N-Acetyl Cysteine For Protection Against Swine Flu

So far, the southern hemisphere has not had anywhere near the levels of swine flu that have affected North America and Europe. But North America and Europe are approaching summer, while the southern hemisphere approaches winter. Because there is no vaccine in place yet and because flu is spread more easily in winter due to people being in more confined conditions, the disease could have a devastating effect there. It will probably be the end of the southern hemisphere flu season before a swine flu vaccine is developed. One of the greatest fears is that swine flu could collide with regular seasonal flu and produce a strain that is even more dangerous, according to the Pan American health Organization in Washington.

Over 1,000 confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu virus, as it is formally known, have been recorded worldwide. Countries with confirmed cases include Mexico, the U.S., Canada, Spain, Britain, Germany, New Zealand, Israel, Italy, France, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ireland, Switzerland, South Korea, Austria, Hong Kong, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Some experts believe that the actual number of cases may be 10 times the officially confirmed cases due to a lag time in laboratory confirmation of flu strains.

Standard precautions to prevent the spread of the virus include avoiding crowded, confined spaces, washing hands regularly, covering sneezes with a tissue, and keeping sick people out of public spaces. A nutritional supplement called N-Acetyl Cysteine has been shown to prevent influenza or lessen its severity. In adults, the recommended amount is 1200 mg two times per day, or 600 mg two times per day in children older than 12. Taking more than recommended is not advised. Oral forms of N-Acetyl Cysteine are available over the counter in many countries and can be ordered online from health food and nutritional supplement providers.

In the human body, N-Acetyl Cysteine, the acetylated form of a substance called L-Cysteine, helps in the manufacture of glutathione, which as a natural antioxidant with detoxification properties. N-Acetyl Cysteine is believed to boost cellular levels of glutathione, which is a substance that is known to assist transport of nutrients to immune cells called lymphocytes and phagocytes. It is also known to have a protective effect on cell membranes.

N-Acetyl Cysteine breaks up mucoproteins in mucus in the lungs by breaking disulfide bonds that hold the mucoprotein chains together. This has the result of thinning mucus. The National Academy of Sciences has studied N-Acetyl Cysteine in treatment of cystic fibrosis. Results are inconclusive, but it is believed that in less severe manifestations of CF, N-Acetyl Cysteine may be beneficial in breaking up mucus.

The European Respiratory Journal reported in 1997 that in a study of 262 elderly people, N-Acetyl Cysteine decreased influenza symptoms. Only 25% of virus-infected patients who had treatment with N-Acetyl Cysteine reported influenza symptoms, while 79% in the placebo group developed symptoms. The report says that the treatment was well tolerated and cut down on frequency, severity, and length of influenza symptoms in these elderly subjects. It is not yet known if N-Acetyl Cysteine will be tried in clinical therapy for the current H1N1 flu virus pandemic.