A  medical expert, Dr
Abraham Osinubi, says that chronic diseases tend to manifest more in people above 60 years because they had less Glutathione to prevent damage to body cells.
Glutathione (GSH), an important antioxidant in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacteria is capable of preventing damage to important cellular components caused by reactive oxygen species such as free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides and heavy metals.
Osinubi, said the situation caused by 90 per cent of chronic diseases were attributable to the body’s inability to replicate this essential molecule when one is above 60 years.
Speaking in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the maiden scientific conference of Max International, a drug company, held at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Idi Araba, Osinubi said “Glutathione is a very important molecule in the body; everybody needs it and every cell in our body needs it. The challenge to our body is how we get this essential component.
“The molecule gets inside human cells at about the age of 20 or there about, but everyone’s glutathione goes down by 60 years of age.
“The important molecule depreciates fast as we grow older and everybody is not having enough glutathione; by 60 years it’s about half of what the person had when about 20 years.
“So, we are not surprised that as we grow older, most especially above 45 years, the rate of chronic diseases is also on the increase and many can lead to death,’’ he said.
Osinubi, a lecturer at the university, contended that low-level of glutathione in the body could be a gateway to serious infections and many known terminal illness often associated with old age.
“Glutathione is a small protein molecule composed of cycteine, glutamate and glycine called “GSH’’ which could be likened to blocks in the body against free radicals.
“According to many published researches, low glutathione in the body accounted for negative imbalance as seen in Cancer, HIV/AIDS, and low immune system trauma and athletes overtraining”, he said.
“Increased aging is also a result of low glutathione in the body including Alzheimer disease, Parkinson others such as Kidney disease, diabetes, Liver problem and Arthritis.
“The depletion of glutathione in the body is, however, as a result of poor diets, pollution, toxins, medications, radiations, infections and the rest,’’ he said.
Osinubi, who is also a Researcher Fellow of American College of Endocrinology, said the right amount of glutathione in the body could help to ward off chronic diseases that in the past had defied medications.
“The presence of the required level of glutathione is an assurance of the body producing good antioxidants and also a detoxifier, boosting the body’s immune system and repair of bad cells.
“What we are saying now is that we should try as much as possible to find a way of increasing our body glutathione to ward off these chronic diseases.
“So, how do we raise the level of gluthaione in the body? The solution came from Prof. Herbert Nagasawa from Centre for Drug Design (CDD) after a research for about 25 years,’’ he said.
The expert added that the formula for the replacement of the lost glutathione in the body was through a formulation of a drug called RiboCeine, which would be digested through simple sugar.
“Ribose is combined with Cysteine to create RiboCeine. This formular is like a bricklayer by the seaside wanting to make blocks.’’
“He has abundant water and sand but he needs cement and once he gets cement he can make as much bricks as he wants,’’ he said.
The human body, he noted, had two of the three important molecules it needs, so, what he did was to introduce that third component needed by the body to prevent the destruction of the glutathione.
“Once it is introduced to the body through RiboCeine, the body can make as much glutathione,’’ he said. (NAN)