The rules for aging are definitely being broke. In 1900 a North American’s life expectancy was 49 years.  By year 2000 it was 78 and climbing.  With scientific and medical advances a new
breed of physician is emerging – the longevity specialist.  Doctors may now write certified board exams to obtain their specialty in anti-aging. Dr. Ronald Klatz, founder and president of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), representing over 8500 members in 1999, states
“These health professionals believe aging is not inevitable… Fifty years from now when millions of baby boomers start reaching the century mark, we will look back on the medical science of today as though it were the dark ages.”  Duke University demographer James Vaupel says, “There is no evidence that human life expectancy is anywhere close to its ultimate limit.” Many believe that 100-120 years is an obtainable goal.

Twentieth century improvements in sanitation, occupational health and life-style as well as advances in antibiotics, vaccines and medical care have helped to extend the human life span.  We all want to maintain our health during these senior years. A practical knowledge of GSH can help us
ensure they bring a good quality of life. More than 12% of North Americans are over 65 and occupy a growing proportion of the population as baby boomers age. Most will suffer from heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, arthritis, Alzheimer’s Parkinson’s, cataracts and other debilitating diseases. Oxidative stress is common to all these diseases, and the free-radical theory of aging based on oxidative damage underlies most anti-aging treatments.

The GSH level antioxidant system is the body’s powerhouse for diffusing and disposing of free radicals that threaten cell, tissue and organ damage, thus showing the approach of aging, John T. Pinto of Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York proclaims GSH “The master antioxidant.” Jean Carper in her bestseller Stop Again Now! Highlights the same point: “You must get your levels of GSH up if you want to keep your youth and live longer. High blood levels of GSH predict good health as you age and a long life. Low levels predict early disease and death.” Those opinions result from convincing, fascinating research and experimentation. Age-Specific decreases in GSH are seen in all tissues, including liver, kidney, lung, heart, spleen and the brain. Laboratory studies on the role of GSH in aging show GSH deficiency in all aging creatures, from mosquitoes and houseflies to rats and mice.

Similar findings in humans indicate that elderly subjects bear increased risk of disease and impairment. Blood-GSH concentrations in younger people (20-40 years) are 20 to 40% higher than in those aged 60-80 years. Studies by leading experts on aging (C.A. Lang, M. Julius and others) suggest that elevated GSH levels give elderly individuals a physical, psychological and sociological advantage over those with lower levels.

Researchers Mara Julius and Calvin Lang measured glutathione concentrations in community-based individuals over 60 years of age, mapping these values to health, number of illnesses and risk factors for chronic disease (tobacco, alcohol, cholesterol, blood pressure and obesity).  Higher glutathione levels corresponded to lessened effects of aging and better general health. Those with 20% higher levels experience about one-third the rate of arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, circulatory difficulties and other maladies.

Dr. Lang also looked at glutathione levels in age groups: 20-40, 40-60, 60-80 and 80-100 years. The youngest group had acceptable levels but 14% of the 40-60 year olds and 53% of the 60-80 year olds had critically low levels. Interestingly, only 24% of the 80-100 olds had low levels, perhaps explaining how they reached such a ripe old age in the first place.

The Italians G. Paolisso and M. R. Tagliamonte went one step further, comparing adults under age 50 with those over 50.  Both the GSH and antioxidant function were depressed in the older group.  However, those over 100 years old had higher GSH levels than the other over-50 group. Again, this may explain their unusual longevity.

Several researchers over the years have also shown that life span can be extended by restricting diet and maintaining low body weight. No satisfactory explanation has emerged for this phenomenon, but some scientists have demonstrated that glutathione levels rise in these longer-living individuals. They suggest that glutathione may be involved in a molecular mechanism that contributes to
longevity.

S.L. Nuttal and his British team published a revealing study in The Lancer, comparing GSH levels in individuals of different ages and states of health. The healthy young had the highest levels, ahead of the healthy elderly. The lowest levels were found in sick, elderly patients. The results clearly showed that GSH levels fall as we age and as we become ill. The more severe the illness, the more evident the decrease.

Back in the laboratory, scientists are trying to find out whether elevated GSH levels can actually extend the life span. Aging-expert John Richie Jr. thinks that glutathione deficiency may be a
biochemical cause of the aging process. In some of his experiments MgTC—a GSH promoting drug similar to OTC—was fed to mosquitoes.  GSH levels were found to be 50 to 100% higher, and life span was increased by almost 40%. In another experiment, Diane Birt at the University of Nebraska fed hamsters the whey-protein concentrate lactalbumin — a GSH –precursor.  These animals also lived longer.  Interestingly, control hamsters on a diet including casein and cysteine, or methionine did not benefit. In fact high cysteine loads proved harmful, showing how the bioactivity of these amino acids changes when part of a larger protein, rather than free amino acids.

Dr. Gustavo Bounous and other researchers at McGill University demonstrated this anti-aging effect using a natural product to elevate GSH levels. They fed mice a specially developed whey protein isolate—later trademarked Immunocal – and compared their GSH levels and lifespan to mice on a standard diet. Not only were the tissue GSH levels found to be higher, the whey-fed mice had an average life span of 27 months (corresponding to a human age of 80 years) as compared
to the control diet average of 21 months (human equivalent of 55 years). This is an astonishing increase of 30%. Further experiments using both cysteine and caseine (another milk protein) neither increased longevity nor raised GSH levels.

