L-METHIONINEor Selenomethionine??

[Guest guest]

In searches, I come up with these two but not " sulphadenosyl-

methionine " . Can anyone who takes this help?

Thanks! :-)

Eileen

> This treatment consisted of sulphadenosyl-methionine (800 mg per

> day), Vitamin C (180 mg per day), Vitamin E (30 mg per day), Vitamin

> A (2,400 microg per day), and selenium (75 microg per day).

>

[Guest guest]

sulphadenosyl-methionine is Sam-E? I did'nt realize that. I have some

here at home! 'm just not clear if that is the methionine written

about in the articles of supplements to take for this.

Eileen

[Guest guest]

Eileen wrote:

> In searches, I come up with these two but not " sulphadenosyl-

> methionine " . Can anyone who takes this help?

> Thanks! :-)

Eileen,

No, sulphadenosyl-methionine is NOT Sam-E. Sam-E IS NOT recommended.

The product you are looking for is L-Methionine, and is sold by

Solgar brand vitamins, minerals and amino acids. You can find

L-Methionine in health food stores. Here is an article about it.

*************************

Methionine

What does it do? Methionine is one of the essential amino acids

(building blocks of protein). It supplies sulfur and other compounds

required by the body for normal metabolism and growth. Methionine

also belongs to a group of compounds called lipotropics; others in

this group include choline, inositol, and betaine (trimethylglycine).

Persons with AIDS have low levels of methionine. Some researchers

suggest this may explain some aspects of the disease process,1 2 3

especially the deterioration that occurs in the nervous system that

can cause symptoms, including dementia.4 5 A preliminary study has

suggested that methionine (6 grams per day) may improve memory recall

in persons with AIDS-related nervous system degeneration.6

Other preliminary studies have suggested that methionine (5 grams per

day) may help treat some symptoms of Parkinson's disease.7 However,

another form of methionine, S-adenosylmethionine, or SAMe, may worsen

the symptoms of Parkinson's disease and should be avoided until more

is known.8 9 10 11 12

Methionine (2 grams per day) in combination with several antioxidants,

reduced pain and recurrences of attacks of pancreatitis in a small but

well-controlled trial.13

Where is it found? Meat, fish, and dairy are all good sources of

methionine.

Methionine has been used in connection with the following conditions

(refer to the individual health concern for complete information):

Ranking Health Concerns

Secondary Pancreatitis

Other HIV support

Liver support

Parkinson's disease

Who is likely to be deficient? Most people consume plenty of

methionine through a typical diet. Lower intakes during pregnancy

have been associated with neural tube defects in newborns, but the

significance of this is not yet clear.14

How much is usually taken? Amino acid requirements vary according to

body weight; however, average-size adults require approximately

800–1,000 mg of methionine per day—an amount exceeded by most Western

diets. Therefore, most people would not benefit from methionine

supplementation.

Are there any side effects or interactions? Animal studies suggest

that diets high in methionine, in the presence of B-vitamin

deficiencies, may increase the risk for atherosclerosis (hardening of

the arteries) by increasing blood levels of cholesterol and a compound

called homocysteine.15 This idea has not yet been tested in humans.

Excessive methionine intake, in the presence of inadequate intake of

folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, can increase the conversion

of methionine to homocysteine—a substance linked to heart disease and

stroke. Even in the absence of a deficiency of folic acid, B6, or B12,

megadoses of methionine (7 grams per day) have been found to cause

elevations in blood levels of homocysteine.16 However, whether this

relationship creates a significant hazard for humans taking

supplemental methionine has not been established. Supplementation of

up to 2 grams methionine daily for long periods of time has not

produced any serious side effects.17

At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions

with methionine.

Within Healthnotes Online, information about the effects of a

particular supplement or herb on a particular condition has been

qualified in terms of the methodology or source of supporting data

(for example: clinical, double blind, meta-analysis, or traditional

use). For the convenience of the reader, the information in the table

listing the supplements for particular conditions is also categorized.

The criteria for the categorizations are: " Primary " indicates there

are reliable and relatively consistent scientific data showing a

health benefit. " Secondary " indicates there are conflicting,

insufficient, or only preliminary studies suggesting a health benefit

or that the health benefit is minimal. " Other " indicates that an herb

is primarily supported by traditional use or that the herb or

supplement has little scientific support and/or minimal proven health

benefit.

References:

1. Muller F, Svardal AM, Aukrust P, et al. Elevated plasma

concentration of reduced homocysteine in patients with Human

Immunodeficiency Virus infection. Am J Clin Nutr 1996;63:242–6.

2. Revillard JP. Lipid peroxidation in Human Immunodeficiency Virus

infection. J Acquired Immunodef Synd 1992;5:637–8.

3. Singer P, Katz DP, Dillon L, et al. Nutritional aspects of the

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Am J Gastroenterol 1992;87:265–73.

4. Tan SV, Guiloff RJ. Hypothesis on the pathogenesis of vacuolar

myelopathy, dementia, and peripheral neuropathy in AIDS. J Neurol

Neurosurg Psychiat 1998 65:23–8.

5. Keating JN, Trimble KC, Mulcahy F, et al. Evidence of brain

methyltransferase inhibition and early brain involvement in

HIV-positive patients. Lancet 1991;337:935–9.

6. Dorfman D, DiRocco A, Simpson D, et al. Oral methionine may improve

neuropsychological function in patients with AIDS myelopathy: results

of an open-label trial. AIDS 1997;11:1066–7.

7. Smythies JR, Halsey JH. Treatment of Parkinson's disease with

l-methionine. South Med J 1984;77:1577.

8. Charlton CG, Mack J. Substantia nigra degeneration and tyrosine

hydroxylase depletion caused by excess S-adenosylmethionine in the rat

brain. Support for an excess methylation hypothesis for parkinsonism.

Mol Neurobiol 1994;9:149–61.

9. Crowell BG Jr, Benson R, Shockley D, Charlton CG.

S-adenosyl-L-methionine decreases motor activity in the rat:

similarity to Parkinson's disease-like symptoms. