Part 2: Glutathione is made from three amino acids: cysteine binds with glycine (Gly) and glutamine (Glu). Glutathione is a primary recycler of antioxidants—it’s important. Normally you make enough, but if you have an issue, like oxidative stress or detoxification demands, it can dramatically increase the rate of glutathione synthesis and quickly use up all your cysteine supplies.
Glutathione itself is very difficult to test accurately. Alpha-hydroxybutyrate identifies the catabolism of threonine and the synthesis of glutathione. If alpha-hydroxybutyrate is elevated it can identify an increased production of glutathione. Alpha-hydroxybutyrate is released as a byproduct when cystathionine is cleaved to cysteine (see figure below).
In order to keep up the supply of cysteine, homocysteine is diverted from the trans-methylation pathway that is used in forming methionine, to the trans-sulfuration pathway used to form cystathionine and eventually glutathione. Thus, increased use of glutathione affects methionine production, which is needed for the very important methylation reactions. Interestingly, the production of alpha-hydroxybutyrate requires NADH, just like the conversion of pyruvate to lactate.
Jill James at the University of Arkansas Medical School has found that children with autism often have impaired glutathione production. The finding helps to connect the link between autism and mercury because mercury is cleared from the body via glutathione. Its sulfur core grabs mercury and gets rid of it. So kids with autism may have the same mercury exposure as others; they are just not able to clear it as well, so it builds up. Dr. James found that children with autism had significantly lower baseline plasma concentrations of methionine, SAM, homocysteine, cystathionine, cysteine, and total glutathione.
A comprehensive review of glutathione can be found on this linked PDF file: Alternative Review Volume 6, Number 6, 2001
Next week, we'll take a look at the process of evaluating Vitamin B12 status on the Organix Profile.
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