A study by Kerksick and Willoughby for the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, explored something that we feel very strongly about here at COAST - Glutathione and cysteine’s benefits to exercise recovery.
This often comes as a surprise and is further emphasized in mentioned study, but intense exercise can increase oxidative stress and free radical production inside our cells.
Literally, we release toxins as we work hard in the gym. This can be a good thing, if you incorporate smart recovery tactics to your post workout routine to help your system flush them out and detox.
So, what is smart post workout recovery?
It’s one thing to refuel your body with proteins and smart carbs pre and post workout; that makes sense and is a good thing to do to boost your training and muscle building. There is, however, an important component that is often overlooked as it less understood - what you can do to help get rid of the toxins that we release while working out.
Back to cysteine and Glutathione - L-Cysteine is a powerful Glutathione precursor (especially effective taken orally) and studies indicate that supplementing with cysteine can help preserve and replenish glutathione. Glutathione, often referred to as the master antioxidant, has powerful intracellular detoxifying capabilities. As mentioned, post workout, oxidative stress and free radical production inside our cells increases - by supplementing with cysteine you boost Glutathione that will help your cell detoxification process. Read more here.
In a trial involving 100 subjects with varying baseline glutathione levels, 30 days of twice-daily cysteine supplementation was shown to improve glutathione concentrations and reduce systemic oxidative stress in the group that began the trial with low glutathione. Read more here.
As an added bonus, cysteine has also been shown to increase the level of Nitric Oxide - this improves circulation to help deliver more oxygen and nutrients to the muscles as well as aiding in muscle repair.
Recovery is key!
There are ways to boost glutathione naturally as well. Taking that important rest day, eating the right foods, de-stressing, and most of all, focusing on getting enough restful sleep are key strategies to boost your glutathione levels.
Drink COAST
We designed COAST with complementary ingredients that work in tandem to help detox, replenish and repair. We do this with, you guessed it, L-Cysteine, but also other powerful ingredients including NAD+, glucarate, antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, and other natural compounds.