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July 30, 2007
Can Hepatitis C Be Transmitted Through Sexual Contact?
Learn how likely it is to sexually transmit the Hepatitis C virus, as well as what are considered to be high risk sexual transmission factors.
by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.
Responsible, sexually active people are educating themselves on safe sex, and this education includes learning about Hepatitis C’s potential for transmission during sexual contact. Creating confusion and instilling mystery, conflicting reports about whether this virus is contracted sexually continues to circulate throughout our society. Although not exclusively considered a sexually transmitted disease, the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has the potential to be spread through sexual contact.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, HCV is the most common blood borne infection in the United States. Since newly infected individuals rarely demonstrate specific symptoms, Hepatitis C infection is typically detected by routine blood tests. As such, more and more people are surprised to learn that they have been living with this infection, likely for a long time. Presently, an estimated 4 million Americans have Hepatitis C, with new diagnoses occurring every day.
As the number of people realizing they have HCV continues to rise, so does the concern of how they were originally infected with this disease. Since medical experts agree that Hepatitis C is only transmitted through the blood, a majority of cases are contracted through IV drug use or tainted blood transfusions. However, an estimated 10 percent of those infected cannot determine how they contracted Hepatitis C in the first place.
With such a significant percentage of people infected with HCV unsure of how their disease was acquired, just about every possibility becomes suspect. Some physicians reassure their patients that sexual transmission of Hepatitis C is rare, and that their infection likely has other origins. Other doctors flat out assume that sexual activity is the culprit of a person’s Hepatitis C infection.
Truthfully, the evidence indicating HCV is spread through sexual activity is inconclusive. However, researchers have uncovered those at higher risk of transmitting Hepatitis C through sex.
Monogamous Heterosexuals
A majority of published studies about monogamous heterosexuals have concluded an extremely low incidence of sexually transmitting Hepatitis C. While someone in a long-term, monogamous relationship with a partner infected with HCV is at risk, the risk of sexual transmission ranges from 0 to 0.6 percent per year. This risk of transmission is slightly higher — about 1 percent per year — if involved in a short-term sexual relationship with someone who has Hepatitis C. This risk increases if your partner is also infected with HIV.
1. According to the HCV Partner Study completed by the Centers for Disease Control in 2004, the risk of sexual transmission in the United States is 2.2 percent in monogamous heterosexual relationships where one partner has Hepatitis C.
2. As reported in the May 2004 American Journal of Gastroenterology, Carmen Vandelli and colleagues concluded that, “the risk of sexual transmission of Hepatitis C within heterosexual monogamous couples is extremely low or even null.”
3. V. Tahan and colleagues reported in the April 2005 American Journal of Gastroenterology that none of 216 HCV negative individuals with opposite-sex HCV positive spouses seroconverted during an average follow-up period of about three years.
HIV Co-Infection
While the reasons remain unknown, it appears that people already infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, have a higher percentage of sexually transmitting HCV.
1. Roel Coutinho and Thijs van de Laar reported on a retrospective study of sexual transmission of HCV among 1,836 HIV positive and HIV negative gay men in the Amsterdam Cohort Study. The authors concluded, “HIV infection and/or mucosal trauma caused by extreme sexual techniques and concurrent STD might facilitate sexual transmission of HCV.”
2. As reported in the November 4, 2005 issue of AIDS, Aureliea Briat and colleagues from Paris analyzed HCV RNA levels in the semen of 82 HIV/HCV co-infected and 38 HCV mono-infected men. They detected HCV genetic material more often in the seminal fluid of co-infected men than men with HCV alone (38 percent vs. 18 percent).
3. As published in the November 1, 2005 Journal of Infectious Diseases, M.J. Nowicki and colleagues measured HCV RNA levels in the cervicovaginal lavage fluid from 58 HIV/HCV co-infected and 13 HCV mono-infected women. HCV RNA was detected in the genital fluid of 29 percent of the co-infected women, but none of the HCV mono-infected women.
Higher Risk
With all of the research on the sexual transmission of HCV, various factors have been repeatedly recognized as constituting a higher risk. Rates of transmission are higher:
· When a person has an acute HCV infection
· When the infected individual has a high viral load
· Individuals who have frequent sexual encounters and/or multiple sexual partners
· When mucosa is damaged from potentially vigorous sexual techniques such as anal intercourse, fisting and use of certain sex toys.
