Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) Supplement Information
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The publication source of the following article is unknown.
The Vital
Nutrient You've
Never Heard About -- MSM
Methyl sulfonyl methane is a natural
form of
biological sulfur found
throughout our bodies,
but supplementation is often needed for good
health and proper cell functioning.
By Louise MacIntosh
WHAT IF YOU HEARD ABOUT an available product said to help with dry skin; acne; wrinkles; poor complexion; weak, brittle nails; dandruff; arthritis; acute pain relief; auto-immune conditions; intestinal problems; skin rashes; hives; parasitic infections; poor hair growth; constipation; diarrhea; hyperacidity; nausea; and allergic reactions from house dust, pollen, wool, animal hair, feathers and insect bites? It sounds like it should be on an infomercial, sold with a free set of steak knives or a bottle of car wax. Such a product does exist, and for the thousands of people using it, this important mineral is proving itself to be the one too-good-to-be-true item they're glad they tried.
Methyl sulfonyl methane, or MSM, is a natural form of biological sulfur found in all living organisms, including plants and humans. It is found abundantly throughout our bodies, in our joints, muscles, skin, hair, fingernails and all other tissues. It's probably for this reason that, up until recently, not much has attention has been brought to this mineral. It has been assumed that, since MSM is found in almost everything, supplementation is not needed. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case.
Getting this important mineral into our bodies through diet alone is next to impossible. MSM, although it is found in foods such as broccoli, onions, garlic and Brussels sprouts, is highly volatile; that is to say, it is easily destroyed or changed into an unusable form. Any processing -- such as cooking, storing or even chopping food -- destroys the important sulfur compounds, making them essentially absent in the food we eat. Egg yolks are high in MSM but high in cholesterol as well, and eating them raw is the only way to get the beneficial sulfur. (That's fine if you're Rocky Balboa, but for those of us concerned with salmonella and LDLs, this really is not an option.) Overuse of the soil has left it depleted of many minerals, and if the plants grown in this soil aren't getting minerals, you aren't getting them from eating the plants. So, it's safe to say your body is probably not getting enough MSM from diet alone.
Now that we've established that MSM is lacking in the foods we eat, let's talk a little bit about why we should add it. Combined with vitamins and amino acids, MSM provides the raw materials the body needs to create healthy and flexible cells, which, in turn, helps with overall health. Cells in your body are continually dying and being replaced, and without the proper nutrients, cells can become dysfunctional, leading to disease. Your cell membranes have to stay flexible in order for nutrients to be passed in and out of the cell, and to stay intact.
Take, for example, your skin. Your skin is comprised of millions of flexible cells, which take in vitamins (like vitamin D from sunlight) and help pass toxins (through sweat). If skin cells become too rigid, the skin becomes dry and calluses form. In fact, probably the most common reason people begin taking MSM is for beauty care. MSM is abundant in all of our tissues, especially our hair, skin and fingernails. That's why if you've ever set your blow dryer on too high a setting an scorched your hair, you get a "rotten egg" smell. Deficiencies have been linked with such problems as eczema, acne, brittle fingernails, weak hair and dandruff. MSM can provide nutritional support for your body's production of collagen, a substance which makes skin smooth and helps minimize wrinkles and scars. But MSM goes beyond skin-deep beauty, and may be highly beneficial in other ways.
Most people have become familiar with glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate, the mucopolysaccharides said to be highly beneficial for joint health. Mucopolysaccharides are basically the sticky, white substances responsible for holding cartilage together. Your body wears down cartilage through daily use much quicker than it repairs or replaces it. The breakdown of cartilage can lead to inflammation of the joints pain and arthritis. MSM is an integral part of these mucopolysaccharide compounds, important in the body's production of connective tissues, such as tendons. (It's the "sulfate" part of glucosamine.) Arthritic patients have reported substantial pain relief when supplementing with MSM, since it promotes the flexibility of cells. Flexible cells allow fluids and toxins to pass through, rather than being retained, which may help prevent the pressure build-up in the cells that causes inflammation in the joints.
The lack of MSM in the diet has also been linked to stomach and intestinal ailments, such as diarrhea, constipation, hyperacidity and even food allergies. MSM can help coat mucosal surfaces, such as the lining of the intestinal tract, helping to bind offending food agents and pass them out of the body.
In some cases, the addition of MSM may actually help improve digestion and the absorption of nutrients by helping to heal inflammations of the intestinal tract. Each nutrient has receptor sites, located in different areas of the intestinal tract. If the tract becomes inflamed, nutrients will pass through without being absorbed.
MSM is also said to be helpful for other allergies, including allergies to dust, animal hair, pollen, and other airborne substances. Allergies are caused when your body's immune system overreacts to an otherwise harmless substance, such as bee pollen. Allergy drugs merely suppress. the symptoms, such as runny nose or watery eyes, that are your body's way of trying to rid itself of these substances. In some cases, this can make the reaction itself last longer, and many drugs used for allergy treatment come with side effects, such as drowsiness. Allergy shots don't eliminate the allergy; they just raise our threshold of tolerance, so we can stand more of the substance before we get a negative reaction. By making your cells more permeable, MSM can help your body quickly flush out undesirable allergens when you come in contact with them.
