If there is a universal nutritional factor for eye health, it is glutathione, a natural antioxidant produced within all living cells. Numerous studies link glutathione with the prevention of cataracts, glaucoma, retinal disease and diabetic blindness. Here is a sampling of the evidence concerning glutathione and eye health.

• GLUTATHIONE has been shown to detoxify the aqueous fluid of the inner eye and may help maintain adequate fluid outflow among glaucoma patients. [1]
  

• GLUTATHIONE exists in unusually high concentrations in the lens and is essential to maintain its transparency. [2] However, glutathione levels decline in the lens with advancing age; the decline is especially rapid prior to cataract formation. [3]
  

• SULFUR is required to produce glutathione. Alpha-lipoic acid, a sulfur-bearing glutathione promoter, has been shown to be a potent anti-cataract agent in animal studies. [4]

Foods that increase glutathione levels include sulfur-rich foods such as garlic, eggs, asparagus and onions, [5] and glutathione-rich foods such as watermelon, asparagus and grapefruits. Sulfur-bearing food supplements such as alpha-lipoic acid and N-acetylcysteine as well as glutathione itself elevate glutathione. [6-8] Vitamin C is also required to regenerate glutathione levels in all living tissues. [9]

Supplementing with glutathione to boost glutathione levels is not well understood. Glutathione is a large molecule that is not easily absorbed, but it is a tripeptide with cysteine — a sulfur-bearing amino acid — in the middle. As cysteine is broken down in the digestive tract, its sulfur is absorbed and utilized to make more glutathione.