From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Subject: Re: GSH Deficiency!!
Date: 16 Mar 1997
Newsgroups: misc.health.aids

In <332B915E.6E8B@mail.ids.net> Kevin <solid@mail.ids.net> writes:

>Latest findings indicate that Glutathione (a tripeptide amino acid
>composed of glycine, cysteine, and glutamic acid) deficiencies, are a
>good marker of AIDS disease progression.  Not surprisingly, Glutathione
>deficiencies are common in people who consume alcohol, tobacco and
>certain drugs.


   The "certain drugs," are mostly things that contain Tylenol-- not
exactly known or suspected of causing AIDS.  Otherwise your grandma
would have it.  You're being guilty of Duesbergian vagueness here.

    For the record, glutathione deficiency is a marker for nearly any
condition of poor nutrition, poor health, and chronic inflammation.
It's pretty nonspecific, and doesn't mean a lot.  It's sort of like
having pale skin and ratty looking hair.

                                              Steve Harris, M.D.

From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Subject: Re: Glutathione dosage?
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 1997
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative

In <19970818192101.PAA20165@ladder02.news.aol.com> hjghlander@aol.com
(Hjghlander) writes:

>I take 750mg of L-Glutathione for an antioxidant and increase cognitive
>fuction (I had a mild brain injury) I tried a lot of other supplements
>and this seems the best for me.
>
>would going to 2000mg (2 Grams) be ok? or is this a toxic level. (does
>the increase increase selenium requirements, affect the kidneys or make
>your own body produce less?)
>
>is L-glutamine better (its cheaper) for memory and does it have an
>antioxidant affect?
>
>thanks!!!!!!
>
>Mark




  I doubt you're getting much glutathione (GSH) into your brain now.
The stuff is absorbed by the GI tract and gets into the blood, but it's
not taken up by cells efficiently, and certainly doesn't get across the
blood brain barrier intact.  The best it does is raise plasma cysteine
levels indirectly after breakdown, which helps cells which must take up
cysteine to make GSH.  But you can do that a lot better with N-acetyl
cysteine (and even it doesn't do it well). NAC supplements are sold
over the counter.  Studies showing that they raise GSH levels in the
body (unlike GSH supplementation) are available.

   Research studies which much raise tissue levels of GSH use
precursors like the GSH monomethylester (not available commercially, to
my knowledge), or else procysteine, which is L-2-oxothiazolidine
carboxylic acid, a cyclized version of cysteine split into cysteine
intracellularly by prolinase.  The compound is available from
commercial lab sources only.  It's been given orally to people with
AIDS, but I know of no commercial supplement source.

   If you take 2 grams of glutathione a day, all you're going to have
is really foul sulfur-smelling flatus.  You've heard of expensive urine
from supplements?  Well, it's possible to have really expensive farts,
too. <g>.

                                        Steve Harris, M.D.

From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
Subject: Re: AIDS & GSH
Date: 23 Jul 1998 06:32:29 GMT

In <amieB96291CF.175.266@edgebbs.com> George Lagergren
<gl@edgebbs.com.REMOVE.ME.TO.REPLY> writes:

>aument <aument@MCI2000.com>  wrote:
>Subject: Build your Immune system...naturally!!!!!!!!!
>
>I know the following is an ad and is spam.  But is there any
>proof that a supplementing with Glutathione will help with
>AIDS?    Any comments on GSH?


   No.  Glutathione is absorbed from the gut into the blood, but has no
way to get into body cells, where it is needed.  Meanwhile you spend a
lot of money to have stinky flatus.  Glutathione esters do get into
cells, but are expensive, and available to researchers only.

   NAC and procysteine (OTCA), which are both converted to GSH in
cells, have more promise with AIDS.  But neither has been a clear help
in any clinical trial.  Low glutathione levels go up (in some trials,
not others), but it's been tough to show this does any clinical good,
even in the trials where they rise.  All in all, it's a very mixed bag.

   If I had AIDS, I would consider supplmenting with selenium (200 to
600 micrograms a day).  Selenium is involved in glutathione metabolism
and use, and selenium is not only far cheaper, but also known to be far
more deranged than glutathione in AIDS.  I'd do this before spending
money on NAC.  And vitamins E and C are cheap too, and along with
selenium are worth using in good doses in AIDS before going to anything
fancier in the way of supplements.

                                         Steve Harris, M.D.