Randomized Clinical Trial of How Long-Term Glutathione Supplementation Offers Protection from Oxidative Damage and Improves HbA1c in Elderly Type 2 Diabetic Patients

This randomized clinical trial investigated the effects of long-term oral glutathione supplementation on oxidative stress and glycemic control in 125 patients with type 2 diabetes, divided into a supplemented group (500 mg of oral glutathione daily) and a control group, with 6 months of follow-up.

The results demonstrated multiple benefits of supplementation:

• Significant increase in blood GSH levels in the treated group compared to control
• Reduction of oxidative DNA damage, assessed by the comet assay, indicating genomic protection
• Decrease in lipid peroxidation markers, suggesting protection of cell membranes against oxidative stress
• Improvement in endogenous antioxidant enzyme levels, including superoxide dismutase and catalase

A particularly relevant finding for clinical practice was that patients over 55 years old showed a significant reduction in HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) — the main long-term glycemic control marker in diabetes. This result suggests that glutathione may have beneficial effects on glucose metabolism, possibly mediated by the reduction of oxidative stress in pancreatic beta cells and by improved insulin sensitivity.

The authors concluded that oral glutathione supplementation is a promising adjuvant strategy for elderly diabetic patients, offering systemic antioxidant protection with potential metabolic control benefits, especially in individuals with greater vulnerability to age-related oxidative stress.