Glutathione is an antioxidant your cells make from three amino acids. Human trials of supplemental glutathione are small and mixed, and injected glutathione has not been shown to benefit healthy adults. Compounded glutathione is not FDA-approved.
Glutathione is a small molecule your cells make every day from three amino acids, and it is one of the body's main defenses against oxidative damage. Because it matters so much inside cells, it is sold as a supplement, an IV drip and an injection. The research on taking extra glutathione is limited: oral trials disagree, the few injection and IV trials are small, and no trial has shown that injected glutathione improves health in healthy adults. Compounded glutathione injections are not FDA-approved.
A 2009 review by Forman and colleagues in Molecular Aspects of Medicine describes glutathione as a tripeptide (a chain of three amino acids) and "the most important low molecular weight antioxidant synthesized in cells." Cells build it by adding cysteine to glutamate and then adding glycine. The sulfur-containing part of cysteine does the chemical work: it allows glutathione to neutralize peroxides and to attach to many foreign compounds so they can be removed. The same review notes that glutathione also takes part in regulating the cell cycle.
The key point is that glutathione is made inside the cells that use it. For a supplement or injection to matter, it has to change glutathione where it works, and that is exactly what the trials below tried to measure.
The two best-known controlled trials of oral glutathione point in different directions.
Taken together, these studies suggest oral glutathione may raise blood levels with longer use, but neither showed a change in how participants felt or in disease outcomes. Results are averages, and individual results vary.
Injected and intravenous glutathione have been studied far less than oral forms. The clearest controlled example is a 2009 pilot trial by Hauser and colleagues in Movement Disorders. Twenty-one people with Parkinson's disease were randomly assigned to IV glutathione or placebo several times a week for four weeks. Glutathione was well tolerated, with no withdrawals due to side effects and similar adverse events in both groups. However, there were no significant differences between groups on the main Parkinson's rating scale. The authors said a mild symptomatic effect was possible but would need a larger study to confirm.
That trial involved a specific disease and a clinic setting. In preparing this article we did not find controlled trials testing at-home glutathione injections in healthy adults for energy, aging, immunity or general wellness. Without those trials, claims in those areas are hypotheses, not findings.
According to the 2019 review below, glutathione is commonly used to lighten skin color in parts of Asia, so it is worth looking at what reviewers have concluded.
If skin tone is your goal, a licensed provider or dermatology clinician can discuss options with stronger evidence.
Glutathione injections, including the glutathione available through NewDay Wellness, are compounded by licensed pharmacies. The FDA states that compounded drugs are not FDA-approved and that the agency does not review their safety, effectiveness or quality before they are marketed. The FDA also explains that poor-quality compounding, such as contamination, can cause serious harm, which is one reason to use a licensed US pharmacy and a prescriber who reviews your history. Dosing and frequency are set by your prescriber.
No. Glutathione is an antioxidant tripeptide that helps neutralize peroxides and remove foreign compounds, while NAD+ is a coenzyme central to energy metabolism. They are different molecules with different research histories. You can read more in our guide NAD+ explained.
The two main controlled trials disagree. A four-week trial found no change in glutathione status, while a six-month trial found higher blood levels that fell back after stopping. Whether those changes produce a health benefit was not shown.
No. Compounded glutathione injections are not FDA-approved, and the FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they are sold.
Systematic reviews describe the evidence as inconclusive, with low-quality studies and mixed results. A 2024 review recommended against IV glutathione for skin lightening. A licensed provider can discuss options with stronger evidence for your skin goals.
A licensed provider can review your health history and goals, explain what glutathione research does and does not show, and help you decide whether a compounded product makes sense for you. If you have signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face or trouble breathing, call 911. This article is educational and does not determine eligibility for any treatment.
Written by the NewDay Wellness editorial team from the sources above and checked against them before publication, and medically reviewed by Dr. Sean Arora and Dr. Shannon Arora of Arora Health & Aesthetics; see our editorial standards. This article is educational and does not diagnose conditions, establish eligibility for any medication, or replace care from a licensed provider. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved.
In published studies, the most commonly reported sermorelin side effects were brief facial flushing and pain at the injection site. Long-term safety data in adults are limited, and related drugs carry warnings about blood sugar, fluid retention and active cancer.
Read articleSermorelin is a lab-made copy of the first 29 amino acids of growth hormone-releasing hormone. It signals the pituitary to release its own growth hormone rather than supplying the hormone directly. The US brand was discontinued, and compounded sermorelin is not FDA-approved.
Read article
Peptides are short chains of amino acids. A few are FDA-approved drugs, but many prescribed peptides are compounded, which means they are not FDA-approved. FDA rules decide which peptide ingredients pharmacies may use, and those rules shifted between 2023 and 2026.
Read article