Setria® Glutathione by Kyowa Hakko

Danielle Lin
Science of Your Life
Danielle Citrolo-Setria
Recording Time: 0 Hours 22 Minutes 28 Seconds

DL: I’m Danielle Lin and I’m so grateful that you are spending some time here with us because a number of years ago I got involved in the ingredient industry. If you have ever listened to my program then you know that we focus on the most powerful, important, documented, standardized, and scientifically clinically proven ingredients that will go into your body and into your well-being. Today we continue in your series, Science of Your Life, talking about and with a company that I’ve known (they have been a sponsor of ours for years and so I’m very familiar with their raw materials) and seen them grow around the world. Kyowa Hakko USA, Inc. is the North American sales office of Kyowa Hakko Bio CO, Ltd. They are the distributors of Kyowa Hakko Pharma Chemical Company. As an international health ingredients manufacturer and a world leader in the development-manufacturing and the development-application of fermentation technology and maintains and ongoing commitment to research, I have watched them develop innovative products and also our greatest concern is the quality management. So, they fit the criteria of being involved in what will be the largest library being documented in podcast and in writing for the raw ingredient industry. So, if you are listening as a company then this is very important because as you blend raw materials into your ingredients it will be significant at the end result if it is effective or not. That is why we work only with standardize companies that have done the research and the science. The person who is going to join me today is Dr. Danielle Citrolo. She is a registered pharmacist and is the manager of technical services for Kyowa Hakko USA with responsibilities that include providing the technical and scientific support to customers, maintaining Kyowa Hakko’s technical knowledge and data base and supporting (and this is certainly one of the most critical and important aspect of it) the regulatory affairs and acting as a liaison with regulatory authorities in the USA, Canada, and Latin America. This is so critical because we all know the industry is always under great pressure. When you have someone who is at her level, Dr. Citrolo earned her BS in Bio-Science, her BA in Chemistry from North Carolina State University and her PhD in Pharmacy from Albany College of Pharmacy in New York. She is also licensed by the New York State Board of Pharmacy. We have someone who has been in the trenches and deals with the kinds of things that protect consumers. As a company listening, or if you happen to be a consumer, this is going to be one of those times where you are going to get some background where you may not normally get normally from listening to talk radio in a traditional manner. So, Dr. Citrolo, I’m so glad you are here and very grateful for your time. Welcome to the program.

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: Thank you so much. I’m glad to be here.

DL: Of course you and I know each other and I know Kyowa Hakko for many years as I watch them grow, change, shift, expand and become one of the glowing leaders in this industry. That’s very important as companies come to the…let’s just say come to our trade shows…and they don’t know who they can trust. Maybe they haven’t even been in the industry very long. Maybe they are companies who have been in the industry but want to create proprietary formulations. That’s why it’s so important. Today you are going to talk about Setria which is a Glutathione product that Kyowa Hakko puts out into the marketplace as a raw ingredient. So, folks, you would (if you are listening as a consumer) find it on the back of the label of many products. Again, if you are putting products together, this becomes an ingredient you can create a proprietary formula or single ingredient. So, Danielle, let’s give some insight about Setria. What categories, where it fits into. I know that antioxidants are huge. What is it and how does it work in the body?

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: Setria Glutathione is best known as a master antioxidant in our body. It has so many roles actually. Categorically, I think it kind of fits into three. As I mentioned, it is an antioxidant, but it also helps with detoxification in the body with substances like chemicals or even drugs that we ingest. It also helps to support the immune system. So, I look at it like an antioxidant, a detoxifier, and in immune-health support. So, kind of three different categories. It is most well known as an antioxidant and a lot of research and studies have been published and continue to be published on this substance. It’s actually an andogynous substance. Our body makes it. It naturally exists in our body as an antioxidant to protect our body.

DL: What we are going to do is to do this in four segments so you can jump in for five and come back for five. That’s nice about that for ease of listening. We’re going to talk about why it should matter to you as a formulator and as a consumer and the impact it will have whether you’re stressed out or feel like your immune is waning or you just want to boost your immune. We are talking with Dr. Citrolo and I’m calling her Dr. Citrolo because it’s Danielle and Danielle. We’re with Dr. Danielle Citrolo and we will be right back.

