<< I will try this again...I am wondering about the connection between
glutathione and mercury toxicity. Can someone tell me if there is a
connection. We have begun a supplement due to overgrowth of yeast
and high citric levels, but I see glutathione mentioned now with
respect to toxicity. Thanks! >>

There are a number of connections and it is complicated.

Glutathione is your body's natural antioxidant and mercury is an oxidation
catalyst, so mercury uses up glutathione and leads to reduced levels.

Glutathione has a thiol group on it which mobilizes mercury and causes the
mercury to be more toxic, so increasing glutathione levels makes whatever
amount of mercury is present be MORE harmful.

Thus there is a tradeoff, and you want the RIGHT AMOUNT of glutathione for
your body's needs. Not just more and more - you don't want too much any more
than you want too little.

Some people's bodies respond to mercury by making more thiol containing
things like glutathione and cysteine. For these people they need to REDUCE
their intake of everything sulfury to keep levels down.

Other people's bodies respond to mercury by having low levels of glutathione
etc. and they need to INCREASE their intake of sulfury stuff.

Mercury is excreted from the liver in bile while bound to glutathione. Since
liver glutathione levels are tightly regulated this is not strongly
influenced by eating more sulfury stuff - but the extent to which the
existing mercury can be mobilized and made more toxic IS strongly influenced
by how much sulfury stuff you eat.

Yeast is nourished by glutathione and other sulfury stuff. Sulfur food
restriction reduces yeast levels.

High citrate may be due to many things. Was anything else like pyruvate,
aconitate, etc. high? One thing that is often helpful is B complex 3 or 4
times a day. Iron supplements are often also helpful.

Andy Cutler

PS iron supplements in the grocery store usually have a ton of red #40 in
them as well as lots of hydrogenated fats. Read the labels. Also, iron is
constipating for some people.