N-Acetyl Cysteine

Optimal dose 250-650 mg/day

NAC is critical for making a key antioxidant called glutathione and for keeping vitamins C and E in their active forms. Although taking glutathione by mouth has no effect on blood levels (it simply gets digested), taking NAC, glutamine (1,000 mg/day — which also helps bowel healing), and glycine (500-1,000 mg/day) — the 3 amino acid "building blocks" of glutathione — plus vitamin C can markedly increase glutathione levels. Low glutathione levels may contribute to your immune dysfunction — including low "natural killer cell" activity—as glutathione protects your immune system from harm.

NAC (perhaps by raising glutathione) has other benefits as well. In one study, taking high dose NAC increased time to muscle fatigue by 30% while preventing a drop in glutathione and can even help to protect the heart muscle during a heart attack.

NAC at doses of 600-3,000 mg/day even significantly decreased symptoms of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). Other antioxidants may also help OCD. NAC also helps your body get rid of toxins.

More Information Online

Nutritional primer

We have a 20,000 word primer on nutrition at our website that provides more detail with study references on each nutrient. Click here to visit the "N-Acetyl-Cysteine" section of our primer.