Reverse Aging With Organic Sulfur

 

Danica Collins

No one ever talks about the health benefits of organic sulfur.

It truly is the forgotten mineral – yet the third most abundant in your body. Only phosphorous and calcium can be found in higher quantities. Did you know that sulfur is present in every living organism?

Even the United States Food and Nutrition Board has neglected sulfur; its last update on organic sulfur’s recommended daily allowance (RDA) was more than twenty years ago.

Why is this a concern? Because your body needs organic sulfur, and you can only get it from food. The over-processing of our foods has led to less and less sulfur in our diets.

In addition, fertilizers and chemically treated water block our absorption of sulfur and destroy sulfur in the soil.

Experts suspect we might not be getting enough of this essential mineral.

Why Do You Need Organic Sulfur?

Increasing your consumption of organic sulfur can ease many age-related issues. Half of the sulfur currently in your body is found in your skin, your muscles and your bones.

The health of your hair and nails are also affected by sulfur since the protein keratin contains an abundance of sulfur. Joints and cartilage rely on sulfur to provide flexibility and the skin uses organic sulfur to maintain elasticity.

Sulfur Deficiency Causes Age-Related Conditions

• Arthritis
• Muscle stiffness
• Wrinkles
• Weak hair and nails
• Neuro-degenerative disease
• Insulin resistance
• Fatigue
• Poor circulation

Other vitamins and minerals in your system rely on sulfur in order to function properly. Organic Sulfur bonds proteins and regulates the activity of enzymes – crucial to metabolic function.

Critical Functions that Depend on Sulfur

• Enables synthesis of glutathione, which scientists now believe is your body’s most crucial antioxidant. Other vitamins and minerals use glutathione to carry out necessary functions. Glutathione cannot be synthesized into your system without sulfur. Your central nervous system is dependent on glutathione to protect against oxidation and the removal of peroxides. Deficiency has been linked to neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
• Oxygen transportation throughout your cells depends on maintaining adequate levels of organic sulfur in your body. Cell repair and new cell growth cannot be accomplished without this mineral.
• Conversion of carbohydrates to energy is critical to metabolism and organ function. Thiamine – vitamin B1 – handles this task but needs sulfur to do it.
• Regulating your blood sugar level requires sulfur. The amino acid chains inside insulin molecules are held together with “bridges” made from sulfur.
• Creating energy through your mitochondria – your cell’s energy factories – is dependent on sulfur and iron.
• Stabilizing your metabolism with methionine requires sulfur. Methionine is an essential amino acid that directly impacts your metabolic functions. The body cannot store methionine and is dependent on dietary sources.
• Synthesizing glutathione requires cysteine – and cysteine requires sulfur in order to be synthesized by the body. Your body doesn’t function correctly unless an adequate amount of nutrients are available to work together.

Organic meats and fish are your best sources of organic sulfur; these food sources are considered “complete” because they have all the amino acids your body needs to make new proteins. Small amounts of dietary sulfur are also found in kale, garlic, onions, legumes and asparagus.

If you want to ensure your body has all the organic sulfur it needs, consider adding the natural mineral MSM (methyl-sulfonyl methane) to your nutrition plan.

Intensive studies are being conducted to test its effectiveness in treating chronic pain, allergies, digestive problems, mood disorders, skin disorders, diabetes and heart disease.

MSM has already been proven to reduce the painful symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Further Related Reading:

• Methyl-Sulfonyl Methane A Natural Supplement Helps Arthritis Pain
• Are Whey Proteins Toxic For Your Muscle Strength?
• Fact or Myth: Are Egg Whites Better for You Than Whole Eggs?

http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/organic-sulfur-benefits-reverse-aging

Also read for organic sulfur:
Say aloha to cancer (opinion)

Sulfur - The Mineral That Helps Fight Fatigue, Stress, Pain, Cancer....

