MSM, short for methylsulfonylmethane, is an important organic sulfur and hot new dietary supplement. Sulfur is an vital element to life and current research points to methylsulfonylmethane as the most important source of organic sulfur for the body. Unfortunately, MSM is extremely rare in most modern western diets. Methylsulfonylmethane is present in various fresh fruits and vegetables but rapidly deteriorates from almost any type of food processing and just with time. The problem is that most of our diets do not include much if any of these fresh foods. Most of our foods are preserved, cooked, or otherwise processed in a way that destroys methylsulfonylmethane and those rare times that some of us do get fresh, uncooked, and unprocessed fruits or vegetables (such as from a farmer’s market) is simply not a steady or sufficient MSM intake that we need.
It is likely that the importance of a MSM supplement in modern diets has been grossly underestimated. The known benefits of methylsulfonylmethane are already so extensive that many health professionals consider a sufficient daily intake of MSM be essential to general good health and for everyone. As such, a MSM supplement is recommended and intended for everyone.
Why Do We Need a MSM Supplement?
Methylsulfonylmethane deficiency has been linked to depression, increased stress (psychological and physical), and a great number of other degenerative diseases and conditions that happen to be quite common in western societies. Coincidence? That’s not for us to say but it is a fact that the production, distribution, and culinary conventions and practices in modern societies eliminate almost all methylsulfonylmethane from our diets. This is why a MSM supplement is important to our modern diets and suggested for everyone.
Health Benefits of Methylsulfonylmethane
Many studies have been performed on the health benefits of a MSM supplement with much more in progress. Here are just a few of the many known and correlated health benefits from a MSM supplement in the diet:
– Reducing any form of Chronic Pain (well documented and proven highly effective).
– Promoting health and growth of hair, nails, and skin.
– Alleviating allergy symptoms.
– Reducing chronic fatigue and stress.
– Detoxification and antioxidant effects.
– Reducing Arthritis-related joint degeneration, pain, and inflammation.
This is nowhere near the full list and new research is still looking into even more health benefits from a MSM supplement. There are no known or reported side effects to methylsulfonylmethane; it is a safe supplement even in very high doses. This should not be any surprise because MSM and sulfur in general (like vitamin C) is considered a macro supplement. This means our bodies need large quantities (relative to ‘micro’ supplements) for normal and healthy functioning.
To add a little personal anecdote, I myself (the author) have been taking around 3g (3000 mg) of MSM powder daily (originally for hair and skin health) for close to half a year and have experienced exceptional benefits for arthritis relief (in the fingers), improved and more consistent energy throughout the day (metabolism), as well as the original intent, healthier hair and skin.
In conclusion, our diets are commonly deficient in organic sulfur and methylsulfonylmethane is an important (perhaps the most important) source of this sulfur, a vital element to life. Accordingly, a MSM supplement has proven extremely beneficial to general good health in addition to a large list of specific conditions. It is healthy, safe, and recommended to everyone. However, because it is still a new supplement in the nutritional health field, many health professionals may not yet have heard of methylsulfonylmethane. There is still a great deal of current research but MSM is definitely a rising star. Nearly everyone who tries a MSM supplement reports great health benefits, often in a number of different ways (just look at some of the customer reviews on MSM supplements). If you have not yet heard of methylsulfonylmethane, you should definitely look more into it and find out how a MSM supplement could benefit you.