N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)

I'm unsure of NAC. I took it for four days. For the first two days I noticed good effects. The next two I noticed not so good effects. So I stopped taking it. Then I tried it for one day five days later. And for another day four days after that. I had a somewhat good effect that time, then I found this study:

Impact of N-Acetylcysteine on cerebral amyloid-β plaques and kidney damage in spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats

So I've taken NAC for six days and I'm not sure I want to continue. It seems somewhat beneficial, at the same time it seems harmful.

 

It seems from this new study that taking NAC and Glycine together is more beneficial than taking NAC alone.

GlyNAC improves multiple defects in aging to boost strength and cognition in older humans

Published in the journal Clinical and Translational Medicine, the results of this study show that older humans taking GlyNAC for 24 weeks saw improvements in many characteristic defects of aging, including glutathione deficiency, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, body fat, genomic toxicity, muscle strength, gait speed, exercise capacity and cognitive function. The benefits declined after stopping supplementation for 12 weeks. GlyNAC supplementation was well tolerated during the study period.

 

About GlyNAC:

Baylor College of Medicine holds a patent on GlyNAC, which has been licensed to Nestlé Health Science. GlyNAC is marketed in the United States by Nestlé Health Science under the name CelltrientTM Cellular Protect. Nestlé has not provided any funding or financial support for this research work.

Celltrient Protect Capsules, 56 Count

 

Does that mean it accelerates the plaque in our brain? I'm taking NAC and this is scary because I'm not getting enough sleep as it is and sleep is the best way to get rid of brain waste/plaque. I might have a lot of toxins in my brain I need to get rid of.

 

Oh no. Anyone but Nestlé. Do they really have to own seemingly everything? They're a bad company and everyone should avoid their products as much as they can. A quick Google search returns this article.

 

Well the study was in stroke prone rats, and probably at considerable doses. I just don't want to take too much of it as it just seems like a wild card. To play it safe I might take one pill a week, I know that sounds extreme but it's just unknown what's really going on in humans with this. I'm sure it may be fine at reasonable doses every once in a blue moon.

Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than me can chime in.

 

I take 1000mg twice a day. I've yet to turn yellow, but I wonder if I'm in danger.

 

You can google almost any supplement, food, beverage, drug, or product study where enough of it is given to rats in a lab and it results in rat cancer.

 

NAC is a form of cysteine, which is a natural occuring amino acid. It's not an "essential" amino acid, which means the body can produce it, along with getting it in the food we eat. I think it's important to realize that most supplements like amino acids, minerals, vitamins, herbs, etc. are not in the same risk category as most prescription drugs. They're simply much safer, and in most cases, completely benign.

 

I'm not sure I understand the value of this patent for Nestlé.

In particular, why would I not have the same benefit from purchasing NAC and Glycine seperately, and mixing the same cocktail that Nestlé sells under the GlyNAC brand?

 

@FGG might know more about how this works, but am I wrong thinking that taking two substances separately doesn't always work the same way as pharmaceutically combined mix of two substances.

 

Things can have synergistic effects for sure.

E.g. treating cough with Hydrocodone and Homatropine together.

But they don't have to be physically mixed together usually. Seems like it's more of a convenience thing usually.

 

I just bought some Glycine which I will stack with my NAC. I don't see any advantage of using GlyNAC when it is essentially the same thing.

What's confusing is Celltrient Protect contains neither, so I'm not sure what marketed under the name means.

 

Thanks for replying

This may very well be true, nonetheless I can't imagine a reason why this should be so.

That was my conjecture too. From a business point of view, it makes perfect sense for Nestlé to block other companies to imitate their product, even if it's trivially easy for the customers to do what commercial entities can't.

That's what I did too. I already noticed some potentially good effects of NAC, now I'm waiting for the Glycine delivery.

I'm not sure what you mean, contains neither? The ingredients listed are "Glycine, N‐Acetyl Cysteine"?

