MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) -Sulfur supplement
Is anyone else taking MSM? I started this week because I read that it can help with joint pain, inflammation, hair loss, nail damage and diverticulosis a new issue that has come up for me. I'm taking it in powder form, dissolved in a large glass of water. So far it is vile! I can taste it in my mouth all day. I'm just curious if other Stage 4 people are taking it and in what form and if it has been helpful for joint pain. Thanks for any input.
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Hi Chicagoan,
I have not used MSM myself but I wrote up a whole report on this supplement for one of my graduate classes for my masters of integrative nutrition....maybe you will find some of this info helpful? Sorry for the format, but I couldn't figure out how to copy and paste it otherwise from the PDF that it was in...
MSM
Methylsulfonylmethane
Biochemistry and Therapeutic Uses
MSM is a naturally occurring nutrient composed of sulfur, oxygen and methyl groups.
MSM is the oxidized form of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). DMSO is an organic form of sulphur
commercially prepared from lignin and used in topical form. Both are naturally occurring
compounds found in green plants, fruits, and vegetables.
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In the presence of ozone and high energy ultraviolet light, MSM and DMSO, is formed from dimethyl
sulfide, taken up into atmosphere, returned to the earth in rainfall, and taken into the root systems of
plants.
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MSM can be found in small quantities in a variety of foods such as milk, fruits and vegetables (e.g.,
tomatoes, corn), coffee, and tea.
MSM and DMSO are said to reduce peripheral pain, inflammation and arthritis, and might inhibit
the degenerative changes occurring in osteoarthritis.
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May act through their ability to stabilize cell membranes, slow or stop leakage from injured cells and
scavenge hydroxyl free radicals which trigger inflammation. Their sulphur content can rectify dietary
deficiencies of sulphur improving cartilage formation.
MSM is proposed to be involved in both anti inflammatory and anti oxidative activity
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Inhibits pro inflammatory cytokines
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Increases antioxidant defense (glutathione)
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Decreases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS)
MSM is used orally and topically.
Conditions Treated/Supportive
Research
Spinal degenerative conditions
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Research in the efficacy of MSM with spinal degenerative
conditions are conflicting and have been both supportive and
inconclusive
Osteoarthritis (OA)
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C urrently there is no definitive evidence for the efficacy of
either DMSO or MSM in OA.
Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis (SAR)
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One study suggests that MSM supplementation of 2,600
mg/day for 30 days may be efficacious in the reduction of
symptoms associated with SAR. Research is up and coming.
Certain Cancers/Tumors
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Liver, Bladder, Breast, possibly other types
How Much MSM is Right for Me?
RDI
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The suggested oral therapeutic doses are 4 6 g/d
Upper Intake
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doses of up to 20 g/d have been used
Daily Values
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over the counter preparations are typically 1 5 g daily
Form differences
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Oral and Topical
Effective dose
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The optimum dosage has not been clearly defined as no
dose ranging studies have been carried out.
Safety Warnings
Precautions:
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There is limited formal safety data and no long term assessment
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According to animal toxicity studies, only minor adverse effects in
levels that are 5 to 7 times the proposed maximum recommended
human dose of 6 grams per day have been seen.
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Only minor adverse effects are associated with MSM administration in
humans and include allergy, GI upsets and skin rashes.
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MSM is rapidly excreted from the body and animal toxicity studies of
MSM showed only minor adverse events using doses of 1.5 g/kg and
2.0 g/kg of MSM for 90 days. This dose represents a human dose of
30 42 g/d, which is equivalent to 5 7 times the proposed maximum
recommended human dose of 6 g/d. A further study confirmed MSM
had no toxic effects on either pregnant rats or their fetus.
Drug, nutrient and food interactions:
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Interactions have been suggested as the next wave of studies
Interesting Information
Sulfur is the sixth most abundant macromineral in breast milk and the third most
abundant mineral based on percentage of total body weight.
The sulfur containing amino acids (SAAs) are methionine, cysteine, cystine ,
homocysteine, homocysteine, and taurine.
MSM supplementation in healthy, moderately exercise trained men may favorably
influence selected markers of exercise recovery. This effect appeared to be greater
with a daily dosage of 3.0 grams of MSM than a daily dosage of 1.5 grams.
Organic sulfur, as SAAs, can be used to increase synthesis of S adenosylmethionine
SAMe ), glutathione (GSH), taurine, and N acetylcysteine (NAC).
MSM may be effective for the treatment of allergy, pain syndromes, athletic
injuries, and bladder disorders.
Other sulfur compounds such as SAMe , dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), taurine,
glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate, and reduced glutathione may also have clinical
applications in the treatment of a number of conditions such as depression,
fibromyalgia, arthritis, interstitial cystitis, athletic injuries, congestive heart failure,
diabetes, cancer, and AIDS.
References
1.
Barrager E, Schauss A. Methylsulfonylmethane as a treatment for seasonal allergic rhinitis: additional data on
pollen counts and symptom questionnaire. Journal Of Alternative And Complementary Medicine (New York,
N.Y.) [serial online]. February 2003;9(1):15 16. Available from: MEDLINE Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed
August 5, 2015.
2.
DiSilvestro RA, DiSilvestro DJ, DiSilvestro DJ: Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) intake in mice produces elevated
liver glutathione and partially protects against carbon tetrachloride induced liver injury. FASEB J 2008, 22:445.8.
3.
Kim J H, Shin H J, Ha H L, et al. Methylsulfonylmethane suppresses hepatic tumor development through
activation of apoptosis. World Journal of Hepatology . 2014;6(2):98 106. doi:10.4254/wjh.v6.i2.98.
