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Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3

Complete glutathione system in probiotic

According to an abstract done in 2010, by the Department of Biochemistry of Tartu University, there is a complete glutathione system in Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3.

Here is the specific abstract:

“There is much information about glutathione (GSH) in eukaryotic cells, but relatively little is known about GSH in prokaryotes. Without GSH and glutathione redox cycle lactic acid bacteria (LAB) cannot protect themselves against reactive oxygen species. Previously we have shown the presence of GSH in Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3 (DSM14241). Results of this study show that probiotic L. fermentum ME-3 contains both glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase. We also present that L. fermentum ME-3 can transport GSH from environment and synthesize GSH. This means that it is characterized by a complete glutathione system: synthesis, uptake and redox turnover ability that makes L. fermentum ME-3 a perfect protector against oxidative stress. To our best knowledge studies on existence of the complete glutathione system in probiotic LAB strains are still absent and glutathione synthesis in them has not been demonstrated.”

This abstract was based on years of research conducted by Marika Mikelsaar, MD, PhD and her team at the University of Tartu, in Estonia. Her extensive work earned her an award and now the breaking news from all her hard work is landing on my desk!

Why is this important? Glutathione is essential for the body to be healthy. As you age, your stores of glutathione decrease and with that depletion your chances for cancer rise. See why this is such big news?

Pharmacist Suzy Cohen revealed in her newsletter that the strain of probiotics, Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3, is now available in the US! Ms. Cohen gave a great fact run down on glutathione and I would like to share it so you can get an idea of why this is truly great news for us all, read this excerpt:

First the Facts
Fact: We make glutathione in our body, all of us do.

Fact: Glutathione is depleted very quickly because we really challenge our bodies and cellular trash needs to be taken out. Antioxidant production is key to reducing free radicals. Several trillion mitochondria depend on glutathione for their sheer survival. See my image above to see what a cell looks like. The green and orange organelles are your mitochondria. In total, you have several pounds of these mitochondria energy-generators and they need glutathione to protect them.

Fact: Hundreds of medications ( I, (Suzy Cohen) calls them “drug muggers”) deplete your natural warehouse of glutathione; so does drinking beer, a glass of wine or any alcohol use. This might surprise you but acetaminophen (paracetamol) is a strong drug mugger of glutathione in case you use that for pain relief.

Fact: Almost all supplements of glutathione are big and bulky and appear to degrade in the gut when taken orally. Most supplements do not easily penetrate your cells and get into the mitochondria to help you which is why ‘cooking it up’ inside your cells is critical to producing healthy amounts of it. 

Fact: Intracellular production of glutathione is challenged by the availability of the three amino acids necessary for glutathione production namely cysteine, glutamine and glycine.

Fact: Glutathione regenerates other powerful antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E just when you think they are used up. It basically gives them a second shot at snatching up harmful compounds all over your body, think of it as giving these antioxidants a “buy one get one free” deal! Without glutathione, these antioxidants only get to clean you up one time around. 

Cellular trash needs to be taken out and glutathione is just one powerful antioxidant that is essential to our body. By the very nature of their physiological tasks, your liver, heart and immune system all require adequate amounts of glutathione to keep you healthy. If you’d like to know more about glutathione, please refer to this article, Chronic Illness Responds to Glutathione.

 

Continue reading Suzy Cohen’s article here. She offers much more detail about the strain, glutathione and its benefits.

 

Do you see now why glutathione is critical in our body? The news that a probiotic can help our bodies increase or maintain its glutathione levels is huge to me. Glutathione is referred to as the Mother of All Antioxidants and I hope you can see why now. Get your Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3 probiotics through the link below.

Posted in Health & Wellness | July 26 th , 2015 | 0 Comments



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