Gwyneth Paltrow, online influencers love glutathione. Can it really increase your lifespan?
Gwyneth Paltrow does it.
In fact, she loves it. "I'm an early IV adopter," she once said during a podcast interview. "Glutathione, I love to have an IV."
Though Paltrow is known for endorsing fringe or controversial wellness trends, this small molecule is actually pretty mainstream as people online hail its alleged age-reversing benefits.
Glutathione has been nicknamed the "master antioxidant," and some people have been drawn to it because they think it will boost their lifespan. And while glutathione is harmless, people are buying it online and injecting it themselves, at home, which could pose a danger to consumers' health.
"It's being sold in a gray market," said Dr. Pieter Cohen, associate professor at Harvard Medical School. "You need to wonder what are you getting in there. Is it glutathione or something else?"
Here's everything you need to know about glutathione:
What is glutathione?
Glutathione is a protective antioxidant composed of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid and glycine.
They’re located all over the body and involved in cellular functioning, Cohen said.
The National Cancer Institute also says that it also acts as a detoxifying agent. Research shows that it fights and prevents cell damage caused by free radicals, which are unstable molecules.
The buildup of free radicals, which is called oxidative stress, has been linked to cancer as well as diseases that affect the heart, kidney, brain and respiratory system, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
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Some small studies have shown that low levels of glutathione may be linked to poor health and tend to decline with age. This is partly why biohackers and longevity enthusiasts are interested in this small molecule, Cohen said.
Most glutathione supplements are available in pill form and injected or administered intravenously by a medical provider, said Nayan Patel, founder of Auro Wellness, a Los Angeles-based supplement company.
However, videos posted on social media show that consumers have been able to purchase vials of glutathione and self-administer at home.
One vial can cost upward of $200.
“If something is sold as an injectable... it’s not a legal, dietary supplement,” Cohen said.
Are there health benefits to taking glutathione?
While glutathione battles toxic molecules in the body, the total body of scientific evidence doesn’t show increasing glutathione levels in the body leads to a longer life and better health outcomes, health experts say.
Studies haven't been able to show positive impacts from glutathione because it's difficult for the body to absorb it, Patel said. With oral supplements, the body's digestive tract breaks it down so much that there's nothing left to benefit the body.
Glutathione that's administered intravenously bypasses the digestive system and has direct access to the bloodstream, but Patel said this method also has been shown to have minimal absorption.
"You can get it inside your body but you can't get it inside your cells where it's supposed to be," said Patel, whose company is researching a topical solution containing glutathione.
“Can you give someone glutathione to someone to improve athletic performance or decrease aging? The answer is no,” Cohen said. “Just because something decreases with age doesn’t mean we can just give it back to a person and they’re back to being healthy.”
How to be sure you're getting enough glutathione
Glutathione, by itself, is not dangerous to the body but Cohen is concerned with people injecting products into themselves at home without the knowledge of their medical provider.
He also fears unregulated vials of glutathione sold online may be contaminated with bacteria or fungus, or contain undisclosed ingredients.
The best way to ensure you're getting enough glutathione is to eat the right foods that promote its production, such as garlic, broccoli, asparagus, avocado and spinach, among others.
"Eat healthy, what your body needs, and stay away from other toxic exposures," Patel said. "With those two things alone, you don't need any products."
Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Glutathione: Does the Gwyneth Paltrow-loved molecule work?
