Dr. Joseph Maroon Discusses Oxidative Stress and The Benefits of Glutathione

Oct 19, 2024  Neurosurgeon and Wellness Expert, Dr. Joseph Maroon presented his breakthrough research on oxidative stress as one of  the central causes of neurodegeneration.  He also discussed the potential brain benefits of the antioxidant glutathione to a large audience of distributors at the ACTIVZ Salt Lake City conference.  Dr. Maroon related that oxidative stress has been shown to be a major cause of neurodegeneration and cognitive decline associated with aging.

It this lecture, Dr. Maroon pointed out the importance of the antioxidant glutathione, that has been found to be depleted in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCDI) and Parkinson’s Disease. In addition, he reviewed the dangers of excessive iron in the brain and the resultant oxidative stress it is linked to. This has been shown to be a major factor associated with brain degeneration in the brains of alcoholics.

Dr. Maroon was accompanied by Jeff Bost PAC, his long-time Physician Assistant. Both advise ACTIVZ on the science behind the benefits of natural dietary ingredients shown to benefit human health.

Here are some of the major points discussed in the lecture:

Understanding Oxidative Stress Imbalance

  • The body needs to maintain a balance between free radicals and antioxidants to function properly
  • A balance between free radicals and antioxidants is necessary for proper physiological function (Disease-free).
  • If free radicals overwhelm the body’s ability to regulate them, a condition known as oxidative stress ensues.
  • Excessive Free radicals adversely alter cellular lipids, proteins, and DNA and trigger a number of human diseases and early death.

What is Glutathione?

  • Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that protects the body from free radicals, peroxides, and heavy metals.
  • It also helps eliminate harmful foreign compounds, carcinogens and supports immune function.

Other important functions of glutathione include:

  • Making DNA, the building blocks of proteins and cells
  • Helping certain enzyme’s function
  • Regenerating vitamins C and E (Both antioxidants)
  • Assisting regular cell death, also known as apoptosis
  • Helping the liver and gallbladder deal with fats
  • Unlike most antioxidants, which come from plant sources, the human body naturally produces glutathione.
  • Typically, glutathione production levels naturally decrease with age

Brain Benefits of Glutathione

  • Astrocytes (a type of brain cells) interact with surrounding neurons by nourishing, protecting, and modulating growth and excitability
  • Astrocytes can improve neuronal survival
  • Although, the liver is the primary organ in the human body that produces glutathione, other tissues, including Astrocytes produce glutathione.
  • Astrocytes release glutathione to neurons through the special shuttle transport system (only found in the brain) as part of an antioxidant response to neuronal oxidative stress

The lecture also discussed the dietary ingredients, Rosemary, Luteolin and Gingerol’s action activating the transcription factor Nrf2 (See image) Nrf2 activation promotes the production of Glutathione and a variety of other beneficial antioxidants.

Ref:

  • Rimil Guha Roy 1, Pravat K Mandal 1 2, Joseph C Maroon 3 ACS Chem Neurosci . 2023 Sep 6;14(17):2944-2954. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00486. Epub 2023 Aug 10. Oxidative Stress Occurs Prior to Amyloid Aβ Plaque Formation and Tau Phosphorylation in Alzheimer’s Disease: Role of Glutathione and Metal Ions
  • Pravat K Mandal 1,2, Joseph C Maroon 19, et al, Brain Commun. 2022 Aug 20;4(5):fcac215. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac215
    Hippocampal glutathione depletion with enhanced iron level in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease compared with healthy elderly participants
  • Ngo V, Duennwald ML. Nrf2 and Oxidative Stress: A General Overview of Mechanisms and Implications in Human Disease. Antioxidants (Basel). 2022 Nov 27;11(12):2345. doi: 10.3390/antiox11122345. PMID: 36552553; PMCID: PMC9774434
  • Toxicol Sci. 2011 Oct; 123(2): 590–600. Published online 2011 Jul 20. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfr183
    PMCID: PMC3179677 PMID: 21775727 Beneficial Role of Nrf2 in Regulating NADPH Generation and Consumption
  • Journal of Neuroscience 15 April 2003, 23 (8) 3394-3406; https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.23-08-03394.2003