Now glutathione findings from a recent article show that this could also be true for younger patients…
Researchers have gone from knowing nothing about how COVID-19 works to decoding its RNA, formulating a virus, and mobilizing a massive public health outreach to get the American populace vaccinated. And now glutathione is being shown as a potent weapon for patients recovering from COVID.
A recent paper reported on the results from a study examining the effects of oxidative stress and reduced glutathione levels in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Read further to find out more about how nutritional supplements can play a key role in helping the sickest COVID-19 patients recover.
Oxidative stress
As we know, oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between free radical and antioxidant activity. Such an imbalance can damage fatty tissue, DNA, and proteins in the body. This imbalance may also lead to inflammation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently published findings on the relationship between COVID-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A) and children (MIS-C).1
Glutathione is one of the most common and powerful antioxidant in the human body. As with increased oxidative stress, lower glutathione levels are often linked to a number of chronic health conditions usually associated with the aging process, such as diabetes, autoimmune disorders, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disorders, and obesity.2
Now glutathione linked to reducing oxidative stress in COVID-19 patients
As you might expect, the combination of oxidative stress and lowered glutathione levels is most common within the geriatric population. However, it should not be too far a stretch to see the same combination in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, given the established link with the inflammatory process.
However, now glutathione findings from a recent article in the journal Antioxidants show that this could also be true for younger patients.3
For their study, the researchers compared blood samples of 60 COVID-19 patients with oxidative stress and low glutathione levels to age-matched blood samples from healthy subjects in 2019, before the pandemic.3 They found that the COVID-19 patients in both the 21-40, and the 41-60 age groups, had greater oxidative stress and lower glutathione levels than was found in the age-matched samples from 2019.
Study findings and supplementation
This would seem to indicate that severe cases of COVID-19 not only increases oxidative stress across all age groups, but also lowers glutathione levels. Because now glutathione supplementation has proven effective in treating severe cases of oxidative stress from other causes, the researchers suggested that the same treatment could also be beneficial for COVID-19, regardless of age.3
The fight against COVID-19 has been a joint effort among research scientists, clinicians, and chiropractors. Your knowledge and expertise regarding glutathione supplementation has tremendous benefits beyond just your own practice.
References
- Morris SB, Schwartz NG, Patel P, et al. Case series of multisystem Inflammatory syndrome in adults associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection — United Kingdom and United States, March–August 2020. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2020;69:1450-1456.
- Pizzorno J. Glutathione! Integrative Medicine: A Clinicians Journal. 2014;13(1):8-12.
- Kumar P, Osahon O, Vides DB, et al. Severe glutathione deficiency, oxidative stress and oxidant damage in adults hospitalized with COVID-19: Implications for GlyNAC (glycine and n-acetylcysteine) supplementation. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021;11(1):50.