Methionine is one of the 10 essential amino acids that the body cannot manufacture and therefore must be obtained from the diet. Like other amino acids, methionine is vital for the formation of countless proteins that make up not only the dry tissue of the body, but many of its vital enzymes. Logically, since it is an essential component of protein, protein foods are the best source of methionine in the diet. Meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products are known as first-class proteins because they contain all the essential amino acids. A diet that contains a good supply of each of these food groups should normally provide enough amino acids, including methionine, for most purposes, but vegetarians can also achieve a satisfactory intake through careful combination of foods.

However, special attention has been paid to methionine as a precursor to s-adenosyl methionine, also known as SAM or SAM-e, a compound produced naturally in the body by the metabolism of methionine. S-adenosyl methionine was isolated in Europe in the 1950s and has been used there as a prescription drug, but has only recently been seen as a food supplement in the US It is known that a large number of biochemical reactions require its presence, including the transmission of nerve impulses between cells. Conventional medical opinion insists that healthy people should obtain all the e-SAMe they need for these purposes from dietary methionine intake, but various clinical or subclinical conditions can affect the body’s ability to metabolize SAMe. e this way.

In particular, the brains of those suffering from depression have been found to be deficient in s-adenosyl methionine, as well as in serotonin, the so-called “wellness” hormone. There is good research evidence in Europe that supplementation with between 800 and 1,600 mg per day of SAM-e increased serotonin levels, significantly improved the condition of patients suffering from moderately severe clinical depression, and was also helpful in some cases more serious. This research appears to validate the practice of many years of methionine supplementation by psychiatrists interested in the possibilities of nutritional therapy.

Thus, there seems to be encouraging reason to believe that methionine or SAM-e may be useful alternatives to conventional drug therapies in some cases of depression and may offer similar benefits without the side effects of the drugs.

But depression is just one of the conditions for which s-adenosyl methionine appears to offer therapeutic value. There is also good evidence from European studies that supplement doses similar to those used to combat depression can be helpful in addressing problems with liver function, including hepatitis and even cirrhosis. And given SAM-e’s apparent potential to improve emotional and psychological health, some therapists have suggested that it may be helpful in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs.

At least one large study has shown that the anti-inflammatory effects of s-adenosyl methionine provide relief from the symptoms of osteoarthritis, and there are some more speculative reasons to believe that it may also be beneficial for Parkinson’s sufferers. disease and multiple sclerosis.

Orthodox medical opinion, however, insists that more research is required before the potential value of s-adenosyl methionine for any of the above conditions can be definitively established. While these concerns may appear to reflect undue caution, it is certainly true in any case that methionine or any other amino acid supplements should not be taken in isolation for an extended period of time due to the risk of creating an imbalance.

Most importantly, in the case of s-adenosyl methionine, it should be noted that there is a potential risk that supplementation will lead to homocysteine ​​accumulation. This is another amino acid produced naturally in the body, but excess levels are known to be a factor that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and related diseases. Fortunately, however, this is a risk that can be easily avoided simply by ensuring a generous intake of B vitamins, folic acid, B6, and B12. And, as always happens with the B complex, these do not work properly in isolation, so a good dietary intake of the entire complex is also required.

With this important caveat, and although its potential benefits may have been hyped in the media, supplementation with s-adenosyl methionine seems worth a try for those suffering from the specific conditions mentioned above, whose natural levels of methionine and SAM- e They may have been depressed both because of their own condition and because of other factors.

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