NAC (N-acetyl-cysteine) for lungs and liver

Supporting the lungs and liver
NAC has been known in medicine as an expectorant since the 1960s. The substance provides rapid relief from bronchitis by thinning thick mucus and making it easier to cough up. This occurs by breaking down the mucus. ¹

This very important function of NAC is particularly helpful in COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Although the study landscape was controversial for a while, ^2,3 the latest findings indicate that a relatively high dose of NAC is necessary for this disease, and then the expectorant effect is effective. ^4,5

NAC has a wide range of beneficial properties for the lungs. NAC is also a so-called free radical scavenger. ⁶ Free radicals are highly reactive substances that often contain oxygen (= radical oxygen species). Due to their high reactivity, they quickly seek a chemical bonding partner and thus cause damage in the body. Free radicals are created in the body partly by immune reactions and partly by external pollutants. The damage caused by free radicals often manifests itself in inflammation, damage to cell walls, or, in the worst case, tumors.

NAC's radical scavenging function comes indirectly from its conversion in the body to L-glutathione, the body's most important antioxidant. L-glutathione is the storage form of the amino acid L-cysteine. L-glutathione scavenges the radical oxygen species. ^7,8

L-Glutathion
Found in the liver and lungs, its presence in the liver, as the body's main detoxification center, is hardly surprising. In the lungs, it is present in a film of protective fluid (= ELF; epithelial lining fluid), which protects the lungs from free radicals. ⁹ Thus, NAC is doubly important for lung health.

However, this radical-scavenging property is present throughout the body. It can be enhanced with OPC (= oligomeric proanthocyanidins; antioxidants from the plant kingdom) in the blood vessels. Together with vitamin B6, NAC also produces the amino acid taurine, which, among other things, protects the nerves from such damage. Combined with silicon, it can also help the intestines in cases of diarrhea.

You can find N-acetyl cysteine ​​in our range in the product “NN N-Acetyl Complex”.

Dr. Reinhard Pichler – www.reinhardpichler.at

1. Grandjean, EM et al.: Efficacy of oral long-term N-acetylcysteine ​​in chronic bronchopulmonary disease: a meta-analysis of published double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials, Clinical Therapeutics, 2000
2. Decramer, M. et al.: Effects of N-acetylcysteine ​​on outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Bronchitis Randomized on NAC Cost-Utility Study, BRONCUS): a randomized placebo-controlled trial, Lancet, 2005
3. Pellegrino, R. et al.: Quality control of spirometry: a lesson from the BRONCUS trial, Eur Respir J, 2005
4. Zuin, R. et al.: High-dose N-acetylcysteine ​​in patients with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Clin.Drug.Invest., 2005
5. Stav, D. et al.: Raz M. Effect o N-Acetylcysteine ​​on Air Trapping in COPD, Chest, 2009
6. Tsan, MF. et al.: Enhancement of intracellular glutathione protects endothelial cells against oxidant damage,. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1985
7. Shukla, A. et al: Multiple roles of oxidants in the pathogenesis of asbestos-induced diseases, Free Radic Biol Med, 2003.
8. Meister, A.: Glutathione metabolism and its selective modification, J Biol Chem, 1988
9. Cantin, AM et al.: Oxidant mediated epithelial cell injury in pulmonary fibrosis, 1987