N-Acetyl Cysteine
Glutathione is an important antioxidant enzyme that participates directly in the neutralization of free radicals.  Glutathione appears to have protective effects against cigarette smoke in human lung airway cells.  Glutathione is an essential component of the human immune response and without it many other important antioxidants such as vitamins C and E cannot do their jobs adequately to protect our body against mutations and disease.

Smokers typically have low glutathione levels because tobacco smoke increases the body's rate of utilization of glutathione. We have included N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) in ReplenishMints™  Replenishmints to enable your body to produce more glutathione.  NAC is a synthetic precursor of intracellular cysteine and glutathione, and is...

necessary for the body to restore glutathione levels inside cells.

NAC also has antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties that could be ascribed to multiple protective mechanisms, such as NAC nucleophilicity, antioxidant activity, its ability to act as a precursor of intracellular reduced glutathione, modulation of detoxification, and DNA repair processes. On these grounds, NAC has emerged as a most promising cancer chemopreventive agent.

Evidence suggests that regular use of N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is helpful for individuals with chronic bronchitis, a condition commonly associated with smoking and emphysema. NAC is a natural expectorant which helps thin mucus and loosen phlegm and bronchial secretions.

Other ingredients of ReplenishMints™  Mints also appear to elevate glutathione levels.  For example, glutathione levels rose nearly 50% in healthy people taking 500 mg of vitamin C per day for only two weeks. Vitamin C raises glutathione by helping the body manufacture it. In addition to vitamin C, other nutritional compounds may help increase glutathione levels including alpha lipoic acid and selenium, both of which are present in ReplenishMints™  Replenishmints. However, the extent to which these nutrients increases glutathione levels in humans remains unclear.

The Research
NAC stimulated plasma antioxidant scavenging activity, and may reduce tobacco smoke carcinogenicity in humans. Maastricht University, The Netherlands.

N-acetyl cysteine conjugates inhibit lung adenoma formation induced by tobacco carcinogens. American Health Foundation Cancer Center, Institute for Cancer Prevention, Valhalla, New York.

Gas phase cigarette smoke-induced albumin oxidation is inhibited by glutathione. University College of Science, Calcutta, India.

N-acetylcysteine and glutathione: antioxidant and chemopreventive properties, with special reference to lung cancer. Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

 

Coincubation of human lung fibroblasts and N-acetylcysteine exposed to cigarette smoke significantly reduced oxidative stress, apoptosis, and DNA fragmentation. University of Pisa, Italy.

 

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