We are talking today with Dr. Danielle Citrolo and I’m Danielle Lin. If you’ve never heard this before, this is a new series for us called Science of Your Life. This is so critical for the industry, for the regulations of our industry, that we get clarification and truth in labeling. For today Dr. Citrolo is talking with us about Setria which is a Glutathione. We mentioned in the beginning that we are looking at the antioxidants and how they effect the body. Dr. Citrolo, how do antioxidants work in the body to boost our immunity from the whole idea that we are dealing with so much stress these days?

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: Exactly. Antioxidants as a whole basically help to protect our body from free radicals that we are exposed to in the environment or even metabolically it happens and can increase under stressful factors. What can happen is that over time if we don’t have enough antioxidants to protect us then that leads us to a state of oxidated stress. Basically, oxidated stress in the research has been shown as a major contributing factor in aging, in various generative diseases such as cardiovascular, cancer, brain dysfunction, and overall abuses and declines. There is an association with how in our antioxidant status. When we are talking about immune function specifically, Glutathione really helps to basically support the normal function. So, basically what we know is when we have less Glutathione our body and immune system doesn’t function normally. When we have the right balance of Glutathione in our system that is when we get optimal immune function. Our Glutathione levels can be decreased depending on different factors, stress being one, pollutants, drugs, stuff like that. We can have a decline in our Glutathione and we need to support our levels to help support the immune system.

DL: One of the things for these interviews and this library that we are creating is to really have the understanding as to why the Glutathione from Setria and from Kyowa Hakko stands out. Can you give me one distinction that is critical in that knowledge?

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: I think there’s a few. It’s hard to pick just one. Quality in manufacturing is critical. How we manufacture it and the quality standards that we manufacture under so you are able to get a consistent tenable supplier that provides the same product is critical. Again, its fermentation and fermentation is always the most pure type of manufacturing method. You don’t have any chemicals or other impurities. That is important as well. Going with a quality, dependable company is really important for ingredients.

DL: Glutathione has that absorption issue that a lot of people don’t understand. Would you say that because of the fermentation it is absorbed more effectively?

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: I think one of the other benefits of working with Kyowa Hakko is they continue with the research. What we have actually done is studies this with Glutathione. Knowing that this has been researched in humans and shown that over time when you take the Glutathione you can increase your blood levels of Glutathione that is critical. There is so much debate out there and there is so much research saying one thing or another. A lot of the research is older. Recently there has been a couple of published studies showing that if we do take Glutathione it can help to support our levels of Glutathione. One of the papers that was published was research done using Setria Glutathione which I think is one of the reasons to use Setria.

DL: That’s important and it’s important for this because as we do our own homework to find out who we can trust and who when we go out there can we say this is effective? People are spending a lot of money on nutrients that aren’t effective. I love that they have the science and they are the leaders. That makes a huge difference when you are going to have an impact. I personally think that Glutathione might be one of the most important sleeping giants in our industry today. We’re going to continue this conversation with Dr. Citrolo talking more about how can the immune system and the detoxification that you have to have in your body become more effective. We will talk about the external and internal factors that can impact you. So, I’m glad you are here and if this is manufacturer this is very important to take note. We will return, I’m Danielle Lin.

We return talking about Setria Glutathione. It’s from Kyowa Hakko and if you’ve never heard of Kyowa Hakko, as I mentioned going into the beginning of the segments, they are really recognized worldwide for international health ingredients as a manufacturer and developing. Their specialty is an application of fermentation technology. I’ve known them a long time. I’ve seen them grow. I have seen them tried and true with effectiveness and efficiency. Setria really protects cells from oxidated cells and toxins. The important thing is the bioavailability and we are talking with Dr. Danielle Citrolo. I also mentioned she is a registered pharmacist and has a background in the regulatory area which is critical for our industry so, Dr. Citrolo, we were talking about that just before we went back into the interview.

