5 Benefits of NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is a potent antioxidant derived from a naturally occurring amino acid. Consuming adequate NAC is important for a variety of health reasons, including for replenishing the most powerful antioxidant in your body, glutathione. These amino acids also help with chronic respiratory conditions, fertility, and brain health.
Here are the 5 health benefits of NAC.
1. The precursor of the powerful antioxidant glutathione
Glutathione is one of your body’s most important antioxidants. The compounds help neutralize free radicals that can damage cells and tissues in your body.
Glutathione’s antioxidant properties are beneficial for numerous other ailments caused by oxidative stress, such as heart disease, infertility, and some mental health conditions.
It’s essential for immune health and for fighting cellular damage. Some researchers believe it may even contribute to longevity.
NAC is the precursor of glutathione. Along with two other amino acids, glutamine and glycine, NAC is necessary to make and replenish glutathione. It helps replenish glutathione, arguably your body’s most powerful antioxidant. Therefore, it may help improve a variety of health conditions.
2. Support detoxification to prevent or diminish kidney and liver damage
NAC plays an important role in your body’s detoxification process. It can help prevent side effects of drugs and environmental toxins. Thanks to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, NAC also has applications for other liver diseases.
NAC helps detoxify your body and can treat acetaminophen overdoses.
3. Support respiratory health
NAC can relieve symptoms of respiratory conditions by acting as an antioxidant and expectorant, loosening mucus in your air passageways. As an antioxidant, NAC helps replenish glutathione levels in your lungs and reduces inflammation in your bronchial tubes and lung tissue.
People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience long-term oxidative damage and inflammation of lung tissue, which causes airways to constrict, leading to shortness of breath and coughing. NAC supplements have been used to improve COPD symptoms, exacerbations, and lung decline.
People with chronic bronchitis can also benefit from NAC. Bronchitis occurs when the mucous membranes in your lungs’ bronchial passageways become inflamed, swell, and shut off airways to your lungs. By thinning mucus in your bronchial tubes and boosting glutathione levels, NAC may help decrease the severity and frequency of wheezing, coughing, and respiratory attacks.
In addition to relieving COPD and bronchitis, NAC may improve other lung and respiratory tract conditions — such as cystic fibrosis, asthma, and pulmonary fibrosis — as well as symptoms of nasal and sinus congestion due to allergies or infections.
4. Boosts brain health
NAC supports replenishing glutathione and regulating brain glutamate levels can boost brain health.
The neurotransmitter glutamate is involved in a broad range of learning, behavior, and memory functions, while the antioxidant glutathione helps reduce brain cell oxidative damage that is associated with aging. Because NAC helps regulate glutamate levels and replenish glutathione, it may benefit those with health conditions affecting the brain and memory.
Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the deterioration of cells that generate the neurotransmitter dopamine. Both oxidative damage to cells and a decrease in antioxidant ability contribute to this disease. NAC supplements appear to improve both dopamine function and disease symptoms such as tremors.
On the other hand, the neurological disorder Alzheimer’s disease slows down learning and memory capacity. Animal studies suggest that NAC may slow the loss of thinking ability in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
5. Supports the immune system
The body’s immune cells require high amounts of glutathione to function optimally. In a six-month trial analyzing the effects of glutathione (GSH) supplementation on immune system function, those who supplemented with GSH had higher blood levels of glutathione and greater natural killer cell activity than individuals taking a placebo. This is significant, given that natural killer cells play an important role in neutralizing infections.
Immune function declines with age, which may be due to falling glutathione levels. Notably, a 2008 study comparing the immune functions of postmenopausal and younger women found that, after supplementing with NAC for 4 months, the older women’s immune responses more closely matched those of the younger women. Additionally, glutathione levels increased in the white blood cells of postmenopausal women taking NAC. These results suggest that positive changes in immune activity are related to having adequate glutathione levels.
Revive your youth with NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)
S-CELL Health’s NMN 12000 Pro is the S-CELL premium anti-aging supplement. It contains NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine). Besides NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine), it is also formulated with Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN), Pterostilbene (known as the new generation of resveratrol), and Spermidine. NMN 12000 Pro is an all-in-one anti-aging supplement that can revive your youth and reverse aging.
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