Glutathione and the Kidneys by #134141 17 mon 0 of 1 (0%)
The kidneys are the "waste removers" of the body. The Kidneys work to keep the blood clean and chemically balanced. They are an essential companion to the liver. If you think of the liver as the washing machine of the body, cleasing it of damaging toxins before they enter the bloodstream, the kidneys are sort of like the filter on the dryer removing the waste products that build up in the blood and expel it as urine.
The kidneys are twin organs that reside on either side of the backbone. They only account for roughly 0.5 percent of the total weight of the body, yet they receive 20 to 25 percent of the arterial blood pumped by the heart. Each kidney also contains about one million nephrons. Neprhons are, in fact, the basic structural and functional unit of the kidneys that filter about 200 quarts of blood every day. Two of these quarts are removed from the body through the urine and the other 198 quarts are then recovered.
One thing you can do to give your kidneys the proper support is cut back on sodium. Cutting out fast foods and foods high in salt and fat is a good place to start. Salty and greasy foods can raise blood pressure, which can affect your kidney's ability to properly cleanse your blood. Drink plenty of water and juices. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables--especially dark fruits like cranberries prunes, and plumbs which are high in antioxidant content.
GLUTATHIONE: The Kidney's Ultimate Detoxifier
As with other organs of the body, antioxidant activity--particularly glutathione--plays a vital role in the kidneys. The kidneys are not unique in that oxidative stress, resulting from free radical activity, leads to problems of various kinds.
According to one researcher, kidney (or renal) toxicity is often caused by "exposure to heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead. Studies have shown that the body detoxifies these substances primarily through glutathione-related enzymes. these glutathione enzymes have distinct distribution along the nephron in the kidneys, making them central to kidney detoxificaiton and function.
