Glutathione is a powerful natural antioxidant that supports multiple health functions throughout the body, including the heart, liver, kidneys, and nervous system. Although glutathione (GSH) is produced by the body, its levels can be depleted in response to protein malnutrition, oxidative stress, aging, and several other adverse health conditions. Dietary sources alone might not maintain an optimal glutathione level. A high-quality glutathione nutritional supplement can fill a glutathione gap in your daily diet and promote your overall health and wellness.
With many glutathione supplements on the market it can be challenging to know which supplement will provide the most therapeutic benefit. In the post, we discuss how to look for the best glutathione supplement.
Finding the Best Glutathione Supplement
Clinical evidence5 indicates that consuming glutathione orally, even in a high amount, will create only a limited rise in the level of glutathione in blood and cells because of its poor natural absorption. This can mean a nutritional supplement formulation that contains a high amount of glutathione might not yield the desired health outcome.
| Nutritional supplement formulations typically contain 150 mg-1,000 mg of glutathione. |
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So, how do you determine the best glutathione supplement that will ensure both optimal absorption and a significant rise in the level of glutathione in the systemic circulation? The following table highlights what you should look for on the product label to find the best glutathione supplement.
| What to Look for to Find the Best Glutathione Supplement | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Features | What to Look for | Why it’s Important | How to Tell | |
| Absorbability | The formulation should contain S-acetyl-glutathione, a more readily absorbed and effective form of glutathione1. | The body absorbs it more effectively, making it easy to quantify intracellular glutathione. | The product label should list S-acetyl-glutathione as the active ingredient. | |
| Palatability | The formulation should be palatable to achieve user compliance. | Because glutathione supplements can have an unpleasant taste, formulations that use encapsulation techniques can mask the taste and odor. | The product label should indicate an encapsulated glutathione formulation. | |
| Innovative nutrient delivery | Innovative delivery methods, such as nanoformulations, enhance the likelihood of glutathione molecules crossing the plasma membrane, thereby enhancing their absorption in the body. | A nanostructured nutrient delivery method maintains the integrity and stability of the formulation. | The product label should indicate a solubility-enhanced glutathione complex. | |
Different Delivery Routes of Glutathione Supplementation
There are several different methods to supplement glutathione. The following table highlights the benefits and drawbacks of each glutathione supplement delivery method.
| Glutathione Supplementation Delivery Routes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oral | Advantage: Most popular, easy to use, and cost-effective. | Drawback: Rapid metabolism of glutathione in the intestine, limiting intact absorption. |
| Sublingual (under the tongue) | Advantage: Bypasses transit through the stomach by being absorbed directly into the bloodstream through small blood vessels. | Drawback: Noticeable unpleasant taste that compromises user compliance. |
| Intravenous (IV) | Advantage: Bypasses glutathione dilution in the gastrointestinal tract that otherwise slows glutathione metabolism. | Drawback: Expensive and requires medical supervision. |
| Intranasal | Advantage: Bypasses the blood-brain barrier to slow glutathione degradation. | Drawback: Nasal congestion adversely affects the efficacy of intranasal glutathione drops/spray. |
| Nebulized | Advantage: An adjunctive therapy for addressing certain respiratory conditions. | Drawback: Limited data is available on the efficacy of this delivery method. |
In most cases, considering the above advantages and disadvantages, the oral route is the most popular and convenient form of glutathione supplementation. However, the type of oral supplementation you choose will make a big difference in therapeutic effects.
Types of Oral Glutathione Supplements
Although the oral route is not considered the most effective delivery method for glutathione supplements, it is the most common method. Glutathione powder, tablets, and capsules are preferred because of their ease of usage. Also, most clinical research on glutathione’s bioavailability and absorption is based on oral supplementation.
The orobuccal and sublingual routes have been explored to overcome oral glutathione’s absorption and bioavailability challenges:
- Orobuccal formulations: Glutathione is absorbed directly in the oral cavity, which generates much quicker absorption and considerably higher bioavailability. Orobuccal compositions can be formulated as capsules, tablets, or granules.
- Sublingual formulations: Sublingual glutathione is formulated as lozenges and spray preparations, administered under the tongue, thus directly entering the systemic circulation.
- Glutathione-cyclodextrin complex formulations: Cyclodextrin-encapsulated glutathione formulations protect the integrity of the active nutrient, thereby increasing its solubility, stability, and bioavailability.
