- Neutralize Toxins
- Promotes Healthy Liver Function
- Anti-Oxident
What Is NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine)?
NAC is produced in living organisms from the amino acid cysteine. Thus,
NAC is a natural sulfur-containing amino acid derivative found
naturally in foods and is a powerful antioxidant. These dual properties
help repair oxidative damage in the body. Being a powerful anti-oxidant
and cell detoxification co-factor, NAC works to eliminate your body of
free radicals and heavy metals. This improves your cellular health
tremendously.
Works To
Detoxify From Mercury
N-Acetyl-Cysteine is currently the dietary supplement of choice for
building up cysteine or conserving the body's store of Glutathione,
Cysteine and other Sulfhydryl anti-oxidant resources. This is very
crucial for the body's life functions, as NAC helps the body neutralize
toxins, heavy metals, such as mercury from dental amalgam fillings,
cadmium and lead from paint and cigarette smoke. The Sulfhydryl balance
has also been linked to enhance resistance to viral infections.
NAC is a chelator of heavy metals. In other words, NAC binds to toxic
heavy metals such as mercury and lead, and removes them from the body.
This is a slow process, but most chelating agents, such as EDTA, are
generally given intravenously. NAC is one of the most effective oral
chelating agents. Taken regularly over a period of time, NAC will
remove many toxic heavy metals from the body. Toxic metals can
accumulate in the body over time from many sources such as drinking
water and possibly even from tooth fillings made of silver-mercury
amalgam. These heavy metals catalyze free-radical reactions. In other
words, they initiate free-radical reactions without being used up
during the reaction. So these heavy metals continue to cause free
radical damage as long as they are present in the body.
NAC has been shown to antidote acetaminophen (Tylenol) poisoning,
mercury poisoning, and even arsenic poisoning. Mercury is especially
important because of the increasing evidence linking mercury amalgam
dental fillings with the onset of degenerative diseases such as
Multiple Sclerosis. NAC chelates, i.e. "grabs" heavy metals and removes
them from the body.
NAC has been shown to be a protective agent in many diseases and
conditions in which free radicals play a role. This includes cancer,
AIDS, cirrhosis, as well as pollution damage from smoking or other
chemicals. Rats given NAC were completely protected against cigarette
smoke caused DNA cross-linking.
NAC helps with
mercury toxicity and other conditions
Cancer research has shown that NAC dramatically reduces the
ability of a tumor to invade surrounding tissue. In one study, NAC
decreased the number of metastases by 80% when cancer cells were
pretreated with NAC. NAC can be used for colon cancer prevention. A
preliminary double-blind placebo-controlled study of NAC enrolled 62
individuals, each of whom had had a polyp removed from the colon. The
abnormal growth of polyps is closely associated with the development of
colon cancer. In this study, the potential anticancer benefits of NAC
treatment were evaluated by taking a biopsy of the rectum. Individuals
taking NAC at 800 mg daily for 12 weeks showed more normal cells in the
biopsied tissue as compared to those in the placebo group.
T-Cell
production
Immunologically, NAC greatly enhances T-cell production. In fact, all
AIDS patients are deficient in NAC and glutathione. NAC suppresses the
replication of HIV in vitro and enhances the ability of certain immune
cells to kill pathogens. A double-blind study at Stanford University of
45 people, suggested that NAC may increase levels of CD4+ cells (a type
of immune cell) in healthy people and slow CD4+ cell decline in people
with HIV. Patient given 3200mg to 8000mg of NAC daily for 6 weeks were
roughly twice as likely to survive for 2 years as the subject that did
not take NAC.
A friend to
your liver
NAC can help to prevent damage to the liver caused from overuse
of acetaminophen (Tylenol). NAC is the standard medical treatment for
acetaminophen overdose. It is prudent to take NAC whenever one uses
acetaminophen. NAC is helpful to general liver repair as well.
NAC is an excellent mucolytic agent. It keeps the membranes of the
respiratory system moist, thereby lessening the irritation of dry air,
dust, and pollutants. It also helps the immune system to do its job
properly in the respiratory tract. .
Take Plenty Of
Vitamin C
N-Acetyl Cysteine is a more stable compound than taking oral
cysteine, but as it is metabolized, some N-Acetyl Cysteine may be
oxidized and become insoluble. This may form kidney stones. It is
therefore recommended that individuals taking NAC take 3 times as much
vitamin C when taking NAC to prevent the NAC from being oxydized.
Diabetics should consult their physician before using
N-Acetyl-Cysteine, since it may have an insulin-blocking effect.