Slow melt technology
Branded as Clinical Glutathione, the supplement will be offered in a slow melt tablet, which is a key part of the technology. EuroPharma, manufacturer of the Terry Naturally branded line of supplements, has contracted with a French supplier to bring the ingredient to the US. The ingredient’s special formulation boosts its bioavailability over standard glutathione formulations by as much as 230%, according to the company.
Glutathione historically has been unstable in oral supplementation. Healthy people should have a serum ratio of 90% non-oxidized, reduced glutathione (active) to 10% oxidized glutathione (inactive). According to Europharma, one of the biggest challenges to delivering active (reduced) glutathione is that unprotected glutathione is rapidly oxidized by elemental exposure and digestion, even if it is enteric coated. Suppliers such as Kohjin and Kyowa Hakko have taken other formulation approaches to tackle this problem and recently have reported positive results in the blood uptake of non-oxidized glutathione. The patented French technology marketed by EuroPharma combines antioxidants and slow melt technology to prevent this degradation.
Underlying deficiency
“Oxygen is actually incredibly toxic unless you know how to handle it,” said Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, a member of EuroPharma’s scientific advisory board. “Glutathione is the major antioxidant in the body. Your body makes less of it as you age, so by age 65 you have only about 50% of your original glutathione production. That is one of the things that happens to people when they age; they rust, essentially,” he said.
Teitelbaum is an expert in the treatment of fibromyalgia and the glutathione level in a patient’s system is one of the key factors in that condition. He said it figures into other conditions such as autoimmune disorders, too.
“I’ve said for decades one underlying things that’s going on is a glutathione deficiency. Because of the problems with oral supplementation, what we’ve done in the past is to give the glutathione intravenously. Now you can take a pill and have the same effect,” he said.