February 28, 2019 8 min read

In this article

    If someone asked you if you wanted to have eternally youthful skin, an elephant-like memory, and a lifetime of energy, would anyone answer “no” - I doubt it! The real question here is ”how” and is it even possible? If you want to embrace your sixties with the health you had in your twenties (minus some of the bad habits perhaps), Pythagoras would argue you could do so by adopting a vegan diet. Not convinced? Keep reading.

    Although no one really knows if Pythagoras had glowing skin or not (let’s assume that wasn’t his main concern) everyone can acknowledge that he has a formidable memory and good health to be able to innovate mathematics with formulas still used today. If Pythagoras simply doesn’t resonate with you, let’s consider the beautiful actress Michelle Pfeiffer as an example of how a vegan diet can contribute togracefully aging skin as you age. In fact, the talented actress never shied from mentioning that the key to looking and feeling great in her 60s is the fact that she maintains a vegan diet.

    Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, and Beyoncé are just a few of the people we see images of on a daily basis who swear by a vegan diet as a strategy to maintain a glowing complexion andoptimal energy as they age in the midst of busy and demanding careers in the public eye.

    Glowing Complexion

    One of the major contributors to glowing skin that is embedded in a vegan diet is Vitamin C, which normally exists in fresh fruits and vegetables that vegans eat plenty of. However, supplementing with Vitamin C can no doubt enhance the skin benefits of a vegan diet and further maximize additional health benefits attributed to this super vitamin that unfortunately, humans cannot produce naturally.

    So, we’ve discussed the glamorous side of a vegan diet and how Vitamin C can help increase graceful aging skin benefits, but what about keeping our mind sharp? Enter Glutathione, a plant-based, Vegan-friendly masterantioxidant that can enhance mood, memory, focus, and concentration when taken consistently.

    Why should vegans supplement with Vitamin C and Glutathione?

    Since a diet based exclusively on foods from plant sources may increase the risk of certain nutrient deficiencies, vegans should be conscious about what their diets are lacking and always make sure to provide the suitable alternative throughsupplements.

    It’s uncommon for a vegan to suffer from Vitamin C deficiency as the diet is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables which most Vegans eat plenty of. However, unlocking the health benefits of Vitamin C often requires higher doses of this nutrient in a form that is more bioavailable than what we can get out of whole foods and traditional Vitamin C tablets, powders, or capsules, which largely go unabsorbed by the body.

    Liposomal Encapsulation Technology

    Let’s think of this as if you had 50k to invest in a small property or home. You might be able to afford something basic for this amount but if you had say 500K then you’d be opting for something more luxurious and obtain more benefits from your investment as well. Similarly, if you invest in a high bioavailability form of Vitamin C (don’t worry it won’t cost you 500K!) you’re going to start feeling and seeing many more benefits than if you get something that doesn’t actively target the cells in your body that need it most.

    By contrast to Vitamin C, it’s more common for a vegan not to have a sufficient amount ofGlutathione in their blood levels due to low protein quality and less intake from dietary sources. (1). For this reason, it's common for Vegans to supplement with glutathione, which is more of a necessity than a choice.

    Glutathione is quite simply the body’s master antioxidant and required in the detoxification for every cell in the human body. Anytime we’re sick in any way, our glutathione levels will be lowered.

    Health benefits of Vitamin C and Glutathione

    Vitamin C is an ideal plant-based anti-aging supplement for the skin

    It works so by implementing triple action on the skin, namely protecting the skin fromUV damage, preventing dryness, and reducing the formulation of wrinkles as we age. Let’s explore each of these mechanisms further. It is well known that the skin is the first place where visible signs of aging appear, which makes sense considering the skin is the largest organ in the body and most prone to external insults.

    What do we mean when we say “insults”? This simply means that any agents that are capable of inducing a high oxidation state in our bodies. The list of insults is a long one but we can mention UV radiation, exposure to chemicals and pollutants as just a few.

    It is well established that UV radiation is probably the most acute inducer of the aging process of the skin, which induces an oxidation state and inflammatory reaction. Oral supplementation of Vitamin C can certainly protect the skin from these mechanisms by acting as a robustanti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent (2).

