Sat. June 22, 2013 by Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD

(NaturalHealth365) Known as the “master” antioxidant and detoxifier, glutathione has been shown to help prevent disease by detoxifying the body, reducing inflammation and strengthening the immune system. This essential antioxidant works to protect your cells from the inside out and helps to slow down the aging process. But, one form of glutathione stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Have you heard of “liposome-encapsulated glutathione”

(Lypo-GSH)? This form of glutathione is an effective supplement for improving the health of diseased cells and supporting the health of the body in general.

What is a liposome and what’s so special about it?

A liposome is a very tiny sphere comprised of a outer wall of fat and an inner payload of any of a number of water-soluble substances. Of particular interest is that the outer fat wall is made of essentially the same fat that makes up the normal cell membranes throughout the body. Largely because of this, liposomes have actually been studied as artificial models of cells.

However, liposomes are vastly smaller than any of the cells in the body, allowing them to pass into the cells without difficulty.

What really makes the liposome so special is that it can deliver its contents directly into the cells of the body without the consumption of energy. Furthermore, it protects those contents from digestion or oxidation before the final delivery into the cells. When a nutrient can be delivered into the cells of the body, not be degraded before delivery, and not consume energy in the process – the effects of that nutrient can be optimized in a way that even intravenous delivery often does not match.

Why is glutathione so important for human health?

Glutathione is the most important antioxidant inside the cells, just as vitamin C is the most important antioxidant everywhere else in the body. The concentration of glutathione is much higher inside the cells than outside, and it is the main protector of normal cellular function. When glutathione levels drop inside the cells, oxidative stress increases, and disease of the cells and eventually the tissues ensues -until a clinically recognizable disease of the body is apparent.

Literally, if a cell is diseased and has increased oxidative stress, its glutathione levels will always be depressed. Even when the reason for a disease developing in the first place is not addressed, increasing the levels of glutathione inside the affected cells will almost always result in some clinical benefit, and oftentimes the improvement is dramatic.

Does glutathione help people with chronic degenerative disease?

Yes! As glutathione is vital to the good health of literally all the cells in the body, there are numerous diseases that have been effectively treated by improving the glutathione status inside the cells. These diseases include, but are not limited to, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, atherosclerosis, hypertension, asthma, chronic lung disease, glaucoma, hepatitis, and arthritis.

Why is Lypo-GSH far better than IV glutathione

Even when glutathione is given directly into the vein, it is first broken down to its three component amino acids. These are then individually taken up by the cells by energy-consuming mechanisms. Once inside the cell, they again use up energy (ATP) two additional times before a glutathione molecule is inside the cell and ready to work its magic.

Lypo-GSH, however, puts glutathione directly into the cells without any consumption of energy. Incredibly, this occurs even though the Lypo-GSH is taken orally and not intravenously. Taking glutathione in any other form is very much like going three steps forward and then falling back two steps.

Increasing the intracellular content of glutathione without Lypo-GSH is an inefficient process at best.

Buyer beware – not all glutathione supplements are created equal

If you find a quality product, you should often see positive results that were not realized with any other products. Keep in mind, quality liposome-encapsulated nutrients, like glutathione and vitamin C, are not inexpensive relative to other supplementation. Generally, inexpensive products that claim to be liposome-encapsulated are not the real deal.

Find a company that will give you scientific evidence that their product really contains liposomes. And, if your pocketbook permits, give it a try.

One company that I have found, Livonlabs.com, can provide substantiation that their Lypo-GSH really contains liposomes and provides value to the consumer.

About the author:

Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD is a board-certified internist and cardiologist. He is also bar-certified for the practice of law. He has written extensively on the importance of eliminating toxins while bolstering antioxidant defenses in the body, with particular focus on vitamin C. His upcoming new book will be released in a few months, entitled, Death by Calcium: The Toxic Supplement. For more information about Dr. Levy – visit: PeakEnergy.com – See more at: http://www.naturalhealth365.com/nutrition_news/glutathione.html#sthash.E5Gj6FzT.dpuf