 

Did your spike ever go away? I took NAC in combo with a multivitamin and I felt like my tinnitus got louder after (and I felt weird)... I don't think the issue was caused by the multivitamin because I've been taking that for a long time without any tinnitus spikes.

Thanks.

 

I took some today and am having a spike, but I'm not sure if it was really caused by the NAC or just that I was due for a spike. At any rate, it didn't offer any immediate help.

Does anyone know how long you have to take it before it starts to work? I'm probably being impatient.

 

I take 500 mg of NAC a day. Hopefully it doesn't plaque my brain up. I've been taking it to try and prevent tinnitus getting worse. It doesn't seem to have worked as mine just keeps getting worse.

 

Thanks for the update. I stopped taking NAC after a few days. I wasn't sure if it was helping or making things spike for me. I don't think it had anything to do with the spike though, it was probably my reaction to loud noise.

I quit supplements for the time being and eat a lot more fruits, veggies/greens, tea antioxidants. I also eat tons of garlic, which acts on body like NAC (with respect to glutio-something, I don't remember what it is called), if I understand correctly. Plus all the other benefits of garlic! I actually found out I get the RDA for Magnesium without supplements because I eat a ton of black beans everyday. So quit that too. I am paranoid about supplements because they are not regulated! But all the ones I take have passed purity tests, although I could not find data on the NAC supplement I used (it did get a sulfurous smell after a day, so I assume it was legit).

 

I agree. A supplement may work well for one thing, but who really know what else it's doing. You change one thing which may improve, but who knows what else the supplement is changing "behind the scenes" systemically speaking.

Thanks for the garlic tip! I already use a ton of it, but don't have any qualms about using more.

 

On below link there is more info on garlic. It can increase the concentration of Glutathione, which is I believe what NAC does.

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/garlic

You may know this, but the key thing with garlic is to "press then rest" it if you plan on cooking it -- it needs 10 minutes after pressing or chopping to form Allicin, which is the good stuff! Then it's fine to cook. If you eat it raw it's fine to eat it right after pressing or chopping.

There was a PBS documentary on supplements that scared me. I will still take supplements that've been 3rd party tested and passed purity tests, but I am preferring to get everything I need via my diet, and it is making me eat a lot healthier which is a huge plus. Awareness of my tinnitus has also gone down -- coincidence? Who knows!

Good luck and thanks for your input on NAC.

 

So now I have an excuse to eat garlic bread. Nice.

 

Does NAC help with reactiveness/distortions/dysacusis?

 

Amazon is pulling NAC.

Amazon confirms plans on removing NAC supplements

Amazon confirmed this week it’s in the process of removing from its website dietary supplements containing NAC (N-acetyl-L-cysteine).

FDA last year asserted in warning letters that NAC couldn’t be lawfully marketed in dietary supplements because it was first studied as a drug in 1963. The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) made legal arguments challenging the agency’s position in a 2020 letter to FDA.​

 

Not at the dose I've been taking (~1800 mg/day, I weigh ~145 lbs), and I experience reactive tinnitus. As I understand it, the value of NAC for people with tinnitus is to reduce potential oxidative stress-related damage to hair cells due to loud sounds. I'm not sure that it does much for tinnitus that has been around for a while.

 

Yep. Take it when you know you are going to be around loud sound. You can also try taking daily, like I do, but who knows if it's really necessary.

 

Anyone actually report garlic helping like NAC?

 

The FDA really banned NAC because a couple of companies said it was a "hangover cure"? What about everyone else who was using it for other legitimate reasons?

 

I was taking NAC because of its benefits but the lung cancer study that was published in the recent years made me stop. Tinnitus is no fun but it is still better than lung cancer.

About Garlic, be careful to not overdo it, it is a strong irritant to the stomach and causes acid reflux. Over time the irritations and damages to the bowel lining is a factor promoting bowel cancer.

 

Some had heard it was effective in preventing COVID-19...

 

I hope every one of these corrupt, demonic scum in the FDA who did this burn in hell.

They are in the business of making sure you're not healthy, that's it. May they all rot.