As we age, GSH levels fall and we become increasingly susceptible to the toxic threats of many drugs and pollutants. Older people usually have enough health challenges without the additional load of drugs and toxins. Well-known aging researchers T.S. Chen, J.P Ritchie and C.A. Lang suggest that lower GSH levels in aging livers diminish the body’s ability to detoxify poisons, including toxic doses of acetaminophen. Considering the widespread use of prescription drugs in geriatric  population, this is highly significant.

Well-known nutritional specialist Bonnie Liebman writes about “Death, taxes…and prostate
cancer…,” a poignant comment on the prevalence of prostate cancer in our population. When researchers include in their statistics individuals with pre-cancerous cells, they claim that more than three-quarters of men over the age of 80 show evidence of cancer in their prostate glands. Some scientists are of the opinion that if a man lives long enough, he will eventually get prostate cancer. By this definition, prostate cancer would certainly be a disease of aging.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of men easily outlive prostate cancer, and may not even suffer significant symptoms. Although the average age at which men are diagnosed is 72, it is usually with a slow-growing tumor that may have begun thirty or forty years earlier. It is by far the most ommon type of cancer in men, but death by prostate cancer is less frequent than death by either lung
cancer or cancer of the colon, the two most frequent kill-cancers.

Screening for prostate cancer is pursued aggressively, usually by digital rectal exam or a blood test called a PSA (prostate specific antigen). Rectal exams are a simple way to check for swelling and sensitivity. PSA levels rise in the presence of prostate cancer and are a good screening tool for this cancer. They may also indicate the effectiveness of anti-cancer treatment. Traditional treatments include surgical removal, heat therapy, laser therapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and benign neglect.

Alternative therapy focuses more on slowing down the process than on curing it. Diet is important since prostatic cancer has been linked with high-fat, low-fibre diets. The use of antioxidants such a vitamin A or selenium is popular for reasons we describe below. Recently a carotenoid called  ycopene that gives certain fruits and vegetables their rich color has been linked to the prevention
of prostate cancer. It seems that men who eat lycopene-rich foods (tomato sauces, dark grapes) have lower rates of prostatic disease. This theory is still under investigation.

One of the more significant series of papers to be published on glutathione and prostate cancer comes from the University of Wisconsin. Researchers there describe male hormones (androgens) as a source of oxidative stress, particularly in cancerous prostate cells. An article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute claims that androgens stimulate free radical damage and also deplete
glutathione. Given the natural decline of glutathione levels in males as they age, the article suggests that “unopposed androgen pro-oxidant stress” contributes to prostate cancer. Natural defense against oxidative stress is weakened by the decline of GSH enzymes. This is an interesting model for the development of prostate cancer.

Another finding links the loss of glutathione activity to prostate cancer. The function of a particular glutathione enzyme – glutathione S-tranerase-pi-1 (CSPT1) – is almost universally lost in both cancerous and pre-cancerous prostate cells. The inactivation of this glutathione enzyme is an early event in the development of prostate cancer. Many studies have linked the loss of GSTP1 to malignant transformation of prostatic tissues.

Medical discoveries are often a matter of chance. A very large study was undertaken by the National Cancer Institute (USA) to determine whether selenium could bring down the rate of skin cancer, notoriously caused by strong exposure to sunlight. Researchers L.C. Clarke and G.F. Combs from Cornell University and the University of Arizona already knew of selenium’s ability to raise
glutathione levels and to oppose cancer-causing free radical damage from ultraviolet light.  As it turned out, selenium supplementation did not affect the incidence of skin cancer, but did surprisingly and dramatically diminish the incidence of prostate cancer in the selenium
supplementation group.

A more recent study from Harvard University confirms that higher selenium go hand-in-hand
with a decreased risk of prostate cancer. It measured selenium levels in the toenail clippings of over 51,000 male health professionals between 40 and 75 years of age. Those with the highest selenium levels had the lower chance of developing advanced prostate cancer. Note that selenium is only biologically active – and only has health benefits – when it is part of the enzyme glutathione
peroxidase, through which selenium expresses it positive health benefits.

Studies using undenatured whey protein isolates to raise glutathione levels are underway at several research centers including McGill and Harvard Universities, where its usefulness in the treatment of prostate cancer is being weighed.

Case Study

Franklin was a semi-retired general practitioner who at age 68 scored a PSA reading of over
8 micrograms/liter on a routine screening exam, suggesting a high possibility of prostate cancer. In continues tests, an urologist took a cystoscopic biopsy and confirmed the diagnosis. Four out of Franklin’s six biopsy sites tested positive for high-grade tumor. For personal and practical reasons, Franklin delayed aggressive treatment and opted to take 30 grams/day of specially-prepared whey-protein isolate that raises glutathione levels.  Bimothly PSA levels showed a gradual decline,
his latest reading being 3.8u/L. He is still being closely followed by his urologist, and his decision to undergo chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery will be deferred unless his PSA levels rise again.