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Summary
On episode 347 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Dr. Brian MacGillivray, known as Dr. Mac, medical director for Nanoceutical Solutions, to talk about glutathione, the antioxidant the body produces in every cell to neutralize free radicals and support detoxification.
Dr. Mac explains why glutathione production naturally declines with age, why swallowing a glutathione pill does not work, and what newer delivery methods claim to do differently.
Allan discloses that he was paid a small fee for the episode and received product samples ahead of time before agreeing to feature the company, and frames the conversation as one option worth researching rather than a cure.
Links
- https://bit.ly/40plusfitnesspodcast
Key Takeaways
- Glutathione is the body's master detoxifier, made in every cell. It neutralizes free radicals by donating an electron to stabilize them before they damage proteins, DNA, and cell membranes.
- Glutathione production drops about 15 percent per decade starting around age 20. Dr. Mac notes a man in his 50s has lost roughly half his glutathione, which he ties to the rise in disease seen around that age.
- Declining glutathione is linked to aging itself, not just toxin exposure. Free radicals from normal metabolic processes damage DNA and proteins over time, which Dr. Mac describes as aging by definition.
- Swallowed glutathione pills do not work. Because glutathione is a tripeptide of three amino acids, stomach acid breaks it apart the same way it breaks down any protein, before the body can use it intact.
- IV delivery was historically the only reliable option, and liposomal supplements have been inconsistent. Liposomal products struggle in water based environments and are less stable on the shelf, so absorption has been hit or miss.
- Sublingual nanosized glutathione is the newer delivery method Dr. Mac is involved with. Company studies showed up to an 800 percent increase in blood levels after a single dose, taken as drops held under the tongue.
- Taking the raw amino acid precursors has limited benefit because synthesis capacity itself declines with age. Supplying more building blocks does not fix a body that is producing less of the finished molecule.
- Glutathione is not part of a standard blood panel. Most doctors do not routinely test for it or for the related marker of oxidative stress, so patients typically have to ask specifically.
- Emerging research links low glutathione to Alzheimer's, autism, asthma, and heart disease. Dr. Mac is careful to note the cause and effect direction is still being studied, but calls the association significant enough to take seriously.
“It is the stud muffin antioxidant.”
Dr. Brian MacGillivray
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