Comment · Sat, June 4, 2022 · ND Owner
Oral bioavailability of Reduced Glutathione
Original post in this thread
xrkq9s · 8 points
Can ND (or anyone else) please share any references regarding the oral bioavailability of reduced glutathione in humans?
Is there any reason to believe that anything is absorbed at all?
Thanks
What they were answering
Direct reply to the original post — see the thread post above.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · ND Owner
Yes, it is orally bioavailable, and builds up over time when taken daily.
https://sci-hub.se/10.1007/s00394-014-0706-z
Something like N-acetylcysteine will increase glutathione faster with acute doses, but oral reduced glutathione works very well when taken daily for long periods. That's how I use it, and I never have to use NAC anymore. I just take my glutathione daily and keep my levels steady. If I was just starting out, and I wanted to quickly raise glutathione levels, I would use NAC. You can even take NAC and reduced glutathione together, then drop the NAC after a few weeks once you have built up plasma levels.
The knowledge of oral bioavailability of reduced glutathione isn't new, either. There was a study from 1990 that showed it was orally bioavailable, and increased serum glutathione levels.
https://sci-hub.se/10.1152/ajpgi.1990.259.4.G524
There are a bunch of companies out there trying to muddy the waters and claim it is not, so they can sell untested and unverified "improved bioavailability" versions, but most of that is just marketing hype.