Glutathione is an antioxidant your body makes on its own inside your liver and cells. It is often called the body's "master antioxidant" because it detoxifies harmful chemicals, protects cells from damage, and recycles other vitamins like C and E.

Because your body manufactures it, you don't usually develop a sudden, textbook "deficiency" unless you have a rare genetic disorder. Instead, what people typically experience is glutathione

depletion—where your body is using it up faster than it can regenerate it. This usually happens due to aging, chronic stress, poor diet, environmental toxins, or illness.

Signs Your Glutathione Levels May Be Low

Because glutathione is used by every cell in your body, a shortage doesn't have one single, specific symptom. Instead, it looks like a body under high oxidative stress (a state where cell damage outpaces cell repair).