What is Glucuronolactone
Glucoronolactone is a natural metabolite of glucose, synthesized in the liver and present in small quantities in some foods (wine, with its 20mg / L, seems the most generous source).
Made famous by some energy drinks (in redbull 600 mg / dL are found), glucoronolactone takes part in the formation of glycogen and is a structural component of practically all connective tissues.
In addition to these "anti-fatigue, anti-stress and energizing" beverages, glucoronolactone is found in various ergogenic supplements (which aim to improve athletic performance) or detoxifiers.
Effects and properties
Glucoronolactone participates in the synthesis of glycogen (possible ergogenic role) and of vitamin C, obviously not in humans given that L-ascorbic acid cannot be produced by our body and must therefore be derived from food.
Detoxifying properties are ascribed to glucoronolactone, useful to help the hepatic inactivation of drugs and toxins of various nature. In fact, it participates in the glucuron conjugation process, a detoxifying mechanism that occurs in the human body, particularly in the liver.
The purpose of this process is the addition, to the substance to be inactivated, of a molecule with sterically significantly larger dimensions, capable of making the compound highly hydrophilic, inactive and easily eliminated by the body.
Side effects
The lethal dose in 50% of the animal sample (LD50) is 20 g / kg; also for this reason it is currently considered a safe substance.
