N-acetylcysteine, or NAC, is the synthetic version of an amino acid called cysteine. It helps your body make glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that protects cells from damage caused by free radicals.
It can help treat various health conditions, including lung disease, heart disease and mental health disorders. However, it would help if you did not take it without a doctor’s supervision.
Anti-Inflammatory
NAC, known as acetaminophen disodium salt or L-cysteine, is your body’s amino acid. It’s an essential component of the anti-inflammatory response and helps protect the immune system against oxidative damage that can lead to chronic disease.
It’s also a natural detoxifier, helping your body to rid itself of harmful chemicals and toxins. It’s also used to treat several health issues, including respiratory conditions and liver disorders.
Researchers have found that it can improve people’s health with pulmonary conditions such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis. It can break down mucus and replenish glutathione in the lungs, which reduces inflammation and airway damage.
However, it’s important to note that the benefits of NAC for these conditions are dose-dependent. To experience the most use, you’ll need to take it for at least three months.
NAC is also being studied for its ability to help people with COVID-19, a severe coronavirus infection that causes symptoms similar to the flu. It can reduce the severity of the virus and shorten a patient’s stay in the hospital.
Detoxification
NAC is a potent antioxidant that helps your body replenish glutathione stores. Glutathione is an essential component of detoxification, which helps eliminate toxins and prevent diseases caused by oxidative damage.
It’s also an excellent supplement for the liver and kidneys, which are often damaged by toxins and drugs. The best NAC supplement can also help protect your heart and blood vessels from oxidative damage.
In addition, it has been shown to improve respiratory symptoms and reduce the risk of asthma in people with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). And if you’ve been exposed to a toxic chemical, such as PMMA resin (used to do dental work), NAC can protect your cells from damage.
NAC may even help those suffering from psychiatric and addictive disorders like nicotine addiction, trichotillomania, OCD and schizophrenia. It can also help to increase glutamate levels in the brain and reduce oxidative stress.
Immune System Support
A well-functioning immune system is vital to a healthy body. However, it can start to misfire when inflammatory foods, environmental toxins, or chronic stress attack it.
That’s where NAC supplementation comes in. It helps your body replenish glutathione, the most potent natural antioxidant, which helps neutralize free radicals and protect cells from oxidative damage.
This is important because oxidative stress can weaken your immune system’s ability to fight disease. Plus, when you get a cold or flu, NAC can help you feel better sooner by suppressing viral replication and inflammation.
It also helps break up mucus in your lungs. This may help prevent respiratory illnesses like the common cold and the flu and reduce symptoms of chronic bronchitis.
As an antioxidant, NAC also supports your liver by increasing glutathione levels and helping to fight oxidative stress. This is particularly helpful for people with estrogen imbalances, as oxidative stress can reduce the amount of estrogen your body produces.
Weight Loss
NAC is a powerful antioxidant and promotes glutathione levels, which can help reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity. It can also aid weight loss by boosting the body’s ability to break down fat.
Lower glutathione levels can lead to oxidative stress, inflammation, infections and irregular cell growth. Low glutathione levels can also make detoxification harder, which means more toxins build up in the body.
Research has shown that NAC can also support weight loss in lab mice by promoting glutathione production. Studies have also shown that NAC can fight various neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, because it increases glutathione production in the brain.
NAC is also FDA-approved for treating acetaminophen overdose and preserving lung function in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It can also protect the liver from damage during some types of chemotherapy. However, it is unapproved for most other purposes, so consult your doctor before taking any supplements or adding them to your diet.
Heart Health
NAC supplements may help reduce heart disease risk by reducing oxidative damage and increasing nitric oxide production, allowing veins to dilate and improving blood flow. It also reduces damage from oxidized LDL cholesterol, another factor in heart disease.
N-Acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a conditional or semi-essential amino acid your body can’t make. It bonds with glutamine and glycine to form glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that protects against inflammation, infection and other chronic health problems caused by oxidative stress.
It also improves immune function and promotes the healthy functioning of natural killer cells. This is most important in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or those deficient in glutathione.
NAC can also relieve symptoms of respiratory conditions by thinning the mucus in the bronchial tubes and increasing glutathione levels in the lungs. It’s beneficial for people with COPD and bronchitis, both caused by long-term oxidative damage and inflammation of the lungs that can lead to shortness of breath and wheezing.