Glutathione: The Body's Master Antioxidant, a Poorly-Absorbed Supplement

Summary

Glutathione is genuinely the body's central intracellular antioxidant, and raising it matters in one specific medical setting — paracetamol overdose, where the cysteine precursor NAC restores hepatic glutathione and saves lives — yet the consumer supplement built on that biology is oversold: oral glutathione is largely broken down in the gut so systemic absorption has long been considered near-zero (a single industry-funded trial showed modest rises in tissue stores, not any clinical outcome), the skin-whitening, "detox," anti-aging and fatty-liver claims rest on small, short, often industry-l