Found this study
The glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in erythrocytes was determined in 42 men with severe acne and 47 women with acne--26 of a moderate degree and 21 severe. The male acne patients had significantly lower GSH-Px levels than the controls. The women with acne did not differ significantly from the controls in this respect when patients and controls using oral contraceptives were excluded. Both the female controls and the women with acne using oral contraceptives had significantly higher GSH-Px values than the corresponding groups not using the pill. The pubertal acne girls had the same high GHSH-Px activity as women on oral contraceptives. In an open trial 29 patients were given 0.2 mg of selenium (as Na2Se O3) + 10 mg of tocopheryl succinate for their acne twice daily for 6-12 weeks. A good result was obtained, especially in patients with pustular acne and low GSH-Px activity, and the beneficial effect was usually paralleled by a slow rise of the GSH-Px activity. Some 6-8 weeks after withdrawal of the treatment the GSH-Px values had returned to the pretreatment levels.
PMID: 6203294 [PubMed - indexed for ME
Just wondering if anyone has any more info on this subject. I know supplementing with glutathione directly doesn't work, but supposedly things like SAM-E, NAC, and Alpha lipoic acid and even milk thistle. Glutathione is a major detoxifier in living cells, and an antioxidant. I can go on about it, but I might as well save my breath. I'm sure you guys know how to use google. Just wanted some peoples input on the subject.
You can increase glutathione levels by eating more methionine, selenium and like you mentioned lipoic acid.
An you can get two out of three of those from eating spinach: methionine and lipoic acid. And brazil nuts can have extremely high amounts of selenium and are good sources of methionine, but don't eat more than half a dozen a day due to selenium toxicity.