    Liposomal Vitamin C

    However, dose matters! In many studies, a daily dose of 500mg of Vitamin C wasn’t found to affect the damage caused by UV (3). Whereas, a high dose of Vitamin C more than 1000mg demonstrated to exert effective anti aging effect (4). This result is closely related to Linus Pauling’s advocacy of megadosing Vitamin C over 30 years ago which has indeed proven beneficial in medical sciences today (5).

    The bottom line is that Vitamin C acts to protect from skin from damage and manages the photo-aging process. This means it would be wise to include a trusted daily supplement of Vitamin C in a high bioavailable formula to prevent rather than to treat photoaged skin.

    Another conclusion is that Vitamin C is found to be of little effectiveness in topical form (popular creams and serums) on people that are already healthy. Our advice is to invest in a cost-effective Vitamin C supplement, like Amandean’s high bioavailability Liposomal Vitamin C rather pay for a more expensive yet less effective topical Vitamin C cream or serum that may eventually provide zero effect on the skin (6).

    The other mechanism by which vitamin C was found to fight aging of the skin is by preventing the dryness of the skin or helping to provide hydration

    The mechanism behind this effect is quite unique as it isn’t due to Vitamin C antioxidant activity which is most known for, but, rather the Vitamin C acts as an inducer for the proliferation of keratinocytes to form the stratum corneum layer responsible for retaining the water content of the skin and preventing water loss (7).

    Vitamin C is also known to help prevent the formation of wrinkles and plays a large role in collagen synthesis. Furthermore, wrinkles are more extensively linked to the loss of collagen in the dermal and epidermal layers of the skin as we age (8). In fact, maximizing this specific effect can be achieved by supplementing a high bioavailable Vitamin C with a premium collagen protein supplement. If you’re still curious about the benefits of Vitamin C and the role it plays in the human body, you can read more here.

    Liposomal Glutathione

    Glutathione is yourmust-have-supplement for optimal mental health as a vegan

    If you think twice before supplementing with Glutathione - don’t! Glutathione is one of the most effectiveantioxidants for the brain, as well as a critical contributor to the oxidative homeostatic state in the brain by scavenging reactive oxygen species. Glutathione is also the most abundant sulfur-containing tripeptide; which are γ-Glutamate–Cysteine–Glycine, in brain tissue (10).

    Think about Glutathione as a hard-working soldier for the brain; which can also help manage your mood, every time an intruder or depressive mindset starts pestering your brain, the soldier hurries up to fight it off and reduce any damage caused. If you are concerned about low mood or depression, you should be aware that oxidative stress is one of the pathways by which depressive moods affect the brain and that these periods are also accompanied by lower antioxidant enzyme activity of Glutathione.

    In other words, depressive moods caused the stocks of Glutathione to deplete and supplementing antioxidants that mimic Glutathione activity have been shown to exhibit antidepressive effects (11). Apart from depressive moods, effective antioxidants improve your learning and memory capacity. So if you are interested in fine-tuning your memory, you should certainly add a trusted Glutathione supplement to your routine.

    Reduced Liposomal Glutathione

    It’s accepted in medical sciences that Glutathione depletion is associated with a decline in cognitive function, which is due to the fact that oxidative load can disrupt synaptic plasticity; the cellular model adopted for learning and memory (12).

    Thus, one of the key things you can do for your mental health as a vegan is to supplement with a high bioavailable Glutathione, it is closely related to enhancing mood and fortifying memory capacity.

    Optimum antioxidant supplement equals perfect energy level

    Antioxidants bring benefits to every cell of our bodies, leaving us energetic for performing our daily tasks and generally feeling more motivated.

    Discover the Superhuman in you!

    Take our quiz and find which supplements your body is craving.

    How to choose the most effective Vitamin C and Glutathione supplements?

    The not-so-secret key to supplement effectiveness is bioavailability. In other words, how much of the nutrient you’re taking can action the cells that need it most? For Vitamin C and Glutathione, a liposomal formula is your best bet, allowing for up to 6x the absorbency of traditional formulas. This cutting edge technology is known as liposomal encapsulation technology (LET).