While the risk of transmitting HCV through sexual contact is low, it remains a possibility. Factors increasing this risk include concurrent HIV infection, sexual techniques that damage mucosa, acute HCV infection, high HCV viral load and those with multiple sexual partners. Even though studies have yielded conflicting data, there is enough evidence to conclude that sexual transmission of HCV does occur. Until medical researchers provide us with more concrete guidelines, practicing safe sex is the only reliable method of preventing sexual transmission of HCV.
References:
Buffington, J, et al, Low Prevalence of Hepatitis C Antibody in men who have sex with men who do not inject drugs, Public Health Reports, 2007.
www.cdc.gov, Hepatitis C: FAQ, US Department of Health and Human Services, 2007.
www.hcvadvocate.org, HCV Sexual Transmission Revisited: A Look at the Latest Research, Liz Highleyman, HCV Advocate Newsletter, April 2006.
www.hcvadvocate.org, Prevention of Spread of HCV, Miriam J. Alter, PhD, Hepatitis C Support Project, 2007.
www.hcvadvocate.org, Sexual Activity as a Risk Factor for Hepatitis C Infection, Norah A. Terrault, MD, MPH, Hepatitis C Support Project, 2007.
www.mayoclinic.com, Hepatitis C: How Common is Sexual Transmission?, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2007.
www.mysanantonio.com, Cay Crow: Although rare, hepatitis C can be transmitted through sex, KENS 5 and the San Antonio Express-News, July 2007.
Posted by Editors at 03:51 PM --- Printer-friendly version
July 27, 2007
Rare Liver Transplant with Child is Successful
Last month, doctors at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh performed a domino transplant, a rare liver transplant operation, on a 9 year-old boy. Learn more about this successful operation, as well as what a domino transplant is and why it's so rare.
Pittsburgh hospital performs rare liver transplant
www.phillyburbs.com
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - A 9-year-old boy suffering from a rare liver disease received a donor liver and then had his old liver transplanted into a 24-year-old man in a rare operation known as a domino transplant.
Doctors at Children's hospital of Pittsburgh said the surgery performed late last month was a success and marked the first time the hospital has performed a domino transplant with a child.
The procedure gets its name because the transplants are done sequentially, with the first recipient getting an organ from a deceased donor and then his organ being transplanted into a second recipient.
Johnathan Devantier, 9, of St. Louis, was diagnosed as a newborn with maple syrup urine disease, in which the body can't process certain amino acids. He received a donor liver and his old liver was transplanted into Ali Al-Garni, of Saudi Arabia, who suffers from a genetic disease that can cause liver failure.
Devantier's maple syrup urine disease was not passed to the other recipient in the surgery, said Dr. George V. Mazariegos, director of pediatric transplantation at the hospital's Hillman Center for Pediatric Transplantation. The disease does not originate in the liver, but instead is caused by a lack of enzymes in the body, making a domino transplant possible, he said.
"Domino transplants are rare because there are very few conditions for which you can cure one patient with a transplant and then transplant his or her organ into someone else without passing on the disease," Mazariegos said. "MSUD is one such disease."
The procedure was the third domino transplant ever involving a patient with maple syrup urine disease, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. More than 65 domino liver transplants have been performed in the U.S.
Posted by Editors at 04:58 PM --- Printer-friendly version
July 25, 2007
Bishop of Athens to Undergo Liver Transplant
Millions of people worldwide are affected with hepatitis infections and, as people who are familiar with hepatitis know, the disease can affect anyone. After recovering from his intestinal cancer operation, it has been recommended to Orthodox Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens that he undergo a liver transplant because of his end-stage liver disease, chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis. Learn more about the liver transplant set to take place, as well as what the risks are for the surgery.
Bishop of Athens to undergo treatment in Miami
Orthodox Archbishop Christolodoulos of Athens will undergo a treatment for end-stage liver disease. Dr. Andreas Tzakis of the University of Miami medical school will perform surgery on August 15.
www.speroforum.com
by George Gilson
Friday, July 20, 2007
Greek-American liver transplant expert Andreas Tzakis announced that Archbishop Christodoulos has agreed to undergo a liver transplant to try to cure his end-stage liver disease, which includes a four-centimetre malignant cancer, chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis.
Tzakis, flanked by Christodoulos' attending doctors at Athens' Aretaieion hospital, told a July 12 news conference that Christodoulos will be taken to the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine after August 15.
