Glutathione and Magnesium

Glutathione requires magnesium for its synthesis.

Glutathione synthetase requires ?-glutamyl cysteine, glycine, ATP, and magnesium ions to form glutathione.
Virginia Minnich, M. B. Smith, M. J. Brauner, and Philip W. Majerus. Glutathione biosynthesis in human erythrocytes. Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, J Clin Invest. 1971 March; 50(3): 507–513.

In magnesium deficiency, the enzyme y-glutamyl transpeptidase is lowered.
Braverman, E.R. (with Pfeiffer, C.C.)(1987). The healing nutrients within: Facts, findings and new research on amino acids. New Canaan: Keats Publishing

According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, low magnesium is associated with dramatic increases in free radical generation as well as glutathione depletion and this is vital since glutathione is one of the few antioxidant molecules known to neutralize mercury.

Without the cleaning and chelating work of glutathione (magnesium) cells begin to decay as cellular filth and heavy metals accumulates; excellent environments to attract deadly infection and/or cancer.

Data demonstrates a direct action of glutathione both in vivo and in vitro to enhance intracellular magnesium, and a clinical linkage between cellular magnesium, reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratios, and tissue glucose metabolism. 
Braverman, E.R. (with Pfeiffer, C.C.)(1987). The healing nutrients within: Facts, findings and new research on amino acids. New Canaan: Keats Publishing

Magnesium deficiency causes glutathione loss, which is not affordable because glutathione helps to defend the body against damage from cigarette smoking, exposure to radiation, cancer chemotherapy, and toxins such as alcohol and just about everything else.

Glutathione deficiency has been found to be virtually universal in autoimmune diseases. This deficiency has two major implications: detoxification failure and viral/microbial activation. Glutathione plays a major role in detoxification.

This deficiency impairs the body’s ability to get rid of toxins. Consequently, people slowly become toxic, storing away poisons in fatty tissue, muscles, organs and the brain.

Because glutathione is a potent antiviral and anti-microbial weapon, glutathione deficiency compromises antiviral and anti-microbial defenses, and actually stimulates viral replication. Raising glutathione levels inside the cells can stop the replication of almost any pathogen.

A glutathione deficiency compromises our ability to keep old viruses dormant and fight off bacteria.

Immune depressed individuals have lower glutathione levels when fighting disease. Lymphocytes, cells vital for your immune response, depend on glutathione for their proper function and replication.
Immunology 61: 503-508 1987 .

Cellular depletion of Glutathione has been implicated as a causative, or contributory factor in many pathologies including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cataracts, arteriosclerosis, cystic fibrosis, malnutrition, aging, AIDS and cancer.
 (Bounous et al., 1991).

In addition, Glutathione is essential in supporting the immune system, including natural killer cells (Droege et al., 1997) and in the maintenance of T-lymphocytes (Gutman, 1998).

It is known that as we age, there is a precipitous drop in glutathione levels. Lower Glutathione levels are implicated in many diseases associated with aging, including Cataracts, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, atherosclerosis and others.
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 47: 1021-28 1994

Antioxidants are well documented to play vital roles in health maintenance and disease prevention. Glutathione is our cell's own major antioxidant.
Biochemical Pharmacology 47:2113-2123 1994

Low glutathione has been demonstrated in neurodegenerative diseases such as MS (Multiple Sclerosis), ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's, among others.
The Lancet 344: 796-798 1994

Glutathione detoxifies many pollutants, carcinogens and poisons, including many in fuel exhaust and cigarette smoke. It retards damage from radiation such as seen with loss of the ozone.
Annual Review of Biochemistry 52: 711-780 1983.

The liver is the main detoxification organ of the body. In the liver we find very high concentrations of glutathione, as it is a major factor in numerous biochemical detoxification pathways. Numerous studies have demonstrated that patients with compromised liver function due to alcohol abuse have significant reduction of glutathione in the liver.
(Lamestro, 1995)

Glutathione is essential for the maintenance of Vitamin C and vitamin E levels according to Martensson. He found that as glutathione levels decreased, a corresponding decrease in ascorbic acid and vitamin E followed, which led to systematic mitochondrial death and the cessation of cellular metabolism. (It is this mitochondrial death, at first just a dysfunction, that may cause the fatigue found in autoimmune illnesses.)

The over-toxicity causes extensive free radical damage. Inhibits cellular function. Disrupts energy production by the mitochondria. Consequently the primary energy the cells produce is anaerobic which leads to extensive lactic acid buildup in the cells. And more toxicity.

Cheney explains that fatigue becomes worse. Pain increases. You feel sicker. Memory suffers as toxins and free radicals damage the brain, and not enough oxygen gets into the brain. Deep brain structures like the hypothalamus eventually are injured and cause problems with virtually every hormone in your body. They lose their ability to rise and fall according to signals or demands from the body making it harder to respond to changing situations. Actual damage to the DNA of the energy producing mitochondria can occur. Further limiting energy.

As toxins cause free radical damage, you end up with low levels of all the free radical scavengers. They get used up dealing with excessive free radicals produced by the excessive toxins.
Extracted from: http://www.vitacost.com/science/hn/Supp/Glutathione.htm