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: Yeah, so if we can get back to why it is important to pick Setria and pick Kyowa Hakko if you are a manufacturer of supplements. As an ingredients supplier I think it’s important to work with people who follow the regulations. Right now we have a lot going on in the regulatory environment in the supplement area. There’s a lot that changes and a lot of new guidance so now more than ever it is critical to work with suppliers that know the regulations and that work closely with legal and regulatory consultants to follow the industry regulations. We are as an industry scrutinized more lately so I think Kyowa is committed (we are a huge company) to doing the right thing and always following all of the regulations.

DL: I have never not seen that to be true. On both ends, if you are a new manufacturer and you are not certain about the industry they also work with you. When you have a company that can work with you from the research and formulations and understanding that they know the science behind it, if you decide to do a proprietary formula it’s really critical to not just go and buy an ingredient because somebody says it is Glutathione or whatever it is. It’s critical that you get branded raw ingredients. It’s not just branded because they brand it. It’s branded because it has science behind it. That is very critical. Today we have been talking about immunity and detoxification and I said this coming out of the last segment, what external factors really are effecting people’s immunity so much that we may not suspect?

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: Especially in today’s world. There are so many things going on. We have exposure to so many chemicals and pollutants that many years ago we were never exposed to. Our bodies don’t always know how to process these chemicals and pollutants. Glutathione is amazing because it is not specific. It can really work and neutralize almost any chemicals and toxins. It really is amazing in the way it works. A lot of antitoxins are very specific to react to certain reactive oxidants. Glutathione is really versatile. All of those different chemicals and pollutants that we are encountering in today’s world, Glutathione is there to help. In terms of other environmental factors we have a stressful lifestyle which contributes to decreased immunity. We are going into cold and flu season if not right in the middle of it. This time of year is a time when we have lots of different infections and viruses going around.

DL: Yes, and this year they are particularly…I know, I’ve never seen them this dominant and so strong.

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: Yeah, and they are lasting a long time, a lot of the different viruses are really hanging out for longer than what we have seen. We know Americans don’t have the greatest diets and that can impact the overall health status and immune function. So, Glutathione can help to fortify the immune function when we are being attacked in so many ways in our environment and with what we take into our body.

DL: How does Glutathione work to detoxify?

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: To detoxify, basically, it binds to heavy metals or even just foreign substances like toxins and chemicals. It truly binds to it in reaction with an enzyme and basically neutralizes it. So, that toxin or chemical cannot do damage to our cells and that is the key. Those foreign toxins, chemicals, and pollutants actually go in our body and react with the cells and basically damage the cells. When you have multiple types of insults like that it basically leads to organ dysfunction and then overall disease potentially or even just infection. So, it’s basically an insult to the body. Glutathione protects it from not doing damage to the cells, keeping the body functioning and optimally working healthily.

DL: We are going to come back with more. This is Danielle Lin and we are talking about Setria. We will give you the information if you are developing a product or you want ot learn more if you want to find it in the marketplace. We will get that for you upon our return.

We are continuing the conversation about Setria Glutathione. If you haven’t heard of them before Kyowa Hakko is the company that manufactures an ingredient. It’s a raw ingredient for, again, this interview is directed to the ingredient industry but if you are a consumer listening, you will find it in products and it’s spelled Setria Glutathione, most significant. It’s really the story about building your immune and detoxification. If you are standing in the shower with 600 chemicals pounding on you, unless you have a filter you are putting it in your body. It’s got to go somewhere. It need to come out. That is what Setria addresses. That process that can help that detoxification be neutralized. Dr. Danielle Citrolo is with us talking about it. Dr. Citrolo, one of the things we mentioned a little bit earlier is that there has been a lot of conversation about Glutathione and I mentioned the absorption earlier. Again, I want to go back to why does Setria stand out and the studies that you have done. What has it proven?