He said the archbishop's medical team, including surgeon Dionysios Voros who operated on Christodoulos' intestinal cancer on July 13, unanimously agreed that a transplant should be undertaken "as soon as possible", and specifically in the next six weeks, after full recovery from the intestinal cancer operation. Voros said that Christodoulos was informed after he entered hospital on June 9 that he would likely undergo a liver operation.
After pre-operative screening in August, the archbishop will be placed on an organ waiting list. Tzakis said that Christodoulos scores a high 22 points on the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scoring system, placing him at the top of the list.
Aretaieion doctors said that Christodoulos is now off all intravenous medication, walks about the hospital and could be released within days.
Tzakis said that the decision to expedite the transplant is intended to minimise the risk of metastasis to other parts of the body. He maintained that the large size of the archbishop's tumour will put him at the top of the organ waiting list in the United States. He admitted that in Europe patients with such large liver tumours, and with two types of cancer, are not considered candidates for transplantation.
Asked by the Athens News what the risks are for the surgery given the 68-year-old Christodoulos clinical profile, which includes two types of cancer and diabetes, Tzakis appeared exceedingly optimistic about the prospects of success. He said that the intestinal cancer was successfully treated by removing a large portion of the intestine, though he admitted there are "no guarantees" that there cannot be a recurrence, and stressed that Christodoulos' liver is "at a point where it is ready to lose its balance".
"The hepatitis is not active, and of the two cancers one was removed. Now he has cirrhosis and diabetes, which may be connected with the liver diseases and is being treated with insulin," Tzakis told this newspaper.
But he conceded that the diabetes "burdens the clinical profile somewhat" and requires extremely comprehensive clinical screenings of the heart, kidney and other organs. The screening process, which will begin in Athens, will also seek to make certain that the intestinal and liver cancer (which the Aretaieion team said was not a metastasis) has not spread to other parts of the body.
Tzakis noted that German transplant surgeon Christoph Broelsch, who pioneered liver transplants at the University of Chicago in the mid 1980s and examined Christodoulos on July 4, also recommended a transplant after preparation.
As for Christodoulos' age, Tzakis said it is not a counter-indication for a transplant and noted that an octogenarian liver transplant patient of his is now over 90 years old and is doing well.
Stressing that pre-operative condition is the key measure of transplant success, Tzakis said the post-transplant prognosis for Christodoulos is good, as he was extremely active and fit until now. "His heart and kidney function are totally normal. If he had full mental and physical capacities before, with all these illnesses, after a transplant you'll see him better than he has been for years," he said.
The Greek-American surgeon also ruled out various types of chemotherapy that were previously discussed as options - such as chemoembolism, which targets large doses of chemotherapy directly at the liver - as these "could burden the function of the liver and the body overall".
Tzakis conceded that the lifelong immunosuppressive drugs required by liver transplant patients could conceivably lead to a recurrence of intestinal cancer, but only if some of the intestinal cancer tumour has remained in the body. Thus, he indicated that the risk-benefit analysis clearly favours a transplant. He said immediate recovery (walking etc) would take weeks, while full recovery is a matter of months and continues gradually. "Longterm recovery is clinically complete," he said.
George Gilson is a writer for the Athens News, Greece.
Posted by Editors at 04:45 PM --- Printer-friendly version
July 23, 2007
Will Fast Hepatitis C Diagnostic Test Meet FDA Approval?
On Thursday, July 19th, OraSure Technologies announced the positive performance of a rapid test that can detect the Hepatitis C virus in blood and saliva in just minutes. Learn when the company plans to finalize its clinical studies and file an application for U.S. FDA approval.
OraSure's hepatitis test on target
Company says its prototype performed well in trial.
By Sam Kennedy | Of The Morning Call
July 20, 2007
www.mcall.com
A hepatitis C test under development by OraSure Technologies of Bethlehem performed well in a recent trial, the company announced Thursday.
The news bodes well for OraSure's efforts to win governmental approval to sell a rapid hepatitis test that works similarly to the company's rapid HIV test. That test, called OraQuick, can detect the virus that causes AIDS in both saliva and blood in less than 20 minutes
Performance of the prototype hepatitis C test was shown to be as good as or better than that of currently available laboratory-based tests, the company said at the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry in San Diego.
''Our development efforts are proceeding on schedule, and we intend to begin the final clinical studies required to obtain FDA approval during the next several months,'' OraSure Chief Executive Doug Michels said in a press release.
He said OraSure plans to complete the studies and file an application for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in early 2008.