Even with all of these possible benefits, some people still shy away from sulfur, confusing it with sulfa, a drug many are allergic to. MSM is virtually nonallergic, it's in the same toxicity range as pure water, and it's nearly impossible to overdose on. Your body will take and use whatever it needs. and it will excrete any excess amounts within 12 hours.
Others are concerned with sulfur's reputation of having an unpleasant odor. MSM itself is odorless, and it does not produce the intestinal gas or body odor associated with other forms of sulfur.
Sulfur, the fourth most plentiful mineral in the body, is getting more attention as retailers, consumers and suppliers become more aware of the benefits of this vital nutrient. MSM can be applied topically or taken internally, and it is showing up in everything from tablet and crystal supplements to creams, lotions and eye drops. The rapid gain in popularity may just prove that MSM could be one nutrient that is not "too good to be true," but "too good not to be tried."
Note: MSM is sold as a bioavailable source of nutritional sulfur. It is intended for nutritional use only, and not as a substitute for standard medical treatment.
LOUISE MACINTOSH is currently employed as a nutritional consultant. She has been involved in the manufacturing, research, and development of vitamins and supplements for over five years and is now working towards obtaining her Masters degree in nutrition.
REFERENCES: (Click on the book title to go directly to it's Amazon.com book page)Mindell, Earl, The MSM Miracle - Enhancing Your Health with Organic Sulfur Keats Publishing, 1997.Haas, Elson, M.D., Staying Healthy With Nutrition, Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts, 1992. Meleski, R. A., "Biological Actions and Medical Applications of Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)," Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Volume 411.
The publication source and author of the following article is unknown.
Physiological Sulfur Methyl Sulfonyl MethaneDESCRIPTION: (CH3)2SO2 A white, odorless crystalline solid. Very soluble in water at 37° C. Molecular weight 94 (34% elemental sulfur by weight).
MSM & DMSO: MSM (Methyl sulfonyl methane) is also known as dimethyl sulfone and is a direct metabolite of DMSO (dimethylsolfoxide). It is probably responsible for many of tile biological effects of DMSO, and possesses certain additional biomedical properties without any toxicity or odor.
NUTRITION AND METABOLISM: Sulfur is a vital, though often overlooked, major nutrient in human metabolism, Through the formation of disulfide bonds, sulfur is fundamental for the proper conformation of extra-cellular body proteins, thereby holding connective tissue together as well as maintaining the three dimensional structure of antibodies and hormones. It is present in large amounts in hair and nails (keratins). Intracellular sulfhydryl (thiol) groups are vital for the catalytic function of a large number of enzymes.
About 2% of the dry weight of most animals is sulfur. Mostly in the form of the non-essential amino acid cysteine and lesser amounts of the essential amino acid methionine. Cysteine sulfur call be used for the biosynthesis of other sulfur-containing biomolecules, such as taurine, coenzyme A and glutationeOrganic sulfides and sulfonium salts and MSM can provide sulfur to cysteine and possibly methionine, Sulfur labeled MSM was incorporated into protein Cys residues throughout the body. Thus MSM can serve as a dietary source of sulfur.
MSM is a natural form of organic sulfur found in all living organisms. Present in low concentrations in body fluids and tissues, it is found in a variety of fresh foods including most fruits and vegetables, milk, and some grains. Although present in most unprocessed foods, MSM is readily lost due to its volatile nature. Unless the diet is composed of primarily raw foods, it is unlikely that sufficient MSM will be ingested to significantly contribute to the nutritional sulfur requirement. MSM ingestion can serve as a normal dietary source of sulfur,
PHARMACOLOGY: In high dosages, MSM exhibits pharmacological activity which is apparently unrelated to its precursor role in sulfur metabolism.
MSM has a vitamin-like moderating or normalizing influence on body functions. There appears to be a relationship between abnormal physiological symptoms and low MSM blood levels in human beings. A low concentration of MSM is being associated with adverse stress, both psychological and physical, organ and tissue malfunction, fatigue and susceptibility to disease.
MSM has been found to normalize certain body functions in patients displaying physiological symptoms of stress, specifically gastrointestinal upset, inflammation of mucous membranes, allergic reactions, drug hypersensitivity, inflammatory disorders including arthritis, muscle cramps, and infectious parasites.
DOSAGE: Most effective dosage regimen is periodic administration throughout the day. The recommended maintainence dose is 250-500 mg/day. One to ten grams/day have been used for relief of symptoms. Single dosages are usually not effective.
ADVERSE REACTIONS: MSM appears to be inert in tissue and body fluids, except for its beneficial, inhibitory effect on cross- linking of collagen and proteins (thereby reducing hardening of skin and connective tissue). Because of its inert nature, MSM is nonallergenic, nonpyretic, and has no interfering or undesirable pharmacological effects. It can even be used as a safe blood diluent. In animal studies, extremely high doses produced no adverse effects.