4.
Kim LS, Axelrod LJ, Howard P, Buratovich N, Waters RF: Efficacy of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) in
osteoarthritis pain of the knee: a pilot clinical trial.Osteoarthr Cartil 2006, 14(3):286 294.
5.
Kristmanson , Kevyn , Sandy Sajko , and Kent Stuber . "Efficacy of glucosamine, chondroitin, and
methylsulfonylmethane for spinal degenerative joint disease and degenerative disc disease: a systematic
review." Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association 55.1 (2011): 47+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Aug.
2015.
6.
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). Alternative Medicine Review [serial online]. November 2003;8(4):438 441.
Available from: Alt HealthWatch , Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 5,
7.
Nakhostin Roohi B, Barmaki S, Khoshkhahesh F, Bohlooli S: Effect of chronic supplementation with
methylsulfonylmethane on oxidative stress following acute exercise in untrained healthy men.J Pharm
Pharmacol 2011, 63(10):1290 1294.
8.
Parcell S: Sulfur in human nutrition and applications in medicine. Altern Med Rev 2002, 7(1):22 44.
9.
S. Brien, P. Prescott, N. Bashir, H. Lewith , G. Lewith , Systematic review of the nutritional supplements dimethyl
sulfoxide (DMSO) and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) in the treatment of osteoarthritis, Osteoarthritis and
Cartilage, Volume 16, Issue 11, November 2008, Pages 1277 1288, ISSN 1063 4584,
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Thanks Philly,
What a helpful report! Guess I'll stick with it for a while and see what happens. Sounds like there is not much downside other than the vile taste. After I finish my granules I may switch over to capsules.
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I would totally take the capsules...can you just switch now and not torture yourself with the granules? Sounds really gross lol!!
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Philly-I think I am just too cheap! I feel like I spend so much on various supplements that I hate to waste another $20. I keep trying different things to get the taste out of my mouth.
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I wonder if you encapsulated them yourself? There’s little encapsulation kits that you can get either on amazon or at your local health food market (they usually have them) and then buy a bunch of vegetarian gel caps and voila! You have a pill!!
May be worthwhile to have on hand
Something like this: Wananfu Capsule Filling Machine 00 for Empty Gelatin and Vegetarian Capsule 00 with Detailed Instructions, Spoon and Screwdriver -Filling Powdered Herb, Vitamins,Essential Oils and Supplements Easily https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0781D9QYX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TFGXDbXCVNP0E
and you just have to get the veggie capsules to fill up. Can be fun0 -
Thanks Philly-What a helpful suggestion! I didn't know there was a machine like that. I also take dried ginger every day-I could encapsulate that too instead of drinking it. Have a great weekend!
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I take MSM in a combination pill formulation of glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM. Triple Strength. Powder sounds challenging but you are right, this supplement is not cheap. I buy the largest size bottle, generic CVS brand, when CVS is having it buy 1, get 1 free sale (which seems to be every few weeks).
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Thanks JFL-I will look for that at CVS. I am big on their bogo vitamin sales-that's where I buy my biotin and Iron supplements.
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Can someone tell me what 300 mM MSM translates into in terms of milligrams, per the article below?
The combination of methylsulfonylmethane and tamoxifen inhibits the Jak2/STAT5b pathway and synergistically inhibits tumor growth and metastasis in ER-positive breast cancer xenografts
MSM is a natural sulfur containing compound which acts against various breast cancers [10, 27, 28] and is already found as an efficient drug in combination therapy against cancer cells [46]. Combination therapy is one of the methods we can employ to reduce the adverse effects of the drug, either by reducing the concentration of the individual drug, or by synergising the mechanism of the drug. The dosage of MSM we used in this study is a higher concentration. It is not the amount of MSM that contains in food. We used a concentration of 300 mM MSM (individual concentration) just for pharmacological purpose. In order to check the efficacy of combination therapy, we reduced the concentrations of both MSM (200 mM) and Tam (15 μM). Treatment with Tam may cause joint pain to the pateients, whereas MSM is an effective drug for the treatment of joint pain. So the usage of this drug combination may also reduce the joint pain caused by Tam.
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choco,
The bad news is that this thread has been inactive for almost two years. The good news is that many who posted are still active on bco. If they don’t see that this thread is active again, you can send them a private message. Take care.
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Chocomouse-Sorry I can't answer your question. I still take MSM every day but don't know how to translate the measurement.
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Bumping this thread again. Is anyone else taking MSM? I've taken it for over 4 years. It helped to thicken my hair. As I review the material, it seems it might be an effective supplement to block certain breast cancer pathways.
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I haven’t heard of it and I guess I didn’t see this thread when it was new, but it sounds very interesting and God knows I love trying supplements. Sounds like it may be worth the horrible taste. I will research further.
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After a few months, the taste stopped bothering me. Now it has no taste to me-almost like regular water.
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MSM is shown to have anti-cancer properties for HER2+ breast cance:
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is an organic sulfur-containing natural compound having no reported toxicity. We examined MSM in breast cancer cell lines and found it inhibited the proliferation of estrogen receptor-positive and HER2-positive breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. It also suppressed the activation of STAT5b and expression of HER2 in breast cancer cells. We determined the STAT5b binding site (GAS element) in the HER2 gene. Detailed analysis showed that MSM decreased the ability of STAT5b to bind the promoter of the HER2 gene and a luciferase assay demonstrated reduced activity. We confirmed that MSM can effectively regulate STAT5b, and thereby decrease HER2 expression.
Therefore, we recommend the use of MSM as an inhibitor for the management of HER2-positive breast cancers.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26648017/
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