How to treat stress-related psychological disorders has always been an important research topic in the field of life science. Recently, an authoritative study revealed the role of glutathione precursors in the treatment of stress-related mental disorders.
Chronic stress not only increases the risk of psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression, but is also a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease), metabolic disorders (e.g., large waist circumference, high blood pressure, diabetes), and tumor metastasis.
5 groups of people stress “off the charts”
Epidemiological studies show that stress-related psychological disorders (such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder) may affect more than 100 million people in Europe alone.
1, Young people aged 18 to 24
How much pressure are young people under? According to the “China National Mental Health Development Report (2021-2022)”, the detection rate of depression risk in the age group of 18 to 24 is 24.1%, significantly higher than other age groups, and employment pressure can be seen.
2, Middle and high school students
According to the 2023 Blue Book on China’s Mental Health, mental health problems among students have become increasingly prominent, with the detection rate of depression among middle and high school students reaching 30% and 40% respectively.
3, Low income & Unemployed & unemployed people
Among different income groups, people with a monthly income of less than 2000 yuan had the highest depression risk detection rate.
In different occupations, the depression risk detection rate of unemployed/unemployed people reached 31.0%, which was much higher than that of other occupational groups.
4, Tumor patient population
According to data from the social work Department of the Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, more than 50% of cancer patients in the treatment stage have anxiety, fatigue, fear and other psychological distress.
5, Pregnant woman
In a survey of pregnancy stress, more than 90% of pregnant women have mild pregnancy stress, manifested by fear of childbirth and how to take care of the child. About 10% of pregnant women have moderate to severe pregnancy stress.
The psychological pressure of the older people population can not ignored. The data showed that 19.05% of the older people mildly depressed and 12.17% moderately depressed.
In the face of such a large population of stress-related mental disorders, what should we do?
A study from the Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics at the Institute for Brain and Mind at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland provides a reference answer: supplemental glutathione precursors.
Psychological stress can lead to increased oxidative stress in the brain, with wide-ranging effects on health issues such as vascular disease, accelerated aging, degenerative diseases, inflammation, and traumatic injuries.
Glutathione, as the most important and abundant antioxidant, is different from other cellular antioxidants that target specific reactive oxygen species and can protect cells from a variety of oxidative stress damage.
Moreover, human neurons also require high levels of glutathione to resist oxidative stress and maintain brain structural integrity and normal cognitive function. Multiple magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies have also shown a decrease in glutathione levels in depressed patients.
After 6 months of oral administration of ABD active factor (20 grams per day) in patients with schizophrenia, glutathione levels in the middle prefrontal cortex significantly increased.
In general, taking antidepressants can have serious side effects, but oral glutathione precursors do not have to worry about this problem: they are highly tolerated and have few side effects and low toxicity within the effective range.
The study, which funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, highlights the therapeutic potential of glutathione precursors in stress-related mental disorders.
Glutathione is an effective way to avoid getting into pits
Glutathione is so important, but it is not an easy thing to supplement effectively. First, dietary supplements and direct glutathione supplements should be excluded.
Although some dietary glutathione can cross the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream, the process is inefficient. Glutathione in the human body is mostly considered to be endogenous synthesis, and direct supplementation is rapidly degraded by enzymes.
The study found that providing a substrate (or precursor) involved in glutathione synthesis became the main strategy for increasing glutathione levels.
Correct removal of mental stress pay attention to the overall healthy lifestyle
Of course, in daily life, in addition to supplementing glutathione, we should also learn to relieve stress from the overall lifestyle.
1, Exercise to burn off stress
Exercise is an effective way to relieve stress.
Research in sports neuroscience has shown that physical activity not only rejuvenates muscles, but also permanently changes brain chemistry, with beneficial effects on mood, attention and memory.
2, Sleep away stress
Dr. Hari Prasad, an Indian life science expert, said that sleep is important for stress management, but sleeping too much or too little is not conducive to coping with stress and affecting health, and adults should sleep 7 to 8 hours.
Research from Penn State University also shows that a midday nap can effectively eliminate feelings of stress.
3, Digest stress with food
According to a study by Edith Cowan University in Australia, about 400 grams of fruits and vegetables a day can help reduce stress. Drinking black tea in moderation has also been found to be beneficial for stress reduction.
Stress is inevitable in some special life stages, but stress deeply affects your health and mine, we can choose to use appropriate ways to intervene to improve, with health can have everything.
Reference materials:
- [1]Zalachoras I, Hollis F,Ramos-Fernández E,et al.Therapeutic potential of glutathione-enhancers in stress-related psychopathologies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020 Jul;114:134-155.
- [2]Conus P,Seidman LJ,Fournier M,et al.N-acetylcysteine in a Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial:Toward Biomarker-Guided Treatment in Early Psychosis.Schizophr Bull. 2018 Feb 15;44(2):317-327.
- [3] Dr. Jimmy Gutman, “Glutathione – The Key to Health.”
- [4] Hari Prasad, Hindustan Times,2018.
- [5]Lee S,Smith CE,Wallace ML,et al.Ten-Year Stability of an Insomnia Sleeper Phenotype and Its Association With Chronic Conditions.Psychosom Med. 2024 May 1;86(4):289-297.
- [6]Bondonno NP,Dalgaard F,Kyrø C,et al.Flavonoid intake is associated with lower mortality in the Danish Diet Cancer and Health Cohort.Nat Commun. 2019 Aug 13;10(1):3651.