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: Yes, there is a lot of debate on the absorption and I think one of the reasons for that is previously there has been some research (much older research) that didn’t use the techniques that were the best techniques at the time. It showed that Glutathione wasn’t really absorbed in humans. However, animal studies showed to the contrary and most recently with better techniques we worked with researchers to show that Setria Glutathione was able to increase blood levels of Glutathione which is what we want. That is the goal to increase this amazing antioxidant in our body. Kyowa is committed to the research behind Glutathione and its absorption and they went out and were able to prove through better technique that this product was able to show through human consumption that with Setria Glutathione we are able to increase Glutathione which I think is critical. There has been other publications that say the same thing. With more recent research it is showing contrary to prior belief. That is just plain Glutathione to Glutathione. There were no changes done to it. It was just straight Setria Glutathione.

DL: When you are taking Glutathione or putting it in a formula, how much actually would a consumer end up taking? If somebody was developing a product with Setria now what would it say? How often? How many milligrams?

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: A regular dose is usually between 250mg to 1000mg. I think a nice average would be 500mg. A clinical level to treat things would be around 2000mg. We don’t need that for a healthy supplement type of thing. Between 250mg and 1000mg is a nice happy medium. To take it in the morning is the best because the morning is when we need it. Overnight our bodies work really hard to deplete all of those toxins so our levels of antioxidants are actually lower in the morning. So, it’s best to take it in the morning.

DL: If you are taking obviously any kind of medical drugs you want to make sure you check with your doctor. Any contra-indications or safety factors? How about long term? Do you take it every day? What is the background in that?

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: Yes, always check with your doctors depending on your other medications. Especially those going through chemotherapy or fighting or battling cancer, Glutathione is so effective at neutralizing toxins that it could actually work against chemotherapy so you should avoid it in those patients that are going through treatments at the moment.

DL: So, it is a lifestyle ingredient. Can it be mixed? Like if somebody wanted to build a brand that was proprietary formulation?

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: Absolutely. It’s on the market now mixed with many other ingredients and it’s stable. It really would work well, if we are talking about immunity, to cycle in the body with Vitamin C and Vitamin E. It does work well with other antioxidants and supports the function of many other antioxidants. It has been used in combinations.

DL: I love that somebody could probably come to you and have that combination and say, “Hey, I want to make something that is proprietary.” That is important in the industry for some reasons and for other reasons it is just as equal to do a direct ingredient. So, Setria, the website and then I want to make one more point. If you decide that you want, as a manufacturer, to get more information it is setriaglutathione.com. That is the best place to find it and it’s coming directly from the manufacture, Kyowa Hakko USA, Inc. There is one last thing that I wanted to note, Dr. Citrolo, as one last thing. You not only help companies put the product together but you have supported it over the years. I’ve worked with you and at least the company for years. Let’s talk about, really quick, the support.

Dr. Danielle Citrolo: I think it’s important. Kyowa is great because they are a great Japanese company that really prides themselves in good research. At any given moment we have at least one or two clinical studies going on for our branded ingredients including Setria Glutathione. This matters for regulatory purposes. We can work with our customers and give them structured, tested claims that we vetted and we feel are supported at a clinical research facility that we do on our ingredients. That is really critical in a regulatory environment where it’s really heated and claims are being looked at very closely by the FTC and FDA. Our research, also we have an amazing marketing group that also supports our customers through many different avenues. So, they will help with marketing materials for our customers, they will help with websites, they help with many things. Anything that will help in the marketing area, we are here to support.

DL: That’s not every company so that is really fascinating. I know the consumer outreach is incredible and dedicated to really keeping when you partner with a company that uses Setria. It’s a co-collaboration rather than just a, “Here is our ingredient and go do what you want to do.” That is critical. We want to thank you Dr. Danielle Citrolo, for being with us. Thank you for being part of the library and part of what we are doing in the world and making a difference by bringing branded, proprietary scientific efficacy to the table and doing it right. Thank you again. Let me give you that information again. SetriaGlutathione.com and the company Kyowa Hakko is what you are looking for. Thanks again. We will see you next time.