The following table compares the efficacy of oral glutathione formulations based on their absorption.
| Oral Glutathione Supplement Types | |
|---|---|
| Orobuccal fast-slow glutathione release capsules/ tablets/ granules | Fastest absorption into systemic circulation Rapid rise in serum concentrations2Best alternative to intravenous glutathione |
| Sublingual glutathione lozenges/ sprays | Better absorption than the oral routeSignificantly increases glutathione level in the bloodDiscernible health effects after four weeks of intake3 |
| Glutathione-cyclodextrin complex tablets/ powders/ capsules | One of the best glutathione supplement formulations for oral intake. The stable complex protects the integrity of glutathione molecules during transit through the stomachEnables targeted delivery of glutathione molecules |
Glutathione Absorption Challenges
Glutathione’s poor absorption because of enzymatic degradation and its subsequent rapid elimination from the body results in its oral bioavailability being less than one percent.1 Consequently, less than one percent of glutathione enters the systemic circulation to exert its beneficial effects.
The following table highlights several primary challenges of glutathione absorption through the oral route:
| Glutathione Absorption Challenges | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rapid metabolism | Most oral glutathione is absorbed in the small intestine, where the activity of the enzyme γ-glutamyltransferase results in its rapid metabolism. The enzyme gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in the gastrointestinal tract recycles GSH precursors, which limits glutathione’s intact absorption through the oral route. | |
| Excretion of circulating glutathione | Extracellular glutathione conjugates formed in the liver are excreted through the bile or the urine. | |
SafeCell® — An Advanced Glutathione Supplement
An advanced glutathione supplement can enhance the solubility and absorption of the active nutrient, even in microdoses.
Tesseract Medical Research’s SafeCell® is an innovative, hypoallergenic S-Acetyl-Glutathione complex formulated for optimal bioavailability and absorption. Tesseract’s proprietary CyLoc® – DexKey® nutrient delivery nanotechnology encases each glutathione molecule, protecting it from degradation during transit through the stomach.
The accompanying DexKey® reactors enable targeted delivery of the active ingredient molecules for enhanced absorption. The result is unprecedented absorption of glutathione in lesser amounts than previously required to achieve the desired health and wellness outcome.
| Why is SafeCell® the Best Glutathione Supplement? | ||
|---|---|---|
| It contains S-acetyl glutathione for optimal absorption of glutathione molecules. | ||
| It is a glutathione-cyclodextrin complex formulation for enhanced bioavailability and targeted delivery of glutathione. | ||
| The unprecedented glutathione absorption achieved by the formulation enables micro-dosing. | ||
| The formulation is manufactured following Good Manufacturing Practices, including the most appropriate and scientifically-advanced analytical techniques, and a well-designed quality control system. | ||
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions About Glutathione Supplements
The following are several frequently asked questions about oral glutathione supplements:
Is it safe to take a glutathione supplement during pregnancy or breastfeeding?
Limited data exist on the safety and efficacy of prolonged glutathione supplementation during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Consult your health-care provider before including a glutathione supplement in your daily diet during these times.
Can I take a glutathione supplement with a prescription medicine?
Limited data exists on the potential contraindications of glutathione with prescription medicines. Consult your health-care provider before taking a glutathione supplement with a prescription medicine.
The power of Tesseract supplements lies in enhancing palatability, maximizing solubility, absorption and bioavailability, and micro-dosing multiple nutrients in a single, highly effective capsule. Shop products on our website and learn more about how they support your liver health.*
References:
1Yin N, Harris PWR, Liu M, et al. Enhancing the Oral Bioavailability of Glutathione Using Innovative Analogue Approaches. Pharmaceutics. 2025;17(3):385. Published 2025 Mar 18. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics17030385
2Yin N, et al. Pharmaceutics vol. 17,3 385. 18 Mar. 2025, doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics17030385
2Sharma DK, Sharma P. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology vol. 15 1853-1862. 10 Sep. 2022, doi:10.2147/CCID.S378470
3Giustarini D, et al. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 12,5 1094. 13 May. 2023, doi:10.3390/antiox12051094
4Campolo J, et al. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) vol. 38 (2017):41-47. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2016.12.018
5Richie JP Jr, et al. Randomized controlled trial of oral glutathione supplementation on body stores of glutathione. European Journal of Nutrition vol. 54,2 (2015):251-263. doi:10.1007/s00394-014-0706-z
