Chapter from “The GSH Handbook” by Dr.

Jimmy Gutman

GSH AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
It’s surprising how many people still believe that catching a cold is the result of sitting in
a draft or going out with wet hair. It is a simple and well-established fact that the
common cold is a contagious, transmittable disease. We don’t catch colds from cold air,
in spite of the disease’s name. Both the expression and the misconception are deeply
ingrained in our culture. But it is exposure to the actual virus that causes illness.

Others might blame their cold on being stressed out, overworked or having exercised too
much. They are much closer to the truth. Although these factors in themselves do not
cause a cold, they do make us more susceptible to the cold virus. By overdoing it, these
patients have temporarily diminished their immune resources and suffer the consequences
– the virus overpowers them. Most visits to the doctor follow the failure of the immune
system to deal with a particular threat. The good news is, the immune system can be
reinforced.

Few people are aware of this, even those who consciously work at their well-being.
Many of us know well enough how to take care of the heart and muscles, but only a few
pay attention to the immune system, even though this is our front line defense against all
infectious and destructive attacks. To maintain a good immune response we should
exercise regularly (45 to 60 minutes, 3 times weekly), eat regular and varied meals,
maintain an ideal body weight, sleep regularly (8 hours for young adult, less for elderly),
supplement our diet with vitamins, minerals and micronutrients, avoid undue stress and,
funnily enough, laugh a lot. We should also avoid radiation and toxins, abuse of tobacco,
alcohol and caffeine and the unnecessary use of antibiotics and steroids. See figure 10.

The immune defense is an extraordinarily sophisticated system. A microscopic

examination of any part of the human body shows it teeming with microorganisms such
as bacteria, parasites and fungi, and that’s just inside us. The environment from which
we get our air, water and food is also saturated with microorganisms. It is amazing that
we survive at all.

Traditionally, we consult a physician only when a disease has actually taken hold. Often,
the doctor launches an offensive or ‘attack’ strategy with antibiotics, antiviral compounds
or chemotherapy in an attempt to exterminate the invader. Despite drug side-effects and
other drawbacks this offensive strategy has proven widely effective. It’s the best way
we’ve found to fight the war.

But it’s preferable to avoid the war altogether. After all, the battleground is your body.
Even when medicine wins, the carnage remains. Drug side-effects and chemotherapy
after-effects are like the random destruction of war in which innocent bystanders die. We
can’t overemphasize the usefulness of a defensive strategy – a preventive medicine that
prevents invaders from establishing a beachhead and avoids all-out conflict. An
optimized immune system is without question the best prevention. We can do this by
nurturing and feeing it just as we tend to the rest of our body.
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Chapter from “The GSH Handbook” by Dr. Jimmy Gutman

THE IMMUNE RESPONSE

The immune response seeks out, identifies, and attack threatening microorganisms,
allergens, cancer cells and grafted tissue – collectively called antigens. The body’s
reaction is called an antigen response.

When a pathogen enters the blood stream, immune cells are activated. There are several
types, including the polymorphonuclear cells that form pus. These large cells simply
engulf pathogens and digest them. The smaller but much more sophisticated
lymphocytes deal with pathogens by adapting a specific defense to them.

Figure 10 – The do’s and don’ts of immune system maintenance

DO DON’T
• Exercise regularly (45-60 min., 3 • Abuse tobacco
times weekly) • Abuse alcohol
• Eat regular & varied meals • Abuse caffeine
• Maintain ideal body weight • Use antibiotics inappropriately
• Sleep regularly (8 hours for young • Use steroids inappropriately
adult, less for elderly) • Expose yourself to radiation
• Supplement your diet with • Expose yourself to toxins
vitamins, minerals & micronutrients
• Avoid undue stress
• Laugh a lot

B-cell lymphocytes identify pathogens and mark them as targets for T-cell lymphocytes.
Helper T-cells alert immune cells to join the battle, killer T-cells destroy the intruder and
suppressor T-cells switch off the immune response when the job is done.

The healthy immune response can become compromised, however. There may not be
enough immune cells, the cells themselves may be incompetent, or they may be
overwhelmed by a particularly aggressive pathogen. In many cases, the adaptive side of
the immune system identifies and subsequently remembers the chemical signature of a
pathogen and is able to handle it more effectively the next time around. This leads to
partial or complete immunity. For example, you only catch the measles once.

