NAC Sustain 60 tablets - N-acetyl-cysteine, antioxidant and glutathione precursor to support liver function | Jarrow Formulas

Jarrow Formulas NAC Sustain is in a bilayer Quick Release / Sustained Release format of N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC). N-Acetyl L-Cysteine, a sulfur amino compound which plays an all important role in the production of the body dominant and essential antioxidant Glutathione. Optimal Glutathione levels are important for a healthy immune system and the cell defense against viral infections.
NAC Sustain releases in the small intestine over a 4 hour period, compared to the 1.5 hour biological half-life of NAC in the bloodstream.

NAC's primary efficacy is shown when it is needed to regenerate glutathione after overdoses of certain NSAIDs like aspirin or acetaminophen which may lead to a depletion of liver glutathione stores. The more stress is placed on the liver, the faster this may lead to a dysfunctional liver and cause death.

People who cough up a lot of sputum know NAC as an agent capable of reducing the sulfur found in mucus and break it down to a more liquid form.

In athletic circles NAC is widely used as an anti-oxidant. Some athletes claim to perform better with NAC supplementation than without. Plausibly caused by the vasodilating effects of acetylcysteine. But NAC supplementation has further use as it has shown to slow down platelet aggregation.

N-Acetyl Cysteine is a better alternative than cysteine which can be obtained from dietary sources like egg whites or dairy products. Simply due to the fact that it is rapidly absorbed from the gut and finds its way to the liver and other areas in the body where L-cysteine is needed. It also works twice as long in the body than just dietary cysteine.

key benefits
• strengthens the immune system
• n-acetyl cysteine boost nitric oxide synthesis which causes increased blood flow to the muscles
• benefits people with breathing problems
• slows down platelet aggregation
• increases glutathione stores which in turn help to protect the liver from overdose on
  drugs like acetaminophen and other NSAIDs

NAC - a better source of L-cysteine
Jarrow Formulas NAC (N-acetyl cysteine) is a stable form of the amino acid L-cysteine. It is essentially a combination of cysteine and acetic acid, which is a primary component of vinegar. N-A-C is cysteine that has been modifi ed with an acetyl group, which is how many compounds with health benefi ts (e.g., aspirin, omega-3 fatty acids) are stabilized and made more bioavailable.

L-cysteine, like cystine and taurine, is a sulfur-containing amino acid that can be produced by the body from the essential amino acid methionine. It is considered a non-essential amino acid for this reason, but is conditionally essential in infants and with certain nutrient deficiencies or debilitating conditions. Inadequate methionine in the diet, low selenium intake, chronic disease and advancing age reduce the body’s ability to convert methionine to cysteine.
Likewise, stress and environmental toxins may increase the need for cysteine beyond the body’s capacity for conversion. N-A-C is preferred to cysteine, or cysteine, as a supplement because of its stability, solubility and greater ability to donate sulfur.

Glutathione: building your own antioxidant
N-A-C supplies readily available L-cysteine, which acts as an antioxidant itself or as a precursor to glutathione. Glutathione is one of the body’s most important and abundant antioxidants inside of cells. The primary antioxidant mechanism involves the donation of an electron from the sulfhydryl (-SH) group of the cysteine molecule. Sulfhydryl-containing substances like N-A-C, cysteine, glutathione and alpha-lipoic acid are referred to as reducing agents. This is opposed to oxidizing agents. Since reducing agents have opposing chemical functionality to oxidizing agents, reducing agents are also anti-oxidizing agents—or antioxidants. Antioxidants guard against the production and propagation of free radicals caused by oxidation.

Antioxidants like cysteine act as electron donors and receptors to neutralize uncontrolled free radicals without becoming reactive or toxic themselves. Glutathione, which contains cysteine, donates its own electrons to free radicals to reduce them to stable compounds. One example is the transformation of superoxide or peroxide to water.
In the process, glutathione becomes oxidized. It is then reactivated by the donation of an electron to become reduced glutathione thereby making it electron-rich again and ready to scavenge yet more free radicals. Making cysteine more available to the body encourages the production of glutathione. Cysteine is an antioxidant in its own right by virtue of its sulfhydryl group, and plays a vital role in the stability and functioning of proteins. Cysteine, in proteins, also interacts with iron and zinc in the body to form enzymes that help coordinate respiration, energy production, immune surveillance and repair functions in all tissues.

It is important to note that in hospital practice, N-A-C is given rather than reduced glutathione to support blood levels of glutathione. N-A-C is also well supported in clinical trials involving antioxidant therapy.

An antidote to liver toxins
Brief mention should be made of the benefi ts of N-A-C in controlling environmental and other toxins. Cysteine can neutralize chemicals known as aldehydes produced by air pollutants (i.e., smoke), some drugs, and by the liver as a byproduct of alcohol metabolism.
N-A-C is therefore important for maintaining the body’s antioxidant defenses in the face of everyday assaults. N-A-C is routinely used in hospitals as an antidote to the pain reliever acetaminophen, particularly when ingested with alcohol, or taken in excessive amounts. Acetaminophen poisoning is the most common cause of calls to poison control centers in the United States. It causes severe damage to the liver, much the same as that caused by the toxic mushroom Amanita phalloides. N-A-C supports the health of liver tissue by replenishing liver glutathione levels and also by enhancing the delivery of oxygen to liver cells.

Advantages of NAC Sustain
NAC Sustain is a bilayer Quick Release/Sustained Release N-A-C formulation. One third of the N-A-C releases rapidly and two thirds releases slowly over time. This raises blood levels quickly while also sustaining them.
N-A-C Sustain releases in the small intestine over a 4 hour period, which greatly assists in prolonging N-A-C antioxidant protection over the typical biological half-life (1.5 hours) of N-A-C in the bloodstream.