Did you know that amino acids and antioxidants could have beneficial effects on IV therapy Toronto patients?

Antioxidants are critical for the human body because they’re free radical foragers, helping to prevent or delay oxidative stress. In turn, antioxidants could promote anti-aging effects and avert DNA damage and cellular damage.

Acetylcysteine is an amino acid and also referred to as NAC. It’s used for preventing hepatic injuries and replenishing the liver and body’s glutathione levels. As a master antioxidant, glutathione is made up of three amino acids: glycine cysteine and glutamic acid. Oral administration of acetylcysteine provides efficient absorption rates because it can be converted into cysteine, to proficiently enter cells and optimize the synthesis of glutathione.

Acetylcysteine is truly one of the amino acid building blocks the body needs for making proteins; supplementing with it could contribute to optimal functioning. 

Beneficial effects for your health goals

There are many reasons why patients might add this supplement to their treatment plans. It could provide these advantages: 

• It restocks your glutathione levels: Glutathione is an antioxidant that encourages tissue repair and chemical reactions in the body.  It is a key component in creating and refilling glutathione levels, helping with fighting oxidative stress and inflammation.
• Could support immune function: Glutathione also contributes to regulating your immunity. Because NAC boosts glutathione, it might boost your immune system.
• Might help with alleviating respiratory symptoms: inhalation of this amino acid supplement naturally acts as a mucolytic and expectorant. It could assist your body during cold-and-flu season by aiding in the clearance of mucus or sputum from the upper and lower airways to help prevent congestion.
• Promotes detoxification: According to an article in Cell Journal, intravenous drips with NAC have aided patients in recovering from acetaminophen toxicity. This treatment is given to prevent or lessen damages related to the liver and kidneys.
• Could assist with blood sugar levels: More research is necessary, but according to a study on animals, when the supplement is combined with glycine, it could help stabilize blood sugar levels. NAC might lessen inflammation in the fat cells, promoting recovery from insulin resistance.
• Might affect male fertility chances: Male infertility is a health concern for some couples. According to a study featured in the Journal of Urology, both selenium and NAC supplements were shown to recover the quality of semen by improving “sperm parameters and oxidative/antioxidant status in infertile males,” confirms an article from Reproductive Biology Endocrinology.

Are you interested in using NAC? At the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre, patients could try dietary changes or oral supplements that contain key ingredients. An amino acid IV therapy containing acetylcysteine is another option to consider.

About our IV therapy for optimal health 

Also known as intravenous therapy, this treatment is designed to improve cell health, support blood cell production, and hydration. IV therapy allows for beneficial ingredients (i.e. glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, NAC, amino acids, vitamin C, etc.) to enter your blood flow. This results in a quick absorption of nutrients while bypassing the digestive tract.

Intravenous drips with a medley of amino acids may be suitable for patients who suffer from malabsorption or dysphagia. For further information on how IV therapy works, please read “How to Improve Nutritional Absorption with IV Therapy from Toronto.”

Our vitamin IV therapy lounge can be applied to different health issues, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, autoimmune conditions, blood pressure concerns, thyroid conditions, age-related diseases, mental performance, nutritional deficiencies and mineral deficiencies. If you want to discuss adding amino acids to your vitamin drip therapy, please let us know.

How to get functional medicine treatments and IV therapy from us

At the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre, our integrative approach to chronic and acute health issues are designed to empower patients to transform their wellness. Our functional medicine providers help patients reach optimal health by considering individualistic factors, such as biology, genetics, and health history.

Our vitamin IV lounge is located in the Yorkville neighbourhood, and we offer different types of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for infusion therapy: high-dose vitamin C, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), folic acid, mistletoe, among others. A therapy drip can be customized with a combination of ingredients. Functional medicine programs are also accessible for our patients.  

Are you running into obstacles with your health goals? IV therapy from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre could offer you assistance by upgrading energy levels and cellular functioning. Call (416) 968-6961 or send us a message to learn about our IV treatments.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. Consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website.

References:

Heard KJ. Acetylcysteine for acetaminophen poisoning. N Engl J Med. 2008 Jul 17;359(3):285-92. doi: 10.1056/NEJMct0708278. PMID: 18635433; PMCID: PMC2637612.

Jannatifar, R., Parivar, K., Roodbari, N.H. et al. Effects of N-acetyl-cysteine supplementation on sperm quality, chromatin integrity and level of oxidative stress in infertile men. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 17, 24 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12958-019-0468-9

Mohamed Montassar Lasram, Ines Bini Dhouib, Alya Annabi, Saloua El Fazaa, Najoua Gharbi, A review on the possible molecular mechanism of action of N-acetylcysteine against insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes development, Clinical Biochemistry, Volume 48, Issues 16–17, 2015, Pages 1200-1208, ISSN 0009-9120,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2015.04.017.

Mokhtari V, Afsharian P, Shahhoseini M, Kalantar SM, Moini A. A Review on Various Uses of N-Acetyl Cysteine. Cell J. 2017 Apr-Jun;19(1):11-17. doi: 10.22074/cellj.2016.4872. Epub 2016 Dec 21. PMID: 28367412; PMCID: PMC5241507.

Rajagopal V. Sekhar, Siripoom V. McKay, Sanjeet G. Patel, Anuradha P. Guthikonda, Vasumathi T. Reddy, Ashok Balasubramanyam, Farook Jahoor; Glutathione Synthesis Is Diminished in Patients With Uncontrolled Diabetes and Restored by Dietary Supplementation With Cysteine and Glycine. Diabetes Care 1 January 2011; 34 (1): 162–167. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc10-1006

Šalamon Š, Kramar B, Marolt TP, Poljšak B, Milisav I. Medical and Dietary Uses of N-Acetylcysteine. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019 Apr 28;8(5):111. doi: 10.3390/antiox8050111. PMID: 31035402; PMCID: PMC6562654.

Shoelson SE, Lee J, Goldfine AB. Inflammation and insulin resistance. J Clin Invest. 2006 Jul;116(7):1793-801. doi: 10.1172/JCI29069. Erratum in: J Clin Invest. 2006 Aug;116(8):2308. PMID: 16823477; PMCID: PMC1483173.

“Top 9 Benefits of NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)” for Healthline, Written by Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD — Medically reviewed by Sade Meeks, MS, RD, Nutrition — updated on February 11, 2022, viewed on August 20, 2022.

Zhu, L., Xu, F., Kang, X. et al. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine promotes immune response and inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition to alleviate pulmonary fibrosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by suppressing the VWF/p38 MAPK axis. Mol Med 27, 97 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s10020-021-00342-y