What is NAC anyway?

Let's talk about NAC: one of the most popular amino acids on the market today! In fact, we have to limit the sale of it to 2 per household or we would never be able to keep any in stock! 

Many health experts have been promoting this for immune support, but did you know that's not the benefit it is best known for? Let's explore what NAC is...

N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine is the supplement form of a non-essential amino acid called Cysteine. "Non-essential" means that your body has the ability to synthetize its own Cystine from other amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Production of Cystine, however, requires a diet rich in amino acids. If you are deficient in the right amino acids, your body may not produce enough Cysteine. We naturally produce less with age and illness too. Our lifestyles, environment, and diets also affect how much Cysteine our bodies need to function well. 

NAC has many benefits, but it is best known as the precursor to Glutathione, a "Master Antioxidant." Glutathione is critical because it supports all other antioxidants in the body, telling them how to keep free radicals, toxicants, and other foreign substances in our bodies from damaging our bodies. Glutathione is a critical part of our body's natural "detox system," and it is a reason why we are able to withstand, to a certain point, consuming unhealthy food products and breathing in poor environments. While we can supplement with glutathione directly, and in some cases would have better results with direct glutathione, it's actually more expensive and more poorly absorbed (some glutathione supplements are much more effective than others.) NAC is better absorbed and will allow your body to create glutathione more easily.

In fact, NAC and glutathione are so good at detoxifying your body that it has already traditionally been used to treat thick mucus in the lungs and acetaminophen overdose for decades! It also helps to reduce the severity of chemical sensitivities, so perfume and car exhaust (and, of course, all the other pollutants) might not give you as strong of a headache, muscle pain, brain fog, and other unpleasant symptoms when taken regularly. 

NAC, and therefore also Glutathione, are known for cleaning out your lungs, liver, blood, and skin due to their detoxifying properties. As a result, you might find it helps you recover from respiratory illnesses faster, reduce liver inflammation, increase mental clarity and mood, and improve your general fitness. You might also notice much brighter, healthier, youthful, and radiant skin!

Glutathione protects cells from damage that causes aging, meaning NAC may appear to have anti-aging properties. The anti-aging benefits are not just skin deep, however, because the cellular protection will improve how you feel, function, and think over all. You might feel it helps you act younger too!

NAC and Glutathione may reduce insulin resistance and pull excess glucose from the blood, improve circulation because it boosts the production of nitric oxide, and reduce overall inflammation. 

​It has even been used to improve fertility and reduce endometriosis and PCOS!

NAC really is a wonderful supplement that can be beneficial for a wide range of reasons! 

It may, however, have some drug interactions. Please talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking NAC if you take any medications. 

But does it support our immune systems?

We are not advocating using NAC to prevent or treat any illness, including Covid-19, and we recommend talking to your doctor if you have any concerns about your health.

While more studies are needed for understanding if NAC boosts the immune system (that is to say, taken to prevent getting sick), some limited results have been promising, showing that NAC may help once already infected. The evidence is that NAC may help against RNA viruses such as Covid-19 because NAC has been shown to suppress the pathway that RNA viruses use to replicate and spread. NAC has also been shown to reduce the production of cytokines that can cause dangerous levels of inflammation during severe illness. Due to the ability of NAC to act as an expectorant in the lungs, it can help reduce the severity of pneumonia if it develops. In each of these studies the results were dose dependent. To learn more about the studies and doses used, read: N-Acetylcysteine to Combat COVID-19: An Evidence Review (nih.gov)

Don't forget about the supplements that we already know support a strong healthy immune system: Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, Quercetin, Elderberry, and functional mushrooms (to name a few!) 

For further reading on all the benefits of NAC, visit: 
NAC Benefits: How N-Acetyl Cysteine Supplements Work (bulletproof.com)
A Review on Various Uses of N-Acetyl Cysteine (nih.gov)



Author: Sarah Langer