N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a supplement form of cysteine, an amino acid found in high protein foods such as eggs, chicken, turkey, yogurt, cheese, raw sunflower seeds and legumes. It is described as a conditionally essential amino acid because it can be made in the body if our diet is adequate in two other amino acids: methionine and serine. If our diet is deficient in serine and/or methionine, then we cannot make cysteine and that deficiency leads to many adverse effects on health.

NAC has anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and potent antioxidant benefits because it helps replenish glutathione, the most potent antioxidant in our body. NAC has been a mainstay of my combination therapies used to treat COVID, Long COVID, and COVID vaccine injury. Research has since noted that the pharmacological activities of NAC and its effects on the mechanisms of disease progression make it a potential therapeutic agent for COVID-19.

Studies show that NAC is also helpful to reduce risk of Avian Flu by inhibiting replication of H5N1 virus and H5N1-induced production of pro-inflammatory molecules. NAC has also been shown to inhibit replication of seasonal human influenza A viruses. Based on these findings, NAC has been considered an additional therapeutic option for new threats of viral outbreaks.

NAC is beneficial in respiratory illnesses (both viral and bacterial), diseases that cause cognitive decline, improving fertility in men and women, and plays a major role in our body’s detoxification pathways to help prevent or diminish liver and kidney damage. In fact, NAC given intravenously is a standard treatment in Emergency Medicine to combat Tylenol (acetaminophen)-induced liver damage to glutathione pathways.

Our bodies need continuous glutathione production to reduce the daily burden of oxidative stress and detoxification of toxins makes adequate intake of cysteine essential. As we age, glutathione production declines, so the benefits of supplements that increase glutathione become even more important as we get older. That’s why I think NAC is a critical ingredient of our Health and Resilience daily formula. In addition, it is important to have adequate folate, B6, and B12 for the body to be able to use serine and methionine to make the amino acid cysteine in the body. These important co-factors can be found in our TruMultiV™ and TruMultiV™ with Iron (also included in our TruResilience™ Formula).

The many benefits of NAC are really quite exciting, especially in today’s environment of hyperinflammatory assaults from our environment, foods, lifestyles and even medical “treatments” that cause inflammation and oxidative stress.

Chemically, N-acetal cysteine is a sulfur containing derivative of the amino acid L-cysteine that neutralizes reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the body, especially the highly reactive hydroxyl radical, while also enhancing the production of tripeptide glutathione – a powerful antioxidant and detoxifying enzyme.

The unique properties of NAC provide the additional support needed to elevate the body’s resilience to fight illness and lessen severity of infections. Specifically, NAC is known for its mucolytic (mucus thinning) effect, direct and indirect antioxidant activity as a precursor of reduced glutathione, modulation of the immune and inflammatory response, counteracting of the thrombotic state, and an antiviral effect.

NAC used in a combined treatment with the α2A-adrenoceptor agonist, guanfacine, also gives hope to those suffering with “brain fog” from long-COVID 19. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) was found by a clinical neuroscientist to reduce the cognitive deficits associated with long-COVID19. These results were further enhanced with the addition of guanfacine, a prescription medication, in a small trial showing benefits in eight out of twelve patients.

NAC has many other benefits on multiple body systems:
• Reducing risk of organ damage in chronic inflammatory conditions.
• Stabilizing blood sugar by decreasing inflammation in fat cells, which can damage or destroy insulin receptors and increase risk of Type 2 Diabetes, and thereby improving insulin resistance.
• Decreasing heart disease risk by preventing oxidative damage to the heart, as well as protecting heart function and heart health in people with diabetes and those recovering from heart surgeries.
• Detoxification as an agent to prevent or diminish liver and kidney damage.
• Improving cognition, mood regulation and diminishing substance abuse cravings.
• Relieving symptoms of respiratory conditions by reducing inflammation in lung tissue and bronchial tubes, and thinning mucus that blocks airways.
• Positively effecting on other respiratory conditions: chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, asthma, allergy symptoms, and pulmonary fibrosis.
• Improving brain health by regulating glutamate and replenishing glutathione with potential to slow the decline in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
• Improving fertility in men and in women with PCOS by decreasing the free radical formation that damages or kills reproductive cells.
• Improving immune function by boosting glutathione levels

In our Truth For Health store, I added TruNAC™ to our TruResilience™ Formula for all of these reasons. It is a supplement I personally take every day. One note of caution: NAC may slow blood clotting, so if you are taking a blood thinning (anti-coagulant) medication or have a bleeding disorder, you should check with your health professional to be sure it is safe for you to add.

In today’s environment with constant fear-mongering about the “next pandemic,” the additives in our foods, and the environmental toxins of EMF and 5G plus geoengineering chemicals being sprayed into the air we breathe, I think that most of us may be deficient in cysteine and glutathione – simply based on the symptoms my patients are experiencing. I am excited to have TruNAC™ in my medical tool kit to improve health and resilience.

To your improving health!
Elizabeth Lee Vliet, MD

All Truth for Health Foundation Formulas are Meet or Exceed Quality Standards set by FDA Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). For more information, references from studies are listed in the Product Data Sheet.

Under medical practice regulations, we are unable to answer individual medical questions or make specific individual supplement recommendations for people who are not established patients of Dr. Vliet’s independent medical practice.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.