N-Acetyl Cysteine
( NAC )

The compound called N-acetyl cysteine or NAC is derived from the acetylation of the amino acid cysteine; this compound is synthesized in the human body - the amino acid is also sourced from proteinaceous foods consumed in the diet. One principal role played by NAC is the chemical break down or degradation of mucus inside the body. The consumption of NAC supplements has been found to result in improved physical symptoms during double blind trials conducted on people affected by bronchitis and related respiratory illnesses.

Inside the body, NAC also helps in the synthesis of the important antioxidant compound known as glutathione - thus, it can be said to have a distinct role as an antioxidant. Indeed, the antioxidant action of NAC in the body of all animals protects the liver from several toxic chemicals that find their way there as part of the detoxification process in the body. The toxic effects of the compound acetaminophen are also blunted by NAC. In fact, high doses of NAC are employed in hospitals for this specific reason.

Sources of NAC

NAC cannot be found in foods as it is a derived compound. However, the amino acid cysteine, from the biochemical conversion of which NAC is ultimately derived is sourced from foods that are protein rich.

Deficiencies and susceptibility

There are no deficiencies associated with the compound NAC in the human body, and are believed to be nonexistent as it is a derived compound and deficiencies will only be connected to the scarcity of the base amino acid cysteine from which it is synthesized in the body. In HIV positive patients, levels of the amino acid cysteine are often at such levels that one can consider them to be deficient in this amino acid.

Usual dosage

Supplements of NAC are not required by all healthy individuals of any age group. The supplemental level of NAC that can be considered to be optimal remains unknown, though doses of about two hundred fifty to one thousand five hundred mg a day are often used in the course of clinical research.

Side effects and cautions

Certain side effects have been known to be associated with the use of oral NAC supplements, in a particular clinical trial subjects have suffered from persistent nausea, vomiting, as well as headache, a dry mouth, spells of dizziness, as well as intense pain in the abdominal region. In this clinical trial, these physical symptoms affected approximately nineteen per cent of all the subjects. The appearance of these physical symptoms may be peculiar to that one study as such side effects have not been observed by many other researchers on a consistent basis.

The destructive capacity of NAC was also noticed in a small study where it was found that consuming about 1.2 grams or more of NAC per day could lead to oxidative damage of the cells. Moreover, even the base amino acid cysteine, from which NAC is derived, was found to have toxic effects on the nerve cells of rats - when it was administered to the test animals in extremely large doses.

The excretion of the essential mineral zinc in urine also seems to be enhanced by NAC, as regular doses of this compound are always linked to zinc loss from the body. For this reason, when a long period of NAC is contemplated, it should invariably be done alongside the consumption of large quantities of supplemental zinc and copper. This will prevent the loss of essential minerals from the body.