Glutathione supplementation: An overview

This review paper aims to describe the structure, biosynthesis and function of glutathione, as well as review of its purported effects. Glutathione is one of those supplements that have piqued the interest of Filipinos because it claims to whiten the skin, as well as promising to cure a host of diseases ranging from infertility to Parkinson’s disease and even cancer. Glutathione (abbreviated GSH) is a tripeptide composed of glutamate, glycine and cysteine. It is not an essential nutrient since it can be synthesized in the body from the component amino acids found in the diet. It functions as a reducing agent (antioxidant), as well as in leukotriene synthesis and methylglyoxal detoxification. It also helps to reduce the toxicity of paracetamol by-products. Although it is not an essential nutrient, glutathione deficiency is observed in patients of some diseases such as HIV, alcoholism and liver cirrhosis. Glutathione is not effective if taken orally; thus, the effectiveness of glutathione pills is doubtful. There is a limited resource of published studies on the benefit of glutathione as a supplement to normal people. The best studies show that glutathione alleviates the side effects of chemotherapy and consequently cancer survival rate. There are no studies yet that show the effect of glutathione directly on other diseases. Glutathione appears to whiten skin by eventually reducing the formation of melanin, or at least favoring the formation of lighter melanin pigments. Its effectiveness as a topical medication (as found in soaps) is still questionable. There is still a need for more research on the administration, dosage and effects of glutathione