''Assuming we are successful, we expect that our test will be the first rapid [hepatitis C] test approved by the FDA for use in the United States,'' he said.
Hepatitis C kills as many as 10,000 Americans a year, a figure that is expected to double or triple in the next decade or so, surpassing annual AIDS deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
It is nonetheless known as a silent epidemic because infections often go undetected for years, even decades. The CDC estimates that 4.1 million people in this country, or nearly 2 percent of the population, have the disease, although fewer than half are aware of it.
The study described Thursday involved the testing of more than 1,000 blood and saliva specimens. According to OraSure, the prototype hepatitis C test performed with nearly 100 percent accuracy.
Posted by Editors at 05:00 PM --- Printer-friendly version
July 16, 2007
Getting Easier: Predicting Hepatitis C Treatment Success
Just released by Veteran Affairs, new research has identified several factors to help predict Hepatitis C treatment success. In addition to race, cholesterol level, the presence of cirrhosis and ALT enzyme elevation, this report also suggests that specific viral genotypes respond best to different types of pegylated interferon.
Key Factors Spur Hepatitis C Treatment Success
07.06.07, 12:00 AM ET
www.forbes.com
FRIDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- Successful treatment of hepatitis C may depend on the type of interferon given to patients and the viral strain, researchers say.
The study also confirmed that other factors, such as Caucasian race, the absence of cirrhosis and elevated levels of the liver enzyme ALT, all predict successful treatment.
More than 3 million people in the United States are chronically infected with hepatitis C, experts say. Infection is spread by contact with the blood of infected individuals, primarily through injection drug use. Without treatment, hepatitis C results in liver disease and death. It is the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States. Interferon, combined with additional drugs, is the primary treatment.
Researchers in the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System analyzed data from almost 6,000 patients who received treatment for hepatitis C in system clinics. The researchers tested their blood three months after treatment ended to find out if the virus was no longer detectable, indicating successful treatment.
The research showed that patients treated with pegylated interferon form 2A, rather than 2B, were 40 percent more likely not to have any detectable virus in their blood. Pegylated interferon is a man-made version of interferon, a substance made by the body to fight viruses. The term pegylated refers to additional elements that keep the medicine in the body longer.
The results also indicated that patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 2 were more likely to respond to treatment than those with genotype 3, both of which are known to be more successfully treatable than genotype 1.
Low cholesterol levels also predicted a lack of treatment success. The researchers theorize that low cholesterol may indicate more severe liver disease.
In the article, published in the July issue of Hepatology, the experts suggest that a better understanding of the varying factors that affect the success of hepatitis C treatment can help physicians and patients develop a strategy for success.
Posted by Editors at 11:19 AM --- Printer-friendly version
Shortened Hepatitis C Treatment Increases Relapse Rate
Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University confirm that shortened treatment times negatively impact cure rates for Hepatitis C genotype 2 or 3. These new study results warn us that treatments shortened to three or four months have higher relapse rates than the average six-month interval for these genotypes.
Longer Hepatitis C Treatment Best?
Cure Rates Are Higher With Longer Treatment Of 6 Months, Research Suggests
July 11, 2007
www.cbsnews.com
(WebMD) Shortening treatment to less than six months does not appear to be a good strategy for patients with the most curable types of hepatitis C virus infection, new research suggests.
Patients with hepatitis C genotypes 2 and 3 who were treated for four months had lower cure rates and higher relapse rates than those treated for six months.
The study, which appears in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, shows that longer treatment benefits even those with highly treatable hepatitis C, researcher Mitchell L. Shiffman, MD, tells WebMD.
"I tell patients if they can tolerate treatment and can stay on it for 24 weeks, they have a better chance of achieving the best possible outcome, which is a cure," he says.
Hepatitis C Treatment Strategies
Long-term infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver transplants in the United States. As many as 4 million Americans are infected, but most don't know it, experts say.
About 70 percent of infected Americans carry the genotype 1 form of hepatitis C, which tends to be less responsive to treatment than genotypes 2 and 3.
With aggressive treatment, nearly 80 percent of people with genotypes 2 or 3 achieve complete and sustained viral eradication, or cures, compared with about 40 percent to 45 percent of people carrying genotype 1 virus.
These days, most patients are treated with a long-acting version of the injected drug interferon along with the antiviral drug ribavirin.
The standard course of treatment for patients with the more treatable types of hepatitis C infection is half that of patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C — 24 weeks compared with 48 weeks.
