Nutritional or therapeutic compositions to increase bodily glutathione levels

Abstract

Nutritional or therapeutic compositions containing glutamic acid, cystine, glycine and a selenium precursor and methods for their utilization to increase glutathione synthesis and thereby enhance the immune system are described.

1. A nutritional or therapeutic composition useful for treatment of mammals to enhance immune activity comprising as the essential active ingredients a catalytic quantity of a selenium source together with a glutathione precursor which is a mixture of glutamic acid, cystine and glycine in a molar ratio of about 1:0.5:1, the amount of glutathione precursor being effective to increase the content of glutathione in the body tissue of the mammal above that of a pretreatment level thereby to enhance immune activity. 
     
     
       2. A composition of  claim 1  in dosage unit form. 
     
     
       3. A composition of  claim 1  in bulk form. 
     
     
       4. A composition of  claim 2 , wherein the dosage unit is for oral administration. 
     
     
       5. A composition of  claim 2 , wherein the dosage unit is for nasal administration. 
     
     
       6. A composition of  claim 4 , wherein the dosage unit is for sublingual administration. 
     
     
       7. A composition of  claim 4 , wherein the dosage unit is for buccal administration. 
     
     
       8. A composition of  claim 1 , useful for treating  wherein the mammal is a human. 
     
     
       9. A composition of  claim 1  useful for treating  , wherein the mammal is an animal. 
     
     
       10. A method of treating a mammal to increase the tissue glutathione concentration in said mammal which comprises treating a mammal in need of such treatment with a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising as the essential active ingredients a catalytic quantity of a selenium source together with a glutathione precursor which is a mixture of glutamic acid, cystine and glycine in a molar ratio of about 1:0.5:1. 
     
     
       11. A method of  claim 10 , wherein the mammal is an animal. 
     
     
       12. A method of  claim 10 , wherein the mammal is a human. 
     
     
       13. A composition of  claim 2 , wherein the dosage unit is for anal or vaginal administration. 
     
     
       14. A composition of  claim 1  comprising glutamic acid, cystine and glycine in a molar ratio of  1 : 0 . 5 : 1  and a selenium containing compound which provides from  1  μg to  7 . 5  μg of selenium. 
     
     
       15. A composition of  claim 1 , wherein the selenium source is a non-toxic water soluble organic or inorganic selenium compound. 
     
     
       16. A composition of  claim 1 , wherein the selenium source is selenium methionine, selenium cystine, a mono seleno carboxylic acid with seven to eleven carbon atoms in the chain or di-seleno carboxylic acid with seven to eleven carbon atoms in the chain. 
     
     
       17. A composition of  claim 1  wherein glutamic acid, cystine and glycine are in a molar ratio of about  1 : 0 . 4 : 1 . 
     
     
       18. A nutritional or therapeutic composition for increasing the amount of glutathione in a mammal comprising as the essential active ingredients a catalytic quantity of a selenium source together with a glutathione precursor which is a mixture of glutamic acid, cystine and glycine in a molar ratio of about  1 : 0 . 5 : 1 , the amount of glutathione precursor being effective to increase the content of glutathione in the body tissue of the mammal above that of a pretreatment level. 
     
     
       19. The composition according to  claim 13  wherein the increased amount of glutathione enhances immune activity.