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Glutathione (Liver Support) Side Effects & Safety

Evidence:Strong
·

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Individual results may vary — consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement. Full disclaimer

Safety Profile

Overall safety rating: Generally Safe

Potential Side Effects

  • Mild GI discomfort (nausea, bloating) with oral glutathione
  • NAC may cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, especially at higher doses
  • Rare: allergic reactions to NAC (bronchospasm in asthmatics)
  • Sulfur-containing supplements (NAC) may cause sulfurous breath or body odor

Drug & Supplement Interactions

  • NAC may potentiate the effects of nitroglycerin and other nitrate medications (vasodilation, headache)
  • High-dose NAC may interact with activated charcoal (reduced absorption of both)
  • Glutathione supplementation may theoretically reduce effectiveness of certain chemotherapy drugs that rely on oxidative mechanisms — consult oncologist
  • NAC may interact with cough suppressants containing dextromethorphan

Maximum Dose

Do not exceed: 2000mg/day oral glutathione or 2400mg/day NAC

Full Glutathione (Liver Support) Guide

References

  1. ReviewHayes JD, Flanagan JU, Jowsey IR (2005). Glutathione transferases. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology. DOI PubMed
  2. Prescott LF, Park J, Ballantyne A, Adriaenssens P, Proudfoot AT (1979). Treatment of paracetamol (acetaminophen) poisoning with N-acetylcysteine. Lancet. DOI PubMed
  3. ObservationalHonda Y, Kessoku T, Sumida Y, Kobayashi T, Kato T, Ogawa Y, Tomeno W, Imajo K, Fujita K, Yoneda M, Kataoka K, Taguri M, Yamanaka T, Seko Y, Tanaka S, Saito S, Ono M, Oeda S, Eguchi Y, Aoi W, Sato K, Itoh Y, Nakajima A (2017). Efficacy of glutathione for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: an open-label, single-arm, multicenter, pilot study. BMC Gastroenterology. DOI PubMed
  4. ReviewLu SC (2013). Glutathione synthesis. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. DOI PubMed
  5. Meta-analysisMohideen K, Jeddy N, Krithika C, Faizee SH, et al. (2023). Assessment of glutathione peroxidase enzyme response and total antioxidant status in oral cancer - Systematic review and meta-analysis.. Cancer reports (Hoboken, N.J.). DOI PubMed
  6. Meta-analysisLee N, Park SM, Yee J, Yoon HY, et al. (2020). Association Between Glutathione-S-Transferase Gene Polymorphisms and Responses to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Treatment in Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Meta-analysis.. Targeted oncology. DOI PubMed
  7. Meta-analysisZhang M, Wu SQ, He JQ (2019). Are genetic variations in glutathione S-transferases involved in anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury? A meta-analysis.. Journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics. DOI PubMed
Show 4 more references
  1. Meta-analysisLiu WZ, Sun Y, Feng X, Bi XH, et al. (2018). An updated meta-analysis for association of glutathione S-transferase P1 gene polymorphism with the susceptibility of lung cancer.. Journal of cancer research and therapeutics. DOI PubMed
  2. Meta-analysisHuang M, Zeng Y, Zhao F, Huang Y (2018). Association of glutathione S-transferase M1 polymorphisms in the colorectal cancer risk: A meta-analysis.. Journal of cancer research and therapeutics. DOI PubMed
  3. Meta-analysisZhou T, Li HY, Xie WJ, Zhong Z, et al. (2018). Association of Glutathione S-transferase gene polymorphism with bladder Cancer susceptibility.. BMC cancer. DOI PubMed
  4. Meta-analysisWang H, Gao X, Zhang X, Gong W, et al. (2018). Glutathione S-Transferase Gene Polymorphisms are Associated with an Improved Treatment Response to Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): A Meta-Analysis.. Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research. DOI PubMed