In several recent studies, it was reported that shortening treatment to four months and even three months had no impact on cure rates in hepatitis C genotype 2 or 3 patients.
In an effort to test these findings, Shiffman and colleagues from Virginia Commonwealth University compared outcomes among genotype 2 or 3 patients treated for four months and six months.
They report that 31 percent of patients treated with the shorter course of therapy eventually relapsed, compared with 18% of patients who got the full six months of treatment. Relapse was defined as having detectable levels of virus in the blood at follow-up despite complete viral eradication at the end of treatment.
Overall, 62 percent of patients treated for four months achieved sustained viral responses, compared with 70 percent of patients treated for six months.
Among patients who achieved complete viral responses within a month of starting treatment, 79 percent of those treated for four months achieved complete, sustained responses, compared to 85 percent of the patients treated for six months.
Individualized Hepatitis C Treatment
Shiffman understands the desire of patients and doctors to shorten treatment. The drugs used to treat hepatitis C are very expensive and they can cause severe fatigue, fever, depression, and other hard-to-tolerate side effects.
But he says a better strategy than shortening treatment is lowering drug dosage in patients who have trouble tolerating hepatitis C treatments.
He adds that rapid response to treatment has become as important as viral genotype for predicting response to treatment.
Patients who show no signs of hepatitis C infection within a month of beginning treatment have a 90 percent cure rate, regardless of genotype, he says.
"We are learning that the optimal way to treat hepatitis C is to monitor the virus during treatment, no matter what the genotype, and adjust treatment duration based on response."
T. Jake Liang, MD, of the National Institutes of Health, says this individualized approach to hepatitis C treatment will become more common as more is learned about the virus.
Liang is chief of the liver disease branch of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and idney Diseases.
"As our technology improves we will be more able to identify patients who will benefit from a shorter course of treatment," he tells WebMD. "For now, though, genotype 2 and 3 patients who can tolerate the treatment should remain on it for a full six months."
By Salynn Boyles
Reviewed by Louise Chang
B)2005-2006 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.
Posted by Editors at 10:24 AM --- Printer-friendly version
How to Detect Liver Fibrosis without Liver Biopsy
Biotech company IQur's new blood test for evaluating liver fibrosis has been approved in the UK. The 'Enhanced Liver Fibrosis Test' detects and monitors liver damage without the need for an invasive liver biopsy.
Blood test to detect liver damage
11 July 2007
www.mlwmagazine.com
A new blood test that detects and monitors liver damage has now received regulatory approval to be used in the UK.
The ‘Enhanced Liver Fibrosis Test’ (ELF), produced by IQur, a biotech company in the field of liver disease, detects liver problems without the need for invasive biopsies.
Liver damage, or fibrosis, may occur without causing any symptoms so many people remain unaware for decades that they have liver disease. Deaths due to liver disease currently stand at 7,500 a year in the UK.
“This is a massive shift in the area of liver disease,’’ said Professor William Rosenberg, one of the pioneers behind the test. “Liver disease is one of the most common causes of death in the UK and anything that we can do to stem the rise has huge significance for patients and those treating the disease.’’
The new test is available through GP surgeries, health clinics and hospitals. The analysis of samples is undertaken by iQur’s specialist diagnostic service, and the test can be repeated at appropriate intervals to monitor disease progression and response to therapy.
ELF test has been developed by iQur in association with the University of Southampton and Siemens Medical Solutions in the US.
Posted by Editors at 10:17 AM --- Printer-friendly version
July 13, 2007
HCV and the Body's Most Important Antioxidant
Humans have a potent chemical within every cell for protection against dangerous substances. Learn why one particular antioxidant is considered the be the body's most important, and what makes it so vital to the health of your liver.
by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.
Composed of three amino acids (glutamine, cysteine and glycine), glutathione is a well-known chemical that benefits individuals with Hepatitis C. It is an enzyme found in all tissues protecting against potential damage from wastes and toxins. Due to its constant battle to defend itself against Hepatitis C, a liver dealing with this virus can use all the help it can get to resist injury from toxic compounds.
Antioxidants are important for health preservation because they neutralize free radicals, which can build up in cells and cause damage. “Glutathione is a very interesting, very small molecule that’s [produced by the body and] found in every cell,” says Gustavo Bounous, MD, director of research and development at Immunotec and a retired professor of surgery at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. “It's the [body's] most important antioxidant because it's within the cell.”
