“Master antioxidant” glutathione ingredient launched to fight inflammation

01 Jul 2020 --- Following 20 years of R&D, INID Research Lab has commercialized its clinically proven, “master antioxidant” ingredient Glyteine as a fruit beverage powder formulation in Continual-G. Glyteine is a proprietary form of gamma-glutamylcysteine (GGC) shown to cross the bloodstream barrier to enter the cell intact within just 90 minutes of consumption. With heightened interest in antioxidants for immune support, INID Research Lab studies show that Glyteine can be instrumental in raising glutathione (a type of antioxidant) levels. Consequently, this aids cells in fighting against inflammation, infection and other diseases.

“Though GGC is produced in every cell of our bodies – and those of all animals and plants – it is all used up to make glutathione. Before the release of [branded] Continual-G products containing Glyteine, there has never been a supplement that could provide the GGC needed to boost glutathione production during aging and illness,” Wallace Bridge, Professor at the University of New South Wales, Australia, tells NutritionInsight. 

He began studying glutathione in 1997 and has since developed a manufacturing process for a proprietary form of GGC, now branded as Glyteine. “In many illnesses and during aging, the enzyme that makes GGC, glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL) slows down. It does not provide enough GGC to the second enzyme, glutathione synthase, (GS) to make sufficient glutathione to protect cells from free radicals,” Professor Bridge explains.

Glyteine is touted as being able to provide relief and opportunity for recovery from oxidative stress related to glutathione depletion. “No other compound, including glutathione itself and the cysteine prodrug N-acetylcysteine, has been shown to be able to rapidly increase cellular glutathione levels following a single dose. Keep in mind, it is inside cells, not outside, where glutathione is most needed,” notes Professor Bridge.

 The key consumer markets Continual-G taps into include:

• Maintaining a healthy immune system. 
• Supporting optimal physical activity and recovery. 
• Maintaining optimal brain health. 
• Healthy aging. 

Manufacturing facility for Glyteine at INID Research Lab in Texas. (Credit: Glyteine.com)Brain health is an increasingly popular market within the nutrition industry, while healthy aging has seen as a slew of recent NPD launches and ingredient innovation.

Scientific backing is key
Before the discovery of Continual-G, glutathione supplements were already available to market. However, INID Research Lab highlights that glutathione cannot move from the bloodstream into the cell by osmosis, whereas the Glyteine in Continual-G products can. Once inside the cell, it is quickly converted into glutathione. 

In research strides to evidence Glyteine’s efficacy and safety, an initial published animal study demonstrated Glyteine to be safe, with no observed side effects at the high daily dose of 1 g per kg body weight for 90 days. These results supported the self-affirmed Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status approval for Glyteine. 

In a subsequent human clinical study published in Redox Biology, researchers at the University of New South Wales investigated the bioavailability of oral Glyteine supplementation. Within 90 minutes of ingestion, cellular glutathione levels were seen to substantially increase reaching maximum levels after two to three hours, before returning to basal levels by five to six hours. 

Currently, Glyteine is produced in an environmentally friendly plant in Texas, US, that recycles its water consumption. “Future products will include capsules, more complex supplement formulations and skin creams,” Professor Bridge predicts.

“The breadth and scope of the health benefits of Glyteine will be revealed over the coming years through further clinical trials and customer feedback,” he concludes.

By Anni Schleicher, with additional reporting by Kristiana Lalou