Guest guest Posted January 11, 2001 Report Share Posted January 11, 2001 Subject: MSM Side Effects/reply from the Nutri-West site > HOMOCYSTEINE REDUX vs MSM > > Sulfur supplementation has become popular, because sulfur is such an > important element that is utilized in many reactions, especially those > involved with joint/cartilage repair and liver detox pathways. The > question is, what is the best source of sulfur? > > Products such as MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) have surfaced on the > market to provide an outside source of sulfur that in turn may hopefully > be incorporated into the body and utilized for all the reactions and > building blocks requiring sulfur. As you can see from the above diagram, > when the homocysteine pathway is functioning correctly, the end-product > is NATURAL sulfur, which is manufactured IN the body and is already > endogenously (inside) present for beneficial results. > > Additionally, resources such as , MD point out that MSM > can create a molybdenum deficiency because exogenous, (outside) sources > of sulfur will drain molybdenum resources because the molybdenum is > essential for sulfur metabolism. On the contrary, NATURAL provision of > sulfur makes what the body needs, and does not create an excess pool > which then must drain molybdenum to be metabolized. > > Additionally, the product that was formulated to optimize the correct > functioning of the homocysteine pathway (Homocysteine Redux) contains > ALL of the necessary, synergistic nutrients (including molybdenum) to > ensure that all the reactions that depend on the homocysteine pathway > are optimized. > > These reactions include: 1. The synthesis of building blocks for > cartilage/tissue repair that depends on the natural sulfur molecule; 2. > The liver detox path that utilizes sulfur to detox insults to the system > (especially metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium); 3. The methyl > donations from SAM (S-adenosyl methionine), which are used for the > synthesis of neurotransmitters, and essential cell components such as > phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine. SAM has also been used by > itself as a nutritional supplement, but look at the pathway - unless you > have all the necessary ingredients to optimize the efficiency of the > whole pathway (nutrients that are in Homocysteine Redux), SAM can > metabolize to the toxic homocysteine in just two more metabolic steps! > > There is another reason that addressing the correct functioning of the > homocysteine pathway is important - if the necessary nutrients are not > present, homocysteine can build up and become toxic. A synergistic > balance of the nutrients can recycle homocysteine to methionine to avoid > toxicity (vitamin B-12, folic acid, and methyl donors such as choline or > betaine (trimethylglycine). Reducing homocysteine levels has been > associated with reducing the risk for a whole host of conditions, from > heart disease to osteoporosis, and MSM doesn't have that claim > associated with it. Excess homocysteine is implicated in the following > conditions: > > Osteoporosis > > Folic acid, one of the B vitamins used to lower homocysteine levels, is > suggested as a useful supplement to prevent osteoporosis which may have > been caused by high homocysteine levels (Metabolism 198938:734-739). > > Osteoarthritis > > Chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine sulfate, N-acetyl > glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, and mucopolysaccharides are all building > blocks of cartilage, and they are all dependent upon sulfur groups for > complete synthesis of healthy cartilage tissue. These sulfur groups are > provided by a correctly functioning homocysteine pathway. > > Cardiovascular disease > > The New England Journal of Medicine reported that homocysteine was > THE strongest modifiable predictor of overall mortality among patients > with coronary artery disease (NEJM 1997;337:230-236). > > Neural tube defects > > It is well-known that supplementation of folic acid can reduce > the risk for neural tube defects. What is less well known is that the > mechanism could be that it is reducing risk by reducing elevated > homocysteine levels. > > Depression > Homocysteine nutrients, which include the B vitamins, are related to > depression in several ways (Fava, M et al., Folate, B-12, and > homocysteine in major depressive disorder. Am J Psy 1997;154:426-428). > The methyl group metabolism provided for by the pathway of homocysteine > (correctly-functioning) is necessary for the production of > depression-relieving neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. > The B vitamins are also crucial in the direct synthesis of the brain > neurotransmitters. Aside from the fact that they are needed (especially > B-6, B-12 and folate) for the homocysteine pathway to provide > methylation, they are essential to the pathway of these > neurotransmitters (J Affect Disord. 1986;10:9-13; Psychosomatics. > 1980;21:926-929). > > Alzheimer's > > High homocysteine levels have been linked to Alzheimer's disease, > probably because of some correlation with the development of the > neurofibrillary tangles involved in the condition that are thought to > block oxygen from reaching the nerve cells and making them unable to > produce acetylcholine, the brain neurotransmitter necessary for thought > processes. > > Multiple Sclerosis > > Multiple sclerosis has been linked to high homocysteine levels. High > homocysteine levels interfere with the synthesis of SAM, and thus > interfere with methyl donations for neurotransmitters, which are > essential for nerve conduction in MS patients. MS patients need the > sulfur provided by the pathway for joint and cartilage repair, and even > more importantly, for the detox pathways in the liver, since the sulfur > detox pathway binds metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium, and MS > patients are especially susceptible to these metals and cannot detox > them well. To add insult to injury, the metals exert their toxicity in > the body by robbing essential proteins of their sulfur groups so that > they can't function; this means that in addition to not being able to > detox the metals well, the exposure to metals robs their bodies of much > needed proteins for cell rebuilding, and also proteins in key enzymes. > The ill-effects of heavy metal toxicity include the neurotoxic damage > associated with MS The ill-effects of heavy metal toxicity include the > neurotoxic damage associated with MS. Mercury amalgams have long been > associated with the symtoms of MS - Multiple sclerosis patients have > been found to have up to eight times higher levels of mercury in their > CSF than neurologically healthy controls (Denton, , M.D., The > Mercury Cover-Up: Controversies in Dentistry, Townsend Letter For > Doctors, July 1990;488-491). > > Other Conditions > > Other conditions which have been linked to high homocysteine levels > include: rheumatoid arthritis, spontaneous abortion, placental > abruption, renal failure, and type II diabetes. > > It is easy to see that high homocysteine levels dramatically increase > the risk for many conditions. A nutritional product which offers > reduction in risk for all of these conditions and more is a claim that > MSM can't make, because it only provides an outside source of sulfur, > and that's it. It is an expensive source at that. MSM supplements are > not cheap. Providing necessary sulfur groups the natural way, through > complete metabolism of the homocysteine pathway, still seems to be the > most efficient and economical route. This route also provides for > natural production of SAM, and prevents the buildup of homocysteine and > its toxic effects and resulting diseases. The complete list of > ingredients covers all the bases; the list includes: vitamin B-12, folic > acid, pyridoxal-5-phosphate (active form of B-6), betaine > (trimethylglycine), dimethylglycine, niacinamide, choline,molybdenum, > magnesium, and zinc. The choice appears easy: an outside source of > sulfur which may deplete molybdenum stores (MSM), OR a complete, > synergistic formula which is less expensive, provides an endogenous > source of sulfur (along with necessary nutrients such as molybdenum), > and provides a natural source for SAM. > > Presented by Nutri-West as an > Educational Service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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