Because glutathione resides within the cells, it is in the best position to neutralize free radicals. It also has potentially widespread health benefits because it can be found in all types of cells, including the cells of the immune system, whose primary responsibility is to battle disease.
Glutathione Deficiency
Clinical studies have demonstrated that the level of glutathione is significantly depressed in many people with Hepatitis C. Glutathione deficiency can be the result of:
· diseases that increase the need for glutathione
· deficiencies of the amino acids needed for synthesis
· diseases that inhibit glutathione formation
Regardless of how it was caused, glutathione deficiency is an important factor contributing to liver damage. Glutathione levels decline naturally as people age, fight a chronic disease or are exposed to excessive amounts of toxins. Insufficient glutathione levels reduce the liver’s ability to break down drugs, chemicals and other toxins, enhancing the probability of liver damage.
Glutathione Supplementation
The cellular consumption of glutathione is greater by those with chronic Hepatitis C than those without the virus, increasing the demand for this chemical. Although glutathione is available as an over-the-counter pill, its absorption into cells has been repeatedly questioned. A majority of experts on glutathione supplementation suggest people with chronic Hepatitis C take its amino acid building blocks, which are then converted by the body into glutathione.
N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a building block of glutathione which helps boost its levels in the body. In the case of an acetaminophen overdose, NAC is administered by physicians to detoxify the drug before it destroys too many liver cells and becomes fatal. NAC has been shown to increase blood glutathione in HIV-infected patients with low levels of glutathione due to their chronic infection.
One study of 24 Hepatitis C patients with low glutathione showed that 600 mg of NAC taken three times daily along with interferon therapy led to a normalization of ALT liver enzymes in 41 percent of patients. In addition, the viral loads of participants on NAC were significantly lowered. NAC appeared to have the significant effect of bringing glutathione levels back to normal inside white blood cells after six months of combined therapy. While not every study evaluating NAC with Hepatitis C has confirmed these results, most healthcare practitioners value this relatively inexpensive supplement to boost glutathione and protect the liver from incurring further damage.
Dietary Influences
Glutathione occurs naturally in many foods, and people who eat well probably have enough in their diets, says Dean Jones, PhD, professor of biochemistry and director of nutritional health sciences at Emory University in Atlanta. Glutathione is found in fruits and vegetables, including:
· Watermelon, grapefruit, strawberries, oranges, cantaloupe, and peaches
· Avocadoes, asparagus, potatoes, acorn squash, tomatoes, broccoli, okra, zucchini, and spinach
· Herbs such as cinnamon and cardamom contain compounds capable of restoring healthy levels of glutathione
· Cyanohydroxybutene, a chemical found in broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cabbage, is also thought to increase glutathione levels
When equipped with the raw ingredients, the body is more apt to manufacture glutathione. High protein foods are rich in the three amino acids found in glutathione:
1. Cysteine – is found in ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, pork, sausage meat, chicken, turkey, duck, wheat germ, granola, and oat flakes.
2. Glutamine – is found in fish, meat, beans, and dairy products.
3. Glycine – is found in fish, meat, legumes, and dairy products.
Most people with chronic Hepatitis C are aware of the potential damage toxins can inflict on their liver. In support of this effort, being sure to get enough antioxidants into their body has become routine. Glutathione and its precursor (NAC) should have a place on the healthcare considerations of every person with chronic Hepatitis C. Since this powerful antioxidant actually protects liver cells from the inside, glutathione is an invaluable ally in maintaining liver health. By increasing glutathione-rich food intake or by supplementing with NAC, you can fortify your liver cells against the Hepatitis C virus.
References:
www.au.health.yahoo.com, Glutathione, Healthpoint Technologies, 2007.
www.hepcchallenge.org, Nutritional Supplementation, Lark Lands, PhD, Lyn Patrick, ND, Hepatitis C Caring Ambassadors Foundation, 2007.
www.liversupport.com, How One Man Uses Natural Remedies to Live a Full Life with Hepatitis C, Natural Wellness, 2007.
www.medicinenet.com, Glutathione: New Supplement on the Block, Alison Palkhivala, MedicineNet, Inc., 2007.
www.raysahelian.com, Glutathione: A Practical Guide, Ray Sahelian, MD, 2007.
www.thebody.com, Liver Dinner, Sandra Goldsmith, MS, RD, Body Positive, September 2000.
www.vitamins-supplements.org, Glutathione, Vitamin Supplements Guide, 2007.
Posted by Editors at 02:43 PM --- Printer-friendly version