Methionine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that is responsible for the production of collagen and is a powerful antioxidant that helps fight free radicals in the body as well as slow the aging process.
Our bodies are amazing at healing and generating exactly what we need. However, there are a few things that we need to incorporate into our daily diet to give it the building blocks it needs to run as efficiently as possible. The nine essential amino acids fall into that category as they cannot be made by the body and must be supplied by your diet. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are needed to help build and repair muscles and tissues. Having a lack of any of these will, over time, affect both your physical and mental health.
One of these essential amino acids is L-methionine. It is responsible for a number of important body functions and plays a critical role in your body’s metabolism. It’s also a powerful antioxidant and as such helps fight free radicals in the body as well as slow the aging process. Methionine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that is responsible for the production of collagen, which is known to help enhance the condition of skin, hair, and nails.
L-Methionine may also help boost your immune system, as high methionine levels in the body can also increase the levels of other amino acids such as glutathione, homocysteine, and taurine, which all play important roles in immune function. In addition, selenium and zinc cannot be absorbed by the body without the aid of L-Methionine. Since L-Methionine acts as a chelator, it is also used in helping treat acetaminophen and copper poisoning. This is because your body makes cysteine from methionine, which is in turn converted into glutathione, the main detoxification agent in the body.
Methionine also helps the body produce SAMe (S-Adenosyl-L-methionine), which has been used to treat psychiatric illnesses, infertility, liver problems, premenstrual disorders, and musculoskeletal conditions. Studies on SAMe have shown that it is as effective as tricyclic antidepressants in alleviating depression.
Ongoing studies that show promise are also being conducted to determine how effective L-Methionine may be for treating HIV/AIDS, liver damage, Parkinson’s disease, and urinary tract infections.
In addition, according to WebMD, L-Methionine is also used for…
- increasing the acidity of urine
- treating liver disorders
- improving wound healing
- treating depression
- alcoholism
- allergies
- asthma
- anti-aging effects
- copper poisoning
- radiation side effects
- schizophrenia
- drug withdrawal
L-Methionine can be found in a number of foods including fish, meat, dairy products, sesame seeds, and some nuts. You can also find it in Jon Barron’s Ultimate Antioxidant and as one of the amino acids in his Nutribody Protein formulas.
great article! very well laid
great article! very well laid out.
Homocysteine
You say that L-Methionine may also help boost your immune system, as high methionine levels in the body can also increase the levels of other amino acids such as… homocysteine… I read that homocysteine is a TERRIBLE thing, it causes inflammation!! High homocysteine levels aer a very BAD thing… so please explain!
Ahh! If only health and
Ahh! If only health and nutrition were as simple as you present them. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case might be), that’s not true. First of all, methionine is not the problem when it comes to high homocysteine levels; diet is. Blood levels of homocysteine tend to be highest in people who eat a lot of animal protein and consume few fruits and leafy vegetables, which provide the folic acid and other B vitamins that help the body rid itself of homocysteine. Which brings us to methionine. Yes, homocysteine is produced in the body from methionine. But before you panic, read on. One of methionine’s main functions is to provide methyl groups for cellular reactions. A methyl group is a chemical fragment consisting of one carbon and three hydrogen atoms. When methionine donates a methyl group for a cellular reaction, it becomes homocysteine. Typically, homocysteine then receives another methyl group from either folic acid or vitamin B6 to regenerate methionine—thus removing the homocysteine.
Oh, and one other thing to consider. Methionine is an essential amino acid. If you avoid it, your body can’t manufacture it and things start to break down. Symptoms of deficiency include:
Oh, and severe deficiency of methionine can cause dementia-like symptoms.
Hope the explanation helps.
methionine/homocysteine
Yes your info helps and thanks… I eat a very good diet, mostly fruit and veg… but my LDL was 180 last test… homocysteine was at 9. Since I have cut way back on meat, almost no read meat… but still until recently eating a good amount of cheese… maybe a 500mg methionine supplement would be good then?
I can’t figure out the high LDL, all the Docs are pushing me towards statins, but took some pravastatin for 3 days and had serious hip pain for a week… so very leery… and stopped. I am thinking maybe leaky gut is the baseline problem…
BTW: I think foods contain folate, not folic acid (unless artificially added), which is synthetic, right? But… don’t panic!
Skoal,
JJ
Astigmatism, Fibromyalgia, Uterine Fibroids, Low Muscle Mass
Thank you so much for this information!!!
All of the sudden after several car accidents and going Deaf and mute, now at 43 i have
Astigmatism
Fibromyalgia
Uterine Fibroids
Low Muscle Mass
Depression
I found out it’s all about Serotonin, Cytokines, Glutathione and Methionine.
I take supplements and as soon as I started taking all this minerals I had no pain, no depression, my Uterine Fibroids started to shrink!!! My vision much better!! : ) I stated lifting weights and wow! I got hard muscles! This is just in 3 weeks!!
I’m super happy!!
Thanks for this information it helped me a lot.