The immune system is impressive, but not infallible. It can sometimes respond to threats
as if they were non-threats and to normal metabolic functions as if they were attacks on
the body. We want our immune response to protect against infection, ignore harmless
substances, accept transplanted organs, not attack ins own organs and protect the body
against carcinogenesis and tumor growth. We want to avoid recurrent infection, allergic
response to harmless substances, rejection of transplanted organs, auto-immune disease in
which the body attacks its own systems, and cancer. See figure 11.

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Chapter from “The GSH Handbook” by Dr. Jimmy Gutman

Figure 11 – Desired and undesired immune responses

Desired response Undesired response

Infectious agent Protective immunity Recurrent infection

Harmless substance No response Allergy

Transplant organ Acceptance Rejection

Self organ Self tolerance Auto-immune disease

Tumor Tumor immunity Cancer

The two most common examples of unwanted immune response are autoimmune disease
and allergies. In autoimmune disease the body mistakes normal tissue for a foreign
antigen and attacks it, leading to the destruction of healthy tissue. In the case of allergies,
the immune system mistakes a harmless substance for a potentially dangerous one and
reacts with an aggressive, sometimes deadly response. Some autoimmune diseases are:

• Lupus • Polymyositis
• Myasthenia gravis • Scleroderma
• Chronic fatigue syndrome • Lou Gehrig’s disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis • Grave’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis

THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND GSH

Our account of polymorphonuclear cells and lymphocytes in the previous section
describes only a part of the immune system. B-cell lymphocytes account for about 10%
of all circulating lymphocytes and work by releasing immunoglobulins to attack and
destroy invading pathogens. About 80% of lymphocytes are T-cells. When this system
is disrupted the doors to infection open and health is compromised. For example, the
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) destroys helper T-cells and leaves killer T-cells
cut off and powerless. As a result, invading microorganisms that the body would
normally shrug off are able to cause the severe infections that characterize AIDS.

GSH plays a central role in the functioning of our immune cells. Dr. Gustavo Bounous, a
leading expert on GSH says, “The limiting factor in the proper activity of our
lymphocytes is the availability of GSH.” This is strikingly clear in the example of the
human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV – the cause of AIDS (see chapter 12).

AIDS is essentially a T-cell dysfunction. Patients typically suffer from low GSH levels
and especially from low T-cell GSH count. Several studies have shown that GSH levels
can predict an AIDS patient’s chances of survival and quality of life.

The healthy growth and activity of immune cells depends upon the availability of GSH.
Experimental depletion of GSH has severely diminished the ability of these cells to fight
For more information or to order a copy of the complete GSH Handbook by Dr. Jimmy Gutman, MD,
contact CellularHealth Foundation (866)728.8865
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Chapter from “The GSH Handbook” by Dr. Jimmy Gutman

pathogens and left the door wide open to disease. In numerous studies the level of
intracellular GSH in the lymphocytes corresponds directly to the effectiveness of immune
response. In the simplest terms, GSH is a short of ‘food’ for the immune system.

In some autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (chapter 6), lupus (SLE) and in
normal aging (chapter 6), T-cell lymphocytes show a weakened response to antigens. In
addition, these chronic inflammatory conditions have been associated with low serum and
red blood cell GSH concentrations.

A lymphocyte attacks a pathogen by releasing powerful oxidizing chemicals such as

peroxide and protects itself against these chemicals by neutralizing them with GSH.
Also, lymphocytes must replicate themselves over and over again (monoclonal
expansion) in order to attack the whole pathogen population. This requires the use of
oxygen and release further oxidants. In order to continue multiplying efficiently GSH is
once again required to counteract the effects of oxidation. So fighting off infection
consumes GSH in two ways – by using it to stabilize free radicals and also to grow
immune cells. This is apparent in acute infections such as bacterial pneumonia. In
chronic infections such as hepatitis C or AIDS, GSH depletion is even more pronounced.
Recent research has demonstrated that elevated GSH levels enable the immune system to
address these infections more effectively.

Doctor Bounous with his McGill University team measured the immune response of
laboratory animals fed a whey protein isolate rich in GSH precursors (later trademarked
Immunocal). These animals demonstrated both higher intracellular GSH levels and a
heightened response to immune challenge. Interestingly, animals fed a similar diet of
cysteine-enriched casein (see chapter 4) did not benefit from the same effects.

