Liposomal Glutathione vs NAC: Which Raises Glutathione More?

The only trial that put liposomal glutathione and NAC side by side against a placebo finished in 2012. Nobody has seen the results.¹

Stanford ran it on 78 adults for eight weeks, with government money. No paper and no posted data have come out since.

Across the other trials of liposomal glutathione vs NAC, neither one reliably raises glutathione in people whose levels are already normal. Both do better when levels start low. NAC costs about 19 cents a capsule and has the only health-outcome win of the two. Liposomal glutathione raised blood glutathione in a few small trials, mostly without a placebo.

Our full guide to liposomal glutathione covers what the research shows for the supplement on its own.

Liposomal glutathione vs NAC: side by side

Has anyone compared them directly?

Barely. Stanford tested ReadiSorb liposomal glutathione at 1,130 or 2,260 mg a day against NAC at 600 or 1,200 mg a day and a placebo, for eight weeks. It finished in July 2012 and never posted results.¹

The only published comparison is a 2015 crossover in 20 adults with metabolic syndrome. It tested NAC against plain oral and sublingual glutathione, not liposomal. Swallowed glutathione did worse than NAC on one oxidation measure. Two of the authors worked for the maker of the sublingual product.¹⁸

So any claim that one beats the other comes from separate trials, in different people, measured different ways.

What NAC does in people

NAC has far more trials than liposomal glutathione. The COPD analysis alone pooled 14. But on glutathione itself, NAC often fails to move the number.

A 2000 review found no sign that glutathione or cysteine improves immune function in healthy people, while people who are deficient, such as some with HIV, can respond strongly to NAC.¹⁹ So if you’re healthy, a higher glutathione number may not buy you anything.

What liposomal glutathione does in people

The best-known trial gave 12 adults aged 51 to 72 either 500 or 1,000 mg a day for a month, with no placebo. Blood glutathione rose up to 40% by week 2.⁴ In 18 adults with type 2 diabetes, a placebo-controlled trial found reduced glutathione rose in red cells only, not in plasma or immune cells.⁵

In the only head-to-head with plain glutathione, 300 mg of liposomal and 500 mg of plain raised blood glutathione about equally after one dose.²⁰ Our liposomal vs reduced vs S-acetyl glutathione comparison covers every form. And no trial of liposomal glutathione has measured a health outcome in healthy people. The full trial-by-trial breakdown is in our liposomal glutathione guide, and every claimed benefit is graded in our guide to liposomal glutathione benefits.

The pattern: both work best when you’re low

In the liposomal pilot, the people with the lowest starting glutathione gained the most.⁴ In the NAC trial, only the low group responded at all.⁶ In 114 healthy older adults, glycine plus NAC failed its main glutathione test, and only a low-glutathione subgroup rose.²¹

So if your glutathione is normal, your body may simply hold it there. Neither supplement has shown a way past that ceiling.

What about GlyNAC?

GlyNAC is glycine plus NAC, two building blocks that older adults tend to run short of.²² In a placebo-controlled trial of 24 older adults over 16 weeks, it corrected low glutathione and improved several markers, including gait speed and strength.²³ But a larger 2-week trial in 114 healthy older adults found no rise on its main measure.²¹ It is a promising combination for people who are low, and an unproven one for everyone else.

Cost, side effects and legal status

NOW Foods sells 250 capsules of 600 mg NAC for $47.99, about 19 cents a capsule.¹⁶ One serving of liposomal glutathione runs about $1.67 for Codeage capsules and $2.54 for ReadiSorb liquid.^14,24

Side effects are mild for both in trials. NAC most often causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.¹³ In the COPD trials, people on NAC had no more side effects than people on placebo.¹⁰ Oral glutathione trials report loose stools, gas and flushing in a few people.¹²

NAC is also a drug. Hospitals use it as the antidote for acetaminophen poisoning, and doctors use it to thin mucus.¹³ The FDA treats NAC as outside the legal definition of a supplement, but since August 2022 it has said it won’t act against NAC supplements that are otherwise lawful.¹⁷

Which should you take?

• For the cheapest way to give your body the raw material for glutathione, NAC costs about 19 cents a capsule.
• With COPD, NAC is the only one of the two with an outcome trial behind it. Ask your doctor before adding it.
• If you want glutathione itself in your blood, liposomal glutathione has small trials showing rises. Plain glutathione showed a 30 to 35% rise in a 6-month placebo trial.²⁵
• Normal levels? Expect little from either. That is the one result the trials agree on.
• In cancer treatment, in pregnancy, or on other medication, talk to your doctor before starting either.

If you settle on liposomal glutathione, see how to choose a liposomal glutathione. We scored ten brands on lab reports, phospholipid content, claims and price.

FAQ

Can you take NAC and liposomal glutathione together?

People do, but no published trial has tested the combination. The Stanford trial gave them in separate groups and never reported results.¹

Is NAC or liposomal glutathione better for the brain?

Neither has shown it. Oral NAC did not raise brain glutathione at 6,000 mg a day for 28 days.⁹ No study has measured brain glutathione after liposomal glutathione.

Is NAC better for the liver?

NAC is the hospital antidote for acetaminophen poisoning.¹³ That is an emergency use, and it says nothing about daily NAC for a healthy liver. In patients with hepatitis C, NAC did not raise glutathione.⁸

How much cheaper is NAC?

NAC costs about 32 cents a gram in NOW Foods’ 250-capsule bottle.¹⁶ Liposomal glutathione costs $1.67 to $27.22 a gram across the brands we scored, and the liquids also need phospholipids, oxygen protection and often refrigeration.^14,15,26

So which one wins?

NAC wins on cost and outcome data. Both raise blood glutathione mainly when it starts low, and no published trial has compared them head to head. Neither has shown it helps a person whose glutathione is already normal.

The one trial that could settle it has sat finished since 2012.

This article is for information and is not medical advice.

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