- NAC’s proposed benefits in human
health are thought to originate from either of its two of its primary actions in the body.
First, NAC is rapidly metabolized to
intracellular glutathione. Glutathione (GTH)
and the enzyme complexes that it forms act as reducing agents and antioxidants in the
body. GTH also detoxifies chemicals into less
harmful compounds as well as detoxifying heavy metals such as mercury and lead. GTH is
also known to aid in the transport of nutrients to lymphocytes and phagocytes, two major
classes of immune cells, and to protect cell membranes.
While purified glutathione is
available as a dietary supplement, absorption is notoriously low, and NAC is thought to be
a better source method of boosting cellular GTH levels.
NAC’s second beneficial action in
the body is to cleave disulfide bonds by converting them to two sulfhydryl groups. This action results in the breakup of mucoproteins
in lung mucus, reducing their chain lengths and thinning the mucus, improving conditions
such as smoker’s cough and bronchitis.
- Several studies have been performed to
confirm that NAC is converted to glutathione in the body.
A review of these studies showed that oral NAC supplementation was successful in
enhancing the levels of glutathione in the liver, in plasma, and in the bronchioles of the
lungs. Lack of glutathione has been shown to
contribute to a variety of health conditions such as adult respiratory distress syndrome,
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
A clinical trial of NAC and immune
function evaluated the response of the CD4-CD8 lymphocyte system in HIV-positive patients
(where falling CD4 counts are an indicator of disease progression). The 15 patients were divided into two groups, one
receiving two 400mg doses of NAC parenterally twice daily and the other receiving 600mg
orally twice daily. During the experiment, 8
cases of the treatment were considered successful, including two patients who became serum
negative for the illness. 6 of 8 patients
receiving the NAC parenterally had experienced no opportunistic infections by the date of
publication. The researchers involved
concluded that NAC associated to antiviral therapy could be a powerful agent for
immunotherapy.
In a double-blind placebo-controlled
study of 116 subjects with chronic bronchitis, the therapeutic effects of NAC were
investigated over a six-month period. The group receiving NAC experienced a
significant reduction in the number of sick leave days from December to March (173 NAC vs.
456 placebo) as well as a greater reduction in days of exacerbation and worsened cough
(204 NAC vs. 399 placebo).
NAC has also been shown to help reduce
levels of fatigue and improve ability for muscle contraction during exhaustive exercise
(possibly due to reduced levels of oxidative stress).
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