An Immunologist Says This Is The Most Underrated Antioxidant Of Them All

With antioxidants, it’s pretty difficult to play favorites. Each impressive bioactive helps squelch free radicals and modulate oxidative stress, which has numerous benefits for full-body health (your skin, your brain function, your longevity, and the list goes on).* Antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E are quite popular in these conversations, as are up-and-comers like quercetin. But according to allergist and immunologist Heather Moday, M.D., we shouldn’t forget about the less obvious players. 

“A pretty big one is glutathione,” she says on the mindbodygreen podcast. “Glutathione is something people have been going crazy with.” If you haven’t yet heard of this powerful antioxidant, allow us to explain why it has so much buzz. 

Moday isn’t the only expert to sing the praises of glutathione. In fact, this one-of-a-kind bioactive has been called “the master antioxidant,” the “mother of all antioxidants,” and the “maestro of your immune system” by researchers and doctors alike. 

Its main gig is to support detoxification: “Glutathione is a very simple molecule produced naturally from three amino acids: cysteine, glycine, and glutamine,”* functional medicine doctor and mbg Collective member Mark Hyman, M.D., previously writes for mbg. “Its sulfur chemical groups provide glutathione’s benefits. Sulfur is a sticky, smelly molecule that acts like flypaper. All the bad things in your body stick onto it, including free radicals and toxins like mercury and other heavy metals.”* 

Glutathione is also essential for immune function: Research suggests that glutathione helps “fine-tune” our immune response, and it even helps support the production of various cells that are essential for immunity.* On a similar note: “It’s very powerful in the lungs,” says Moday. Studies have shown glutathione’s benefits for healthy lung function, thanks to its ability to fend off free radicals and regulate oxidative stress.* 

And while we do naturally make glutathione in our bodies (it has the highest concentration in the liver, says Moday), a bunch of factors can deplete this crucial antioxidant in our bodies—including a less nutrient-dense diet, pollution, aging, and the overall stress of modern living. To increase your supply, Hyman recommends eating more sulfur-rich foods like garlic, onions, and cruciferous veggies (since sulfur helps your body make glutathione).