Immunocal or Immunotec for Diabetes ?? ( Glutathione and Cysteine for Diabetes )

[Jiro]

Hi everybody !!

I am writing this post because I would like to ask your opinion about the alimentary supplement called Immunocal ( or Immunotec in Europe )

For people don't know what is this, this is a supplement created in order to increase the cysteine and glutathione levels inside your cells. It exists ciencific evidence about this ( PUBMED info ) and is said when a person raises the glutathione levels, the chronic issues and illness usually gets better. It exists a lot of info about glutathione and cysteine on internet, different researches in fact; but I didn'f see any info about glutathione and diabetes

That is the reason why I want to ask you, have you ever used Immunocal ( or Glutathione Cysteine ) supplement for Diabetes ?? And what is your experience ?

Thank you very much for reading me and the answers !

 

[bulkbiker]

Looks remarkably like a pyramid selling scam to me..

Describing it as a "food supplement" means it needs zero medical testing whatsoever so far as I am aware.

 

[Oldvatr]

This article is in PubMed so appears legitimate, but I see the original study was published in PLOS which has been associsted with many dubious 'scientific' reports in the past. The cast of authors is many and varied, except that most of them appear to be administrators, and it is not clear who actually did the study or what institution was running it. It seems to be Baylor University Childrens Dept, and is mainly centered in Jamaica, Funding is declared and valid

Note that the sample size is small. They started with 120 possibles and then eliminated most of the for reasons that they do not fully explain.

I would not accept this study at face value, and it needs in depth peer review to make sure if it is sensible.

The internet is peppered to reprints of this research in ads, journals, press releases etc, so it is certainly popular. It is also fairly singular and seems to be on a pedestal on its own.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5991679/

I did find another study that seems to be associated but was done for T1D
https://professional.diabetes.org/a...athione-gsh-concentrations-adolescents-type-1
This one seems to be better controlled than the other but is looking at the problem from the other way round (i.e. does better diabetic control raise GSH levels? Study found that short term closed loop control with IV insulin did not raise the GSH levels.


Certainly it would appear from the name that Glutathione is involved with glucose metabolism. We have known for some time that diabetes and oxidative stress are connected, and that GSH is an antioxidant hormone.

 

[Oldvatr]

Looks remarkably like a pyramid selling scam to me..

Describing it as a "food supplement" means it needs zero medical testing whatsoever so far as I am aware.

Agree. Would explain the PLOS connection and the multi reprints of the one study they all seem to reference, Also apparently sold as Resveratrol, Immunotec is the name of an American vitamin mineral supplement maker

 

[Oldvatr]

Warning. The compound being sold as Immunocal etc must never be heated or undergo stress during preparation. Do NOT heat / microwave or Blend these products. Doing so unbounds the cysteine molecules and they are toxic and become free radicals in their own right. Not clear if the product has a shelf life, but the mixed liquid must be consumed within 12 hours of mixing.

The supplement is made using bovine milk so is not suitable for vegetarians. Provides about the same benefit as a pint of milk so waste of money for many of us milk drinkers here. Accepted as a treatment for AIDS patients and stage 4 cancer patients but as intravenous applications only

The benefit of the supplement is reduced by any high protein intake concurrent with it, so should be eaten on an empty stomach..