Update On My Dad

Well, I have been so busy that I haven’t posted the progress on my father.

Some of you know he was on his death bed the end of October, 2008. You may already know he has come back and no one is expecting him to go anywhere for a long time.

Maybe you remember that he has dementia/alzheimers disease and that the doctors said he is in the last stages and has hardly any white brain matter left.

I am hearing reports from the caregivers every day about dad remembering things. One mentioned he even remembered a DVD movie she had put in that night. A movie he had not seen for probably a month or so.

This is a man who didn’t have much of a long term memory or a short term memory for many years. He didn’t communicate much either. Well he is back and I wish his doctors would do another MRI because I bet it would look totally different!

Thank you God for MaxGXL and Dr. Keller!

GLUTATHIONE PROMOTING DRUGS, SUPPLEMENTS AND CO FACTORS

THE N-ACETYL CYSTEINE STORY

The only substances listed in the drug category above that have been approved by the FDA to date are N-acetyl cysteine and glutathione itself, both of which are usually administered intravenously. All others in that category have demonstrated significant problems and are not considered safe for long term use.

Nonetheless, it is estimated that pharmaceutical companies have spent billions of dollars to develop a glutathione producing/promoting drug. Given the relative obscurity of glutathione in mainstream medicine, don’t you find Big Pharma’s intense and costly interest curious?

With the scarcity of available drugs and their restricted uses imposed by the FDA and health insurance companies, it is clear, to me at least, that nutritional supplements are needed to maintain maximum glutathione levels (for health, quality, and perhaps even length of life).

One substance that occupies a position both as a prescription drug and a supplement is N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). Of course the difference is that a prescription drug (NAC) must be pharmaceutical (highest) grade whereas supplements containing NAC may, but are not required to be, pharmaceutical grade. In fact, most of them are food grade. As such, drug NAC is purer bur not necessarily more effective (comparative studies don’t exist). Both drugs and supplements taken orally have the same potential gastrointestinal side effects (stomach ache, nausea, vomiting) if administered at greater than 800mg/m2 per dose.

Stated simply, this is about 12000 milligrams (mgs) for a 150-pound person. Some of the other negatives such as statements that NAC supplements raise glutathione levels only transiently (temporarily), however, require more critical examination.

Glutathione is synthesized within the cytosol of cells. The studies demonstrating that NAC raises GSH levels only transiently measure glutathione in the serum (blood). In a previous section, we mentioned that glutathione transferases transport glutathione out of cells when intracellular levels exceed the cells requirements. Although the ORAC test (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) may measure GSH levels in serum, remember neither serum glutathione elevations nor its duration accurately depicts the conditions within the cell. In fact, there are a few important articles in the research literature that speak directly to this controversy.

In one study, animals were given NAC every four hours. The studies revealed that intracellular glutathione levels increased with the initial dose; increased again with the second dose; and only plateaued after the third dose. Of note, the doses used were thousands of times the equivalent human dose.

In another study, animals were fed NAC, again at doses hundreds of times the equivalent human dose, over a prolonged period (the equivalent of approximately four years in humans). Examination of all the organs of the animals after the experiments were completed demonstrated no abnormalities in any tissue. In addition, comprehensive chemistry evaluation revealed only one minor abnormality in liver enzyme levels, but glutathione and glutathione peroxidase levels were elevated significantly.

Finally, an interesting study in baby animals demonstrated that 20 grams (20,000 mgs) in a baby chick weighing less than 100 grams (the ideal human is 70,000 grams) demonstrated increased growth compared to a group of baby chicks receiving no NAC. It must be noted that if 30 and 40 grams of NAC was given, the chicks actually demonstrated decreased growth rate compared to a placebo-fed group, but at doses at least thousands of times the human dose, NAC increased the growth of the baby chicks. This finding gains importance as babies of any species grow more quickly that adults and therefore, any problem associated with NAC should be magnified.

In addition, these are the very studies required by the FDA before human clinical trials can begin (animal toxicity studies) and are worthy of mentioning even though the results of animal studies cannot be extrapolated to humans. Given the beneficial effects at doses thousands of times any human dose, they call into question any statement concerning the possibility toxicity associated with long-term use of N-acetyl cysteine. These studies suggest strongly that NAC or other “protected” cysteines serve our integral purpose in any GSH promoting supplement.

CLOSING NOTE: N-Acetyl Cysteine is an ingredient in Dr. Keller's formulation.

From pages 41-43 of GLUTATHIONE, Your Best Defense Against Aging, Cellular Damage and Disease, Dr. Robert H. Keller, MD, MS, FACP, AAHIVS