The Health Dividend of Glutathione

Glutathione (GSH) is a naturally occurring chemical used by the human body to protect against chemical and environmental threats. As a consequence of aging, lifestyle, diet, and disease, a gap can develop between the needs and availability of GSH. GSH decreases in association with risk factors for disease and undergoes a diurnal variation with lowest values beginning in the morning and extending through midday. Decreased GSH has been associated with specific diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and has been implicated in many others. Abundant biochemical data support a direct causal link between low GSH, impaired defenses, and cellular susceptibility in model systems. Emerging personalized health strategies utilize GSH as a quantitative indicator of health with the expectation that diet selection, GSH supplementation, and lifestyle approaches can be used to manage GSH status, thereby providing a health dividend by protecting against disease development.