In this video Dr. A explains the various ways glutathione can be administered, distinguishing prescription‑only injectable and inhalation routes from over‑the‑counter oral supplements. He outlines prescription forms—intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, nebulized, nasal spray, and topical sprays—emphasizing the need for proper formulation and dosing. The core focus is on oral supplement options: three main types exist, but only two have solid research backing their absorption. Liposomal glutathione (often a flavored liquid or gel) is described as highly bioavailable, while acetyl‑glutathione (a dry pill with an acetyl group that aids gut uptake) also shows good absorption. Some brands combine both forms, delivering even greater bioavailability and allowing a quarter‑dose compared to using either alone. By contrast, standard dry powdered glutathione absorbs only a few percent and is not cost‑effective despite lower price. Dr. A advises consumers to spend on acetyl, liposomal, or their combination and avoid plain powdered glutathione.
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There are generally 3 forms orally, and 2 of them are shown in the research to absorb well. One is not. Hi, I'm Dr. A. On this channel, we talk about all things health, wellness, chronic illness, integrative medicine. Today I'm answering questions. I had some specific questions regarding glutathione and its many forms that it can come in. And what I want to focus on are the kinds that you could take orally as a glutathione supplement. But to To answer the question completely, I want to talk about the other kinds that might not be available as a supplement but might be available as prescription. So on the prescription side, you're going to have the injectable forms. So that might be intravenous. Some forms can go intramuscular or even subcutaneous into the fat. Biggest thing there is you want to make sure you have the right form and whoever's prescribing it knows which compartment of the body it's supposed to go in and what the dosing is. Is. Other usually prescribed forms are going to be nebulized. Now, if you don't know what a nebulizer is, you might know someone with asthma who uses one. It's usually got a mask and they might breathe certain asthma drugs or respiratory drugs in it. Glutathione is used in those instances. In a nebulizer, it has to be sterile, so that's usually prescription form as well. Then there are nasal sprays. These often are by prescription, and, uh, you might think, well, what's different between breathing it through a nebulizer and doing a nasal spray? Well, both are going to go up nose, but through a nebulizer, it's also going to go into your lungs. Nasal spray is mostly just going to take care of the paranasal areas and maybe a little bit into the ostia, up into the beginning of the sinuses. So those are usually by prescription as well. There are some new topical type sprays that are often over the counter, and they actually have absorption data that you can take a look at. And there's a few other forms as well. But what I really want to focus on here were the kinds that you might go to a supplement store or online look up. And what I want to do to answer one of the questions we got around supplemental glutathione is make sure if you're going to spend money on glutathione as a supplement that you are able to get the most for your money. And if we want to break glutathione down to oral supplement forms, So we're not talking about precursors, we're not talking about prescription things. This is just oral supplement forms. There are generally 3 forms orally, and 2 of them are shown in the research to absorb well. One is not. So if we're going to spend our money on these things, and glutathione supplements can be quite pricey, we want to make sure we're getting one of the 2 that are the highly absorbed forms. So what are the 2 that have good absorption orally in the literature, medical literature? One is liposomal glutathione. Now, this is often in a gel, you know, or some kind of an oral, you know, liquid form that you take orally. Some taste better than others. Some come with flavors, et cetera. Glutathione's kind of a sulfury tripeptide, so it's a little sulfury on its own, but liposomal is very, very bioavailable when you take it orally. So that's one that probably is worthwhile as far as putting your money into on the supplement level. The other one that has data showing it absorbs well is acetyl glutathione, A-C-E-T-Y-L glutathione. And this can be a dry pill, but it is in a form, the acetyl part is attached to the glutathione that helps it absorb through the digestive tract. So either acetyl glutathione or liposomal, those are your 2 most absorbable worth the money generally. There's one or 2 brands now that have a liposomal acetyl glutathione that absorbs even better and no financial connection, but Seeking Health, it might be one or two others, do that combo. And you actually need, you know, like a quarter of the normal dose when you combine acetyl and liposomal, because it's the 2 absorbable forms put together. So what would be the form that usually looks cheaper on the shelf, but it's not worth putting your money into? That would be anything that's not those 2, but generally it's a dry powdered glutathione. And if you take it orally, you might absorb a few percent, but it's not going to be worth the money you're paying for it, even if it's half or a quarter of the price of the other 2, it's not going to be worth it as far as the absorption goes. So remember, when you're looking, either acetyl, A-C-E-T-Y-L, glutathione oral supplement, liposomal glutathione, or the combination of the 2, those are going to be worth the money to get actual glutathione absorbed when you take it by mouth. Anything else at this stage of the science and what we know about glutathione absorption is not going to be worth the money. All right. I hope that answers the questions. I'll see you all on the next video.
