, L.C., Grey, V.L., and Smountas, A.A. (1998) Effect of supplementation with a cysteine donor on muscular performance.  In The Journal of Applied Physiology, 87 (4).  1381-1385.

Medved, I., Brown, M.J., Bjorksten, A.R., Murphey, K.T., Petersen, A.C., Sostaric, S., Gong, X., and McKenna, M.J. (2004) N-acetylcysteine enhances muscle cysteine and glutathione availability and attenuates fatigue during prolonged exercise in endurance-trained individuals.  In The Journal of Applied Physiology, 97 (4). 1477-1485

Ferreira, L.F., and Reid, M.B. (2008) Muscle-derived ROS and thiol regulation in muscle fatigue.  In The Journal of Applied Physiology, 104 (3). 853-860.