N-acetyl cysteine, or NAC for short, is a dietary supplement that may help supercharge your performance and slow down aging. One of the ways NAC supplements work is by helping your body produce an uber-important antioxidant called glutathione, which in turn can help protect against free radicals and keep your cells healthy and strong.
Also called N-acetyl-l-cysteine, NAC is the supplement version of an essential amino acid called cysteine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. The problem is that glutathione tends to decline with age.
It can also be reduced by factors like bad nutrition, stress and environmental toxins. Taking NAC supplements may help replenish your glutathione levels. Or you can just take a glutathione supplement like Bulletproof Glutathione Force —but more on that later. In the world of healthcare, NAC is used as a medicine that can treat conditions ranging from liver damage to asthma to acetaminophen overdose. It has been well-studied by medical researchers and has an array of potential health benefits.
NAC is a favorite supplement in the anti-aging community. NAC can help the body rid itself of harmful toxins. It helps protect cells from toxicity caused by environmental pollutants, including pesticides [3] , heavy metals like lead [4] and gasoline and diesel fumes. In a randomized controlled trial, NAC was even found to restore lung function in soldiers exposed to mustard gas. Increasing antioxidant status may help keep sperm healthier.
Clinical trials have found that NAC can help support a healthy inflammatory response in the body, which is helpful for relieving symptoms of respiratory conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD and improving insulin resistance.
The University of Maryland Medical Center suggests starting with mg daily and slowly increasing with your doctor's supervision. It reports doses higher than 7, mg could cause toxicity. The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center notes prolonged supplementation with NAC could decrease your levels of trace minerals, but that research looking at this action suggests this effect is minimal.
If you plan on using NAC long-term, however, consider taking a standard multivitamin and mineral supplement. Beth Israel reports NAC appears to be a generally safe supplement, but like any drug or supplement, side effects are a possibility in some people.
Reported side effects include gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, nausea, rash, vomiting and fatigue. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center notes that there have been case reports of low blood pressure, anaphylaxis, asthma attacks and headache. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that supplementation could raise levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked with a potentially increased risk of heart disease when present in high amounts.
Oral doses above mg per day can result in headache, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea. People who take nitroglycerine should not take NAC unless supervised by a physician since it can cause the nitroglycerine to work more intensely and cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. In the hospital setting, the use of NAC yields potential benefits that outweigh the potential risks.
Glutathione levels are being restored and maintained in the normal range because the toxins deplete glutathione. Drug studies have measured the glutathione levels going down after the toxic exposure.
Damage to the body and vital organs occur, usually involving the liver or kidneys depending on the toxic exposure.
Studies have also measured glutathione levels going up after NAC administration and damage to vital organs is mitigated.
In the skin lightening situation, normal glutathione levels are being elevated even higher. This is usually when good pills do bad things. The risk-benefit ratio is no longer the same. Treating a healthy person is very different than treating a sick person. Medical professionals take a vow never to cause harm and giving medicine to a healthy person is not the same as giving medicine to a sick person.
Vitamin C is similar to glutathione in that it is also a powerful antioxidant depleted by toxins. Smoking tobacco depletes vitamin C levels and the expert doctors at the National Institute of Health NIH have recommended that healthy smokers consume extra vitamin C supplement in the pill form. Interestingly, vitamin C is also used in the IV form as a skin lightener, often times it is combined with glutathione. Do high levels restore and repair damage that has already occurred?
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