Glutathione
The cellular mop called Glutathione is promoted by sulforaphane. It is a simple, positive feedback system; when food is ingested, ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) free radicals are produced as a by-product of energy production. The sulforaphane that is collaterally produced stimulates the production of glutathione and other cell cleansers; the tidy up begins and continues for many hours.
Xenobiotics (the name given to molecules and compounds likely to cause cellular damage) are wrapped up, stuck and glue..tathioned to be taken for recycling or expulsion. Making these xenobiotics water-soluble has its up- and down-sides and they may, if left, damage cellular structure and DNA. Timely removal is what it is all about.
Back to SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms are frequently called SNPs and are pronounced “snips”; they are the most common type of genetic variation among people. Each SNP represents a difference in a single DNA building block, called a nucleotide)…
If the gene that was formed from the parents’ alleles has a variation in the base nucleotide (the building blocks of the DNA) – a variation which enhances that gene in a particular environment, then that’s well and good. However, if the combo is not enhancing the gene, and is, in fact, less active, it will then not perform as well in producing what the cell needs when called upon. Unwanted damage will occur. Can we influence the less beneficial SNP
variation?
Well, yes, we can!
Let us be a bit more specific. The GBS gene – the gene that codes for the initial conversion of homocysteine to cystathionine — is stimulated to be more active when exposed to sulforaphane. The more sulforaphane, the better the enzymes work. This idea, of course, raises the thought that if you have a dietary environment low in sulforaphane and an individual with a less favourable SNP, then that individual will be more at risk of cellular damage.
Cellular damage is one of the elements that contributes to early or premature ageing in cells, and it is thought that stimulating free radical clearing (by what is a pro-oxidant – sulforaphane) is useful in delaying its progress. Current anti-ageing doctors are promoting sulforaphane for this purpose.
A recent evaluation of products on the market showed a wide variation in the bioavailability (absorption efficiency) of sulforaphane, and a recent trial demonstrated that it was best absorbed on an empty stomach or through the mouth lining.
A New Zealand product was one of the better products in the test – Procell from dnafood.co.nz.
Sulforaphane has many other actions as well, and I will discuss it in future blogs.
The bells are going off.