Introduction:
Here are some highlights of various scientific research abstracts from a range of medical journals that investigated the relationship between glutathione levels and the aging process. The findings are quite interesting.
“Subjects with diagnoses of arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease (as assessed by physicians) had at least marginally significant lower glutathione levels than those who were disease free."
“….evidence of an association of higher glutathione levels with higher levels of physical health in a sample of community-based elderly."
“… in comparison with young healthy female adults the centenarians had significantly higher red blood cell glutathione… “
“…. we found a high percentage of subnormal total glutathione (GT) levels in blood from elderly subjects and patients with chronic diseases."
“These findings confirm that high blood GT (glutathione) concentrations and excellent physical and mental health are characteristics of long-lived women."
“It is hoped that idiopathic maladies and diseases will no longer be attributed to aging, a vague and usually ill-defined condition. A more likely possibility is that they are a result of a low GSH level……...should elucidate the relationships among glutathione, health, and longevity"
“In conclusion, our findings show that the glutathione redox system is affected by age. Oxidative stress increases during the aging process."
“Subjects with high Glutathione activity occur more frequently among centenarians than expected, possibly due to their better survival. … Glutathione in disease prevention and as a predictor for longevity …"
Conclusion:
These research documents highlight the strong correlation between glutathione levels and the diseases of aging as well as aging itself. There seems to be a strong link between high glutathione levels and optimum health. Furthermore, it appears that the older you get, the lower your glutathione levels. The importance of optimizing your cellular glutathione levels, especially as you age, cannot be disregarded. IMMUNOCAL® (HMS 90® in Canada) is a patented natural food protein concentrate in the FDA category of GRAS (generally recognized as safe) which assists the body in maintaining optimal concentrations of glutathione (GSH) by supplying the precursors required for intracellular glutathione synthesis. It is clinically proven to raise glutathione values. (Physician's Desk Reference - PDR, 2005)
Eric N. Leclair, B.Sc., A-EMCA, PCP All rights reserved
Questions / Comments: nutraceutical@sympatico.ca
Find out more at: www.Immunotec.com/Nutraceutical
Research Abstracts
J Clin Epidemiol 1994 Sep47(9):1021-6
Glutathione and morbidity in a community-based sample of elderly.
Julius M, Lang CA, Gleiberman L, Harburg E, DiFranceisco W, Schork A
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, USA.
This study examined the association of blood glutathione level, a potential marker of physiological/functional aging, with a number of biomedical/psychological traits in a subgroup (N = 33) of a representative sample of community-based elderly. Higher glutathione levels were associated with fewer number of illnesses (p < 0.05), higher levels of self-rated health (p < 0.01), lower cholesterol (p < 0.05), lower body mass index, and lower blood pressures. Subjects with diagnoses of arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease (as assessed by physicians) had at least marginally significant lower glutathione levels than those who were disease free. Glutathione, together with age and a measure of suppressed anger, accounted for 39% of the variance of an index of morbidity. Glutathione, by itself, accounted for 24% of the variance. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of an association of higher glutathione levels with higher levels of physical health in a sample of community-based elderly. Further studies in large samples are needed to investigate glutathione as a potential overall health risk factor for morbidity among the elderly.
Acta Biochim Pol. 200047(2):281-92.
Antioxidant defense in centenarians.
Klapcinska B, Derejczyk J, Wieczorowska-Tobis K, Sobczak A, Sadowska-Krepa E, Danch A.
Academy of Physical Education, Katowice, Poland.
The study was designed to assess the antioxidant defense mechanisms, either enzymatic or non-enzymatic, in a group of sixteen centenarians (one male and fifteen female subjects aged 101 to 105 years) living in the Upper Silesia district (Poland) in order to evaluate the potential role of antioxidant defenses in human longevity. The results of our preliminary study showed that in comparison with young healthy female adults the centenarians had significantly higher red blood cell glutathione reductase and catalase activities and higher, although insignificantly, serum vitamin E level.
J Lab Clin Med 2002140:413-7
High blood glutathione levels accompany excellent physical and mental health in women ages 60 to 103 years
CALVIN A. LANG, BETTY JANE MILLS, HELEN L. LANG, MARICA C. LIU, WAYNE M. USUI,
JOHN RICHIE JR, WALTER MASTROPAOLO, and STANLEY A. MURRELL
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
Earlier we found a high percentage of subnormal total glutathione (GT) levels in blood from elderly subjects and patients with chronic diseases. These findings
suggested a hypothesis that high levels of GT in the blood occur in old persons who
are in excellent physical and mental health. To this end, we recruited 87 white
women who ranged in age from 60 to 103 years and reported that they felt healthy.