So the protective activity of GSH is two-fold – it enhances the activity of immune cells
and also functions as an antioxidant within them.

A frightening number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections such as flesh-eating

disease, vancomycin-resistant enterococcus and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus have
made their way into our hospitals and communities. Some health professionals believe
that viruses such as those causing AIDS and Hepatitis C are just the tip of the iceberg,
and that a wave of newly emerging pathogens is on its way. Old foes like tuberculosis,
previously thought to have been eliminated, are back with a vengeance and are no longer
susceptible to previously successful treatments. Enhancing our GSH levels is a practical
precaution against this ominous trend.

CONCLUSION
The immune system uses a variety of cells to fight off infection and other threats and the
healthy growth and activity of these cells depends upon the availability of GSH.
Glutathione is at the heart of all immune functions and low GSH levels are seen in many
diseases, especially AIDS which is characterized by a severely compromised immune
system.

For more information or to order a copy of the complete GSH Handbook by Dr. Jimmy Gutman, MD,
contact CellularHealth Foundation (866)728.8865
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Chapter from “The GSH Handbook” by Dr. Jimmy Gutman

Raising and maintaining GSH levels can minimize the risk of these diseases. Although
only very ill people are severely deficient in GSH, those in good or fair health can benefit
from GSH supplementation, especially in these days when we are exposed as never
before to environmental toxins and drug-resistant bacteria. The use of GSH
supplementation to fight specific diseases is discussed in part 2.

Without question, the best type of preventive medicine is an optimized immune system
and a critical strategy to optimize it is by feeding it GSH.

REFERENCES TO CHAPTER 3
GSH & THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

ANDERSON ME. GSH and GSH delivery systems. Advances in Pharmacology 38: 65-
78, 1997

BOUNOUS G, BATIST G, GOLD P. Immunoenhancing property of dietary whey

proteins in mice: role of glutathione. Clinical and Investigative Medicine 12: 154-161,
1989

BOUNOUS G, GOLD P. The biological activity of undenatured dietary whey protein in

mice: role of glutathione. Clinical and Investigative Medicine 14: 296-309, 1991

BOUNOUS G, KONGSHAVN P. Influence of dietary proteins on the immune system of

mice. Journal of Nutrition 112: 1747-1755, 1982

BOUNOUS G, KONGSHAVN PA. Differential effect of dietary protein type on the B-

cell and T-cell immune responses in mice. Journal of Nutrition 115: 1403-1408, 1985

DROGE W, POTTMEYER-GERBER C, SCHMIDT H, NICK S. Glutathione augments

the activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in vivo. Immunobiology 172: 151-156, 1986

FIDELUS RK, GINOUVES P, LAWRENCE D, TSAN MF. Modulation of intracellular

glutathione concentrations alters lymphocyte activation and proliferation. Experimental
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FIDELUS RK, TSAN MF. Glutathione and lymphocyte activation: a function of aging
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FURUKAWA T, MEYDANI SN, BLUMBERG JB. Reversal of age associated decline

in immune responsiveness by dietary glutathione supplementation in mice. Mechanisms
of Aging and Development 38: 107-117, 1987

GMUNDER H, DROGE W. Differential effects of glutathione depletion of T-cell

subsets. Cellular Immunology 138: 229-237, 1991

For more information or to order a copy of the complete GSH Handbook by Dr. Jimmy Gutman, MD,
contact CellularHealth Foundation (866)728.8865
or send email to info@cellularhealth.org
- website: www.cellularhealth.org -
Chapter from “The GSH Handbook” by Dr. Jimmy Gutman

HAMILOS DL, WEDNER HJ. The role of glutathione in lymphocyte activation.

Journal of Immunology 135: 2740-2747, 1985

KIDD PM. Glutathione: Systemic protectant against oxidative and free radical damage.
Alternative Medicine Review 2: 155-176, 1997

ROTILIO G, KNOEPFEL L, STEINKUHLER C, PALMARA AT, CIROLO MR,

GARACI E. Effects of intracellular redox status on cellular regulation and viral
infection. In: Oxidative Stress, Cell Activation and Viral Infection, C. Pasquier et al
(eds.), 1994

For more information or to order a copy of the complete GSH Handbook by Dr. Jimmy Gutman, MD,
contact CellularHealth Foundation (866)728.8865
or send email to info@cellularhealth.org
- website: www.cellularhealth.org -