Lots of chatter has been going on about so-called Superfoods these days, such as spinach being packed with nutrition, when vegetables like swiss chard have far more nutrients ounce-for-ounce. Similarly, there is chatter about what is or is not a Superfood, like whey protein, since it is considered a supplement rather than a whole food. However, according to Dr. Mercola—whom has written on the “Top 7 Foods That Slow Your Aging” it is whey protein that is the exception and should be added to the list. Why? Although there are a number of reasons, amino acids plus glutathione are .

Glutathione is an antioxidant produced from other amino acids. Additionally, increasing glutathione levels through food containing those amino acids brings a host of health benefits. Whey protein is one way to do this.

Anti-aging health benefits of glutathione & amino acids from whey protein

Dr. Mercola says that whey can “increase your body’s stores of the antioxidant glutathione, or GSH.” Additionally, telomeres in your DNA are in every cell in your body, and they get shorter with age; glutathione increases the integrity of telomeres since free radicals (that cause DNA mutations) tend to damage them.

Glutathione keeps us healthy. GSH levels tend to drop in people who have oxidative stress-related health issues, such as diseases like AIDS or cancer. Patients get sicker after glutathione levels drop. Eating whey can help keep your glutathione levels up.

Glutathione supplements are NOT recommended, but precursors instead

You cannot ingest glutathione directly, however, for it is actually made inside your cells from the amino acid precursors: glycine, cystine, and glutamate. So no need to take glutathione supplements… just eat foods—like whey protein—that can help your body manufacture the antioxidant glutathione you need to fight the aging process and keep your telomeres intact.

Dr. Mercola states that biologists are now saying that lengthening telomeres actually may REVERSE aging, and a flurry of excitement is spinning around this concept in medical and research circles on antiaging methods.

Mercola states that the “best way to increase and maintain your GSH (glutathione) levels is to make sure your diet includes foods (such as animal foods and eggs) rich in the sulfur amino acids your cells need to synthesize glutathione. Whey protein is the easiest and most convenient way to do this.”

Just be sure, Mercola warns, that the whey protein you consume is not just any variety, because it needs to be “high quality and very carefully processed from grass fed organic cows to preserve the fragile amino acid precursors.”

It comes down to the quality of food that we are putting into our bodies, and ensuring that we take care of ourselves daily, in order to help reverse the aging process.