N-Acetyl Cysteine(NAC) – Benefits and Supplemention

  • N-acetyl-cysteine, N-acetylcysteine, Acetyl cysteine, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine are all designations for the same compound, which is abbreviated as NAC.
  • Cysteine is a semi-essential amino acid. Some non-essential amino acids (e.g. Arginine, Cysteine, and Tyrosine) are called semi-essential or conditionally essential amino acids because they tend to run low during infancy or in health conditions such as being sick, injured or after surgery. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. N-acetyl cysteine has many uses as medicine.
  • N-acetyl cysteine is most commonly used by mouth for cough and other lung conditions. It is also used for many other health conditions.
  • N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a supplement form of cysteine. Some researches suggest that taking NAC with Vitamin C increases its potency and function in body.

Cysteine is found in most high-protein foods, such as chicken, turkey, yogurt, cheese, eggs, sunflower seeds and legumes.

Supplementation

NAC has been found to be highly effective by many scientific researches for below conditions:

  • N-acetyl cysteine helps treat collapsed lungs caused by mucus blockage.
  • Acetaminophen or Paracetamol poisoning due to over dosage.

Some studies and researches found NAC to be beneficial in improving many other health conditions like:

  • Reduces Swelling (inflammation) of the main airways in the lung (bronchitis). Taking N-acetyl cysteine by mouth seems to reduce shortness of breath and coughing in people with air passage swelling.
  • A lung disease that makes it harder to breathe (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD). Taking N-acetyl cysteine by mouth for at least 6 months seems to decrease flare-ups by about 40% and improve sputum (phlegm) consistency in people with moderate to severe COPD.
  • N-acetyl cysteine by mouth improves irritability in children and adolescents with autism.
  • Chest pain (angina).
  • Improving Kidney health and reducing Kidney damage.
  • Improve Liver health and helps is detoxification process by producing Glutathione.
  • Taking N-acetyl cysteine by mouth seems to help treat a certain type of epilepsy seizure.
  • Control homocysteine levels in blood.
  • Balance lipid and cholesterol levels in blood.
  • Taking N-acetyl cysteine by mouth seems to reduce flu symptoms.

Here are some Science Based Facts and Benefits:

  • NAC helps replenish glutathione, arguably your body’s most powerful antioxidant. Therefore, it can improve a variety of health conditions.
  • Helps With Detoxification to Prevent or Diminish Kidney, prevents Liver Damage and improves Lung health.
  • By regulating glutamate levels in your brain, NAC may alleviate symptoms of multiple psychiatric disorders and reduce addictive behavior.
  • NAC’s antioxidant and expectorant capacity can improve lung function by decreasing inflammation as well as breaking up mucus.
  • NAC may help improve fertility in men by reducing oxidative stress that damages or kills reproductive cells. It may also aid fertility in women with PCOS.
  • NAC can reduce oxidative damage to your heart, which can — in turn — decrease your risk of heart disease.
  • NAC’s ability to boost glutathione levels may improve immune function in a variety of diseases.
  • NAC is an amino acid that contains thiol group. It has been used for the treatment of acetaminophen toxicity
  • It has been used as a beneficial drug treatment for some disorders such as poly cystic ovary syndrome patients , preterm birth, acetaminophen toxicity, RPL, chronic bronchitis, ulcerative colitis, liver cancer, muscle performance, hemodialysis, asthma, Alzheimer and Parkinson. 

~Praveen Jada

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