Their health was verified with physical examinations, clinical chemistry profiles,
psychosocial assessments, and blood GT determinations. This evaluation was performed
in three waves over a 5-year period. The values were compared with those
from representative individuals in this region and with normal national data. The
results verified that these healthy subjects were in top physical and mental health.
We also found that subjects of all ages had very high blood GT levels in waves I and
II but only normal levels in wave III. These findings confirm that high blood GT concentrations and excellent physical and mental health are characteristics of long-lived women.
Conclusion: This study was focused on GSH levels and health. It is hoped that idiopathic maladies and diseases will no longer be attributed to aging, a vague and usually ill-defined condition. A more likely possibility is that they are a result of a low GSH level. Life-span studies are now more feasible, for today there exist a number of characterized longitudinal investigations of very old people, such as the centenarian and nun studies such as the New England Centenarian Study siblings.( Perls, TT et al., 2002) Additional research of such subjects in the future should elucidate the relationships among glutathione, health, and longevity
Cell Biochem Funct. 2002 Mar 20(1): 61-6.
Age-related changes in the glutathione redox system.
Erden-Inal M, Sunal E, Kanbak G.
Osmangazi University, The Medical School, Department of Biochemistry Eskisehir, Turkey. minal@ogu.edu.tr
The effect of aging on the glutathione redox system was evaluated in this study. For this purpose, we determined reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) in whole blood, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GSSGR) in erythrocytes and selenium (Se) in plasma in 176 healthy individuals. We also calculated GSH/GSSG molar ratios. These subjects were divided into five groups: group 1 (n=25 0.2-1 years old) group 2 (n=28 2-11 years old) group 3 (n=23 12-24 years old) group 4 (n=40 25-40 years old) group 5 (n=60 41-69 years old). GSH levels in groups 1 and 5 were significantly lower than the other groups (p<0.001). Conversely, GSSG levels were significantly high in these periods (p<0.001). The GSH/GSSG molar ratio was found to be low both in the first year of life and in the oldest group (p<0.001, respectively). GPx activity in group 5 was increased as compared to the other groups (p<0.001). GSSGR activity was significantly lower in the oldest groups than in the other groups (p<0.001). Se levels were found to be low in the oldest group (p<0.001). Selenium levels of women in group 5 were significantly high as compared to the men (p<0.01). We found negative correlations between age and GSH levels (r=0.402 p<0.001), selenium levels (r=0.454 p<0.001), GSH/GSSG molar ratio (r=0.557 p<0.001) and GSSGR activity (r=0.556 p<0.001). There were positive correlations between age and GPx (r=0.538 p<0.001) and GSSG level (r=0.551 p<0.001). In conclusion, our findings show that the glutathione redox system is affected by age. Oxidative stress increases during the aging process.
Age Ageing. 1998 Sep27(5):643-8.
Low activity of superoxide dismutase and high activity of glutathione reductase in erythrocytes from centenarians.
Andersen HR, Jeune B, Nybo H, Nielsen JB, Andersen-Ranberg K, Grandjean P.
Department of Environmental Medicine, Odense University, Winslowparken 17, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark.
OBJECTIVE: to compare the activities of antioxidative enzymes in erythrocytes between centenarians and a younger group of elderly subjects. DESIGN: cross-sectional study. SETTING: county of Funen, Denmark. SUBJECTS: 41 centenarians aged between 100 and 105 years and 52 community control subjects aged between 60 and 79 years. MEASUREMENTS: enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD), glutathione peroxidase, catalase and glutathione reductase (GR) in erythrocytes. Functional capacity among the centenarians was evaluated by Katz' index of activities of daily living, the Physical Performance Test and Mini-Mental State Examination. RESULTS: the mean CuZn-SOD activity was significantly lower and the mean GR activity was significantly higher in centenarians than in the group of elderly people. The centenarians with the lowest cognitive and physical functional capacity and who did not survive at least 1 year after blood sampling tended to have the lowest CuZn-SOD activities. The range of Glutathione-GR activity was shifted toward higher values in the centenarian group than in the younger group and those centenarians having the best functional capacity tended to have the highest Glutathione-GR activity. CONCLUSIONS: CuZn-SOD activity is decreased in centenarians, probably because of reduced demand for the enzyme at lower metabolic rate and oxygen consumption. Subjects with high Glutathione activity occur more frequently among centenarians than expected, possibly due to their better survival. The role of Glutathione in disease prevention and as a predictor for longevity deserves to be further explored.
The mean Glutathione activity was significantly higher in 100+ year-old subjects than in the group of 60-79 year-olds. Research has demonstrated that glutathione levels decrease as people get older, rendering the findings of this clinical study quite fascinating. A subsequent research study with the following hypothesis would be quite interesting.
Hypothesis: The unusually high glutathione activity in centenarians is correlated with their above average life expectancy.
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