    How does it work? Well, a microscopic lipid or liposome is composed of two parts; a water-soluble part that attaches to water-soluble such as Vitamin C or Glutathione, and a fat-soluble part that allows for greater compatibility with the cellular membrane. This arrangement protects the encapsulated antioxidant from being destroyed by intestinal or hepatic enzymes and allows its delivery intact into the bloodstream and to the cells that need it most.

    The conclusion is quite simple. If you are on a vegan diet and want to maximize the benefits from this lifestyle while keeping your health optimal, a liposomal Vitamin C and liposomal Glutathione should be among your choices.

    When shopping for Vegan-friendly and plant-based products, Consider Amandean's Premium Reduced Liposomal Glutathioneand Liposomal Vitamin C. These high bioavailability formulas are non-GMO, soy-free, sugar-free, vegan- friendly, gluten-free and are manufactured at a cGMP certified facility in the US. You’ll get great value and customer service from the Amandean brand.

    Article References:

    1. Krajčovičová-Kudláčková M, šimončič R, Béderová A, Brtková A, Magálová T, Barteková S: Alternative nutrition and glutathione levels. čas Lék česk 1999;138:528–531.
    2. Fuchs, J., & Kern, H. (1998). Modulation of UV-light-induced skin inflammation by d-alpha-tocopherol and l-ascorbic acid: a clinical study using solar simulated radiation. Free Radical Biology And Medicine, 25(9), 1006-1012. doi: 10.1016/s0891-5849(98)00132-4
    3. McArdle, F., Rhodes, L., Parslew, R., Jack, C., Friedmann, P., & Jackson, M. (2002). UVR-induced oxidative stress in human skin in vivo: effects of oral vitamin C supplementation.Free Radical Biology And Medicine, 33(10), 1355-1362. doi: 10.1016/s0891-5849(02)01042-0
    4. Kim, S., Lim, S., Yoo, J., Woo, M., & Cho, K. (2015). Consumption of high-dose vitamin C (1250 mg per day) enhances functional and structural properties of serum lipoprotein to improve anti-oxidant, anti-atherosclerotic, and anti-aging effects via regulation of anti-inflammatory microRNA. Food & Function, 6(11), 3604-3612. doi: 10.1039/c5fo00738k
    5. Pauling, L. (1970). Evolution and the Need for Ascorbic Acid. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences, 67(4), 1643-1648. doi: 10.1073/pnas.67.4.1643
    6. Marini, A. (2011). Beauty from the inside. Does it really work?. Der Hautarzt, 62(8), 614-617. doi: 10.1007/s00105-011-2138-5
    7. Savini, I., Rossi, A., Duranti, G., Avigliano, L., Catani, M., & Melino, G. (2002). Characterization of Keratinocyte Differentiation Induced by Ascorbic Acid: Protein Kinase C Involvement and Vitamin C Homeostasis11.The authors declared not to have a conflict of interest. Journal Of Investigative Dermatology, 118(2), 372-379. doi: 10.1046/j.0022-202x.2001.01624.x
    8. CRAVEN, N., WATSON, R., JONES, C., SHUTTLEWORTH, C., KIELTY, C., & GRIFFITHS, C. (1997). Clinical features of photodamaged human skin are associated with a reduction in collagen VII.British Journal Of Dermatology, 137(3), 344-350. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2133.1997.18471955.x
    9. The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health. (2017). Nutrients, 9(8), 866. doi: 10.3390/nu9080866
    10. Cruz-Aguado, R., Almaguer-Melian, W., Dı́az, C., Lorigados, L., & Bergado, J. (2001). Behavioral and biochemical effects of glutathione depletion in the rat brain.Brain Research Bulletin, 55(3), 327-333. doi: 10.1016/s0361-9230(01)00484-1
    11. Maes, M., Galecki, P., Chang, Y., & Berk, M. (2011). A review on the oxidative and nitrosative stress (O&NS) pathways in major depression and their possible contribution to the (neuro)degenerative processes in that illness. Progress In Neuro-Psychopharmacology And Biological Psychiatry, 35(3), 676-692. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.05.004
    12. J. Dominguez, L., & Barbagallo, M. (2016). Dietary Approaches and Supplements in the Prevention of Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer';s Disease.Current Pharmaceutical Design,22(6), 688-700. doi: 10.2174/1381612822666151204000733



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