MSM
Excerpts from the Annals of
The New York Academy of Sciences
VOLUME 411
Introductory Remarks
Dimethyl Sulfoxide After Twenty Years
Stanley W. Jacob and Robert Herschler*
Dept. of Surgery, Oregon Health Sciences University
One product of DMSO appears to have a bright scientific and commercial future. This is the stable metabolite of DMSO referred to as methylsulfonylmethane or MSM. We now refer to it as Factor N, with the intended im----tion that this biochemical helps maintain bodies within normal or good health parameters.
We predict this will receive international attention as a dietary supplement, interestingly found in particularly high concentration in what has been referred to as the nearly perfect food. The precursors to Factor N, the various salts of dimethyl sulfide, and even DMSO, are found in most of the foods that vertebrates use. Precursor conversion to MSM is accomplished enzymatically.
Unfortunately, unless our diet is almost solely milk, it appears that our bodies have a possible deficiency.
MSM, an odorless, essentially tasteless, white crystalline chemical demonstrates usefulness as a dietary supplement in man and lower animals.
Our research suggests that a minimum concentration in the body may be critical to both normal function and structure. Limited studies suggest that the systematic concentration of MSM drops in mammals with increasing age.
This may he due to dietary habits where one ingests foods with lower MSM potential with maturity or possibly there is a change in the renal threshold. Healthy juvenile rabbits maintain a level at or above I ppm body weight, with milk being the dominant food --- source. Cow's milk normally contains between 2 and 6 ppm MSM dependent on source and freshness. In an adult man, the circulating concentration varies but may average about 0.2-0.25 ppm. We have no estimate of total body concentration as yet but suspect that MSM is banked in some of the organs, other than the adrenals. Based on radio-label (35S) studies, the residence time of a single challenge in mammals may be several weeks with gradual dumping via the renal system. Daily output of urine contains several milligrams of MSM. This possibly is not the dominant excretory route.
The following abnormal conditions seen in the clinic have responded to oral MSM generally administered at dosage levels of 250-750 mg/day.
1. Response to allergy. Oral MSM moderates diverse allergic responses as to pollen and foods. Antiallergy medication and desensitization methods may be sharply reduced.
2. Control of hyperacidity. Subjects seen to be chronic users of various antacids and histamine H2 receptor antagonists prefer MSM by reason of relief obtained coupled with freedom from serious, untoward effects.
3. Hypersensitivity to drugs. Subjects demonstrating drug hypersensitivity as to aspirin, several nonsteroid antiarthritic agents (Naprosyn, Indocin, Motrin), and oral antibiotics, were drug tolerant when MSM was given within an hour before or concurrent with the sensitizing drug.
4. Control of constipation. Particularly in the older population seen in our clinic chronic constipation can be a medical problem of concern. To date, over 50 subjects presenting chronic constipation have gained prompt and continuing relief by supplementing the diet with 100 to 500 mg of MSM per day.
5. We have seen some individuals with severely restricted lung function. Of these, only a few cooperated in vital function assessments. All cooperated in endurance measurements, however.
Limited objective and strong subjective evidence suggests the MSM is a useful dietary supplernent to reduce lung dysfunction.
6. Antiparasitic action. In vitro and in vivo tests suggest MSM has activity against a variety of medically important parasitic problems.
Thus far work has concentrated on parasitic problems of the intestinal and urogenital tracts. MSM, for example, is active against Giardia, Trichomonads, and round worms. MSM may effect such infections by competing for binding or receptor sites at the mucous membrane surface presenting a blocking interface between host and parasite. We are at present evaluating the action of MSM with a variety of abnormal or medical problems to determine whether any are responsive to a diet supplemented by MSM. One fascinating aspect of this work is the observation that with presented function and structure normalcy, MSM appears to be inactive pharmacologically. Only where abnormality occurs have we seen MSM influence a return towards normalcy, defined as being within measurable parameters of good health. We are intrigued by the fact that MSM is a constant factor in all normal diets of vertebrates and somewhat mystified by the seeming need of the body of adults for a concentration level above that available from a diet presumed as "normal."
We hope soon to have data defining any specific interacting role that MSM may have with the water-soluble vitamins, particularly vitamin C, which like MSM is reportedly banked in the adrenals.
It is not possible to directly compare DMSO and derivative MSM, though of the same chemical family. Each is unique unto itself.
MSM is a dietary factor derivable from most natural foods. It is conveniently taken alone, or in foods. Taken by mouth, there is no afterbreath.
DMSO has certain unpleasant attributes not possessed by MSM. While MSM is a dietary factor, DMSO is not. DMSO readily penetrated the dermis and less complicated membrane systems while MSM does not. Each contributes to the well-being of mankind, but in differing ways. Both have important implications. When Dr. Chauncey Leake summarized the first New York Academy of Sciences Symposium on DMSO he said that the well-known legal phrase of res ipsa loquitur applied to the DMSO controversy, stating that "rarely had a new drug come to the attention of the scientific community with so much verifiable information from so many parts of the world." Those remarks were true in 1965. They remain true today.
(*MSM was discovered and developed by Dr. Stanley W. Jacob and Robert Herschler. Currently Dr. Jacob is the Gerlinger Associate Professor of Surgery at the Oregon Health Science University.If your browser supports "frames" but you navigated directly to this page, the starting point is >HERE<
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