The Mineral That Helps Fight Fatigue, Stress, Pain, Cancer, and Wrinkles, Too

Posted By Dr. Mercola | September 12 2011 | 179,494 views | Disponible en Español

Story at-a-glance

Sulfur is third most abundant mineral in your body. It is required for proper synthesis and biological activity of proteins and enzymes, and plays an important role in your body's electron transport system; vitamin conversion; synthesizing metabolic intermediates such as glutathione; detoxification; joint health; and proper insulin function, just to name a few The primary dietary sources of sulfur are fish, grass-fed beef and free-range poultry. It's also available in lower amounts in eggs and certain vegetables Methylsulfonylmethane, MSM, as a dietary supplement is an ideal source of organic sulfur

By Dr. Mercola

Sulfur is the third most abundant mineral in your body, after calcium and phosphorous. It's an important mineral element that you get almost wholly through dietary proteins, yet it's been over 20 years since the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) issued its last update on recommended daily allowances (RDA) for it.

In a study examining critical elements about how sulfur works in the body, researchers say the importance of this mineral may be underestimated, and that it's possible that we may not be getting enough of it.

The Importance of Sulfur

Close to half of the sulfur in your body can be found in your muscles, skin and bones, but it does much more than benefit just these three areas. It plays important roles in many bodily systems.

Sulfur bonds are required for proteins to maintain their shape, and these bonds determine the biological activity of the proteins. For example, as explained in the featured MSM newsletter, hair and nails consists of a tough protein called keratin, which is high in sulfur, whereas connective tissue and cartilage contain proteins with flexible sulfur bonds, giving the structure its flexibility. With age, the flexible tissues in your body tend to lose their elasticity, leading to sagging and wrinkling of skin, stiff muscles and painful joints.

A shortage of sulfur likely contributes to these age-related problems.

In addition to bonding proteins, sulfur is also required for the proper structure and biological activity of enzymes. If you don't have sufficient amounts of sulfur in your body the enzymes cannot function properly, which can cascade into a number of health problems as without biologically active enzymes, your metabolic processes cannot function properly.

Sulfur also plays an important role in:

• Your body's electron transport system, as part of iron/sulfur proteins in mitochondria, the energy factories of your cells
• Vitamin-B thiamine (B1) and biotin conversion, which in turn are essential for converting carbohydrates into energy
• Synthesizing important metabolic intermediates, such as glutathione
• Proper insulin function. The insulin molecule consists of two amino acid chains connected to each other by sulfur bridges, without which the insulin cannot perform its biological activity
• Detoxification

The featured study looked at a broad scope of overlapping metabolic pathways in order to determine which ones may be affected by insufficient intake of dietary sulfur. They also evaluated the modes of action of a variety of sulfur-containing dietary supplements, including chondroitin and glucosamine, commonly used to improve joint health.

According to the authors:

"Sulfur amino acids contribute substantially to the maintenance and integrity of the cellular systems by influencing cellular redox state and the capacity to detoxify toxic compounds, free radicals and reactive oxygen species.

... Sulfur containing metabolites, of which glutathione is a key exponent, merge in their functioning with many other compounds that play a major role in mechanisms which are receiving tremendous interests as parts of conventional and complementary medical care. These include the n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals such as Selenium, Zinc, Copper and Magnesium, vitamins E and C, antioxidants such as the proanthocyanidins and lipoic acid, many of which are involved in the synthesis of prostaglandins and in the antioxidant cascade.

More and more evidence is accumulating and focusing on the cooperative role that glutathione and other sulfur metabolites play in the homeostatic control of these fundamental mechanisms."

Are You Getting Enough Sulfur in Your Diet?

As stated in the featured research, only two of the 20 amino acids normally present in foods contain sulfur:

1. Methionine, which cannot be synthesized by your body and must be supplied through diet, and
2. Cysteine, which is synthesized by your body but requires a steady supply of dietary sulfur in order to do so

Neither of these are stored in your body. Rather, "any dietary excess is readily oxidized to sulphate, excreted in the urine (or reabsorbed depending on dietary levels) or stored in the form of glutathione (GSH)," according to the researchers. (Glutathione is comprised of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamate, and glycine, and is your body's most potent antioxidant, which also keeps all other antioxidants performing at peak levels.)

Furthermore:

"The availability of cysteine appears to be the rate limiting factor for synthesis of glutathione (GSH).

GSH values are subnormal in a large number of wasting diseases and following certain medications leading frequently to poor survival. By supplying sulfur amino acids (SAA) many of these changes can be reversed.

In the brain, which is usually the most spared organ during nutrient deficiencies, GSH concentration declines in order to maintain adequate levels of cysteine. This loss of GSH impairs antioxidant defences... Cartilage, less essential for survival, may not fare well under conditions of sulfur deprivation, explaining why dietary supplements containing sulfur (chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine sulfate, MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), etc.) may be of benefit in the treatment of joint diseases."

