Why Should I Take S-Acetyl L-Glutathione?

If you have ever been interested in trying out glutathione, or perhaps you have already been taking reduced glutathione, then S-Acetyl Glutathione is a very interesting option! This form of glutathione has been stabilized with an acetyl group, which makes it act like a precursor to glutathione. This has some distinct advantages.* For example, various enzymes that can break down glutathione now lose the ability to break down glutathione and instead go to work cleaving off the acetyl group from S-Acetyl L-Glutathione. This then yields glutathione, and has the distinct advantage of being able to get into cells in higher concentrations, as S-Acetyl L-Glutathione is protected from premature breakdown in our stomach, intestines, and plasma.*

If you are not familiar with glutathione, you may be asking yourself: why would I want high bioavailability glutathione? The answer to this is very simple. Glutathione is regarded as the body's master antioxidant, and is crucial for controlling oxidative stress. It is an endogenous compound of which we have large stores throughout the body, and many environmental and lifestyle stressors can deplete glutathione. In addition to this, as we age, glutathione levels start to plummet. With this in mind, it is a good idea for practically anyone to be topping off their glutathione levels, and what better way to do this than with an optimized version of glutathione?*

What is S-Acetyl L-Glutathione?

S-Acetyl L-Glutathione is an acetylated version of the endogenous tripeptide glutathione. Glutathione is incredibly important for our body but doesn’t always have the best bioavailability so S-Acetyl L-Glutathione was created with a far superior bioavailability to ensure that our cells receive all the glutathione they need! The biggest distinct advantage with S-Acetyl L-Glutathione, is that it can rapidly raise glutathione levels, unlike regular reduced glutathione which requires longer periods of supplementation before rises in glutathione levels become significant.*

S-Acetyl L-Glutathione Benefits & Uses

Enhances oxidative status*
Promotes cognitive function*
Supports liver and respiratory function*

S-Acetyl L-Glutathione: The Key To Bioavailability

It goes without saying that glutathione is one of the most important endogenous compounds in our bodies. It is found in high concentrations practically in every tissue and cell, and is particularly high in our livers, lungs and brains. Due to its importance, we also burn through large amounts of reduced glutathione on a daily basis, especially when we really need it, for example in cases of increased oxidative stress and under conditions of increased strain on the immune system. This is quite a lot of responsibility for a single compound, but luckily this mighty molecule is up to the task! However, despite the prowess of glutathione, it could use a bit of a helping hand replenishing some of its fallen comrades!

One of the most common ways of increasing glutathione stores is by supplementation with cysteine containing compounds or simply supplementing with reduced glutathione. If we utilize the correct dose of reduced glutathione (500-1,000 mg), then we can quite reliably increase our glutathione stores. However, we have to utilize a fairly high dose, because reduced glutathione does not have the best bioavailability. This is partially because glutathione is a peptide, and thus is quite sensitive to degradation in the body. However, by attaching an acetyl group to reduced glutathione, we can slow down this degradation process. Instead of degrading glutathione itself, the acetyl group now gets degraded which slowly releases reduced glutathione where we want it to be, such as in the liver, lungs and brain!

So we have great bioavailability locked down, now what benefits can you expect from S-Acetyl L-Glutathione? S-Acetyl L-Glutathione will provide all of the glutathione benefits we are used to, but with the distinct advantage of higher bioavailability. By enhancing glutathione status with S-Acetyl L-Glutathione, you can expect higher concentrations of glutathione primarily in your liver and lungs, which is where glutathione is often needed the most as a protective factor.* With this in mind S-Acetyl L-Glutathione can be a great strategy for helping to enhance liver and respiratory function.*

The more straightforward benefit we need to look at however, is glutathione ability to manage oxidative stress. Since glutathione is often seen as the body’s master antioxidant, it is no surprise that topping off its levels positively impacts oxidative status. When oxidative stress is under control, our mitochondria have an easier time producing energy, our cells are happier, our skin looks smoother, we are protected a little bit more from oxidation and our brains are nice and protected too!

Which Glutathione Is The Best For Me?

Now that we have a full line up of glutathione supplements, a comparison is in order! Starting with the simplest glutathione supplement, reduced Glutathione is a fantastic option if you have patience and are ok with higher doses. Reduced glutathione needs to be taken in the 500-1,000 mg range, and glutathione levels will not significantly increase right away. You need to take reduced glutathione for at least a couple of weeks, before your reduced glutathione levels are significantly increased. However, this also makes reduced glutathione a great option for those that are purely interested in keeping their glutathione reserves topped up long term.*

That brings us to S-Acetyl L-Glutathione which has significantly better bioavailability, and is amongst the very best glutathione supplements. The primary benefit here too, is that S-Acetyl L-Glutathione can acutely raise glutathione levels, which sets it apart from reduced glutathione.* S-Acetyl L-Glutathione also does a great job of getting glutathione to where we need it most, and with the increased speed of raising glutathione levels, this makes S-Acetyl L-Glutathione a top choice if you need significant results quickly!*

Last but certainly not least, S-Phenylacetyl L-Glutathione! This form of glutathione is very similar to S-Acetyl L-Glutathione, only just slightly losing out on total absorption. However, due to the unique phenylacetyl group, we predict that S-Phenylacetyl L-Glutathione may have unexplored nootropic potential.* So, if you are looking for a potentially nootropic glutathione supplement, then S-Phenylacetyl L-Glutathione is the one for you!*