In conclusion, they state that:

"Out of this study came information that suggested that a significant proportion of the population that included disproportionally the aged, may not be receiving sufficient sulfur and that these dietary supplements, were very likely exhibiting their pharmacological actions by supplying inorganic sulfur."

Dietary Sources of Sulfur

The best and most ideal way to obtain sulfur is through your diet. Sulfur is derived almost exclusively from dietary protein, such as fish and high-quality (organic and/or grass-fed/pastured) beef and poultry. Meat and fish are considered "complete" as they contain all the sulfur-containing amino acids you need to produce new protein. Needless to say, those who abstain from animal protein are placing themselves at far greater risk of sulfur deficiency.

Other dietary sources that contain small amounts of sulfur include:

Organic pastured eggs	Legumes	Garlic	Onion
Brussel sprouts	Asparagus	Kale	Wheat germ

 

MSM, an Organic Form of Sulfur

Methylsulfonylmethane, commonly known by its acronym, MSM, is not a drug. It's an organic form of sulfur and a potent antioxidant, naturally found in many plants. While MSM is an important source of organic sulfur, it also has other unique properties.

Common health complaints associated with low concentrations of MSM in your body include:

• Fatigue
• Depression
• High sensitivity to physical and psychological stress
• Degenerative diseases

MSM's ability to neutralize inflammation is one of the greatest, and one of the most inexpensive, discoveries in the health field, and is thought to be particularly beneficial in the prevention of heart disease. It has been shown to break down the plaque in your arteries, which is associated with chronic inflammation.

Other health benefits associated with MSM include:

Reducing chronic pain	Improving cellular uptake of many nutrients including vitamins A, B, C, D, E, amino acids, selenium, calcium, magnesium, coenzyme Q10	Preventing cancer	Reducing or eliminating muscle soreness and cramps
Detoxification	Alleviating symptoms of allergies	Anti-parasitic action against Giardia, Trichomonas, roundworms, nematodes, Enterobius and other intestinal worms	Improving lung function by allowing your body to more effectively take up oxygen
Preventing neurological disease by repairing oxidative damage and restoring cell membrane elasticity and permeability	Preventing and reducing symptoms of autoimmune diseases by fighting chronic inflammation	Preventing diabetes by promoting healthy insulin function	Increasing strength and endurance, and reducing stress

 

Sources of MSM, and Dosages

MSM can be found in:

• Raw grass-fed milk
• Fresh vegetables, and
• Fruits

The amounts of sulfur you can obtain from these sources range between one to five mg/kg. Raw pastured milk contains the highest amounts of MSM: between two to five mg/kg. However, it's important to know that MSM is rapidly lost during heating, so pasteurized milk is not a good source. It contains less than 0.25 mg/kg MSM… Ditto for thoroughly cooked vegetables, and fruits and vegetables kept for a period of time. Hence, you'll want to consume most of your veggies raw as soon as possible after harvesting. If you eat a diet consisting primarily of processed and thoroughly cooked foods, you can be virtually guaranteed that you're not getting sufficient amounts of sulfur in your diet.
MSM is also highly concentrated in aloe vera, so you can use natural aloe vera products to increase your intake of MSM in its natural form.

Another alternative is to take MSM as a dietary supplement. In a previous interview, superfood expert David Wolfe recommended taking about 2,500 mg per day to start; slowly working your way up to about 5,000 to 7,500 mg per day. Keep in mind that there may be side effects because MSM can detoxify you, and that may initially aggravate any condition you have. So increase dosage slowly to allow your body to adjust. Avoid increasing the dose until all detox symptoms have disappeared. Also, avoid taking it at night, as it may increase your energy levels.

As with most supplements, quality is a concern when it comes to MSM as well. It's important to note that if you're allergic to sulfa drugs, you may also have trouble with MSM.

Aside from that, MSM is extremely non-toxic. So far no one has found an upper limit at which point it causes toxic effects. This fact makes it an ideal form of sulfur supplementation, as the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine can both cause toxic symptoms at large doses.

Source: Nutrition and Metabolism November 6, 2007

Source: The MSM Miracle August 2011

 

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/12/the-third-abundant-mineral-in-your-body-are-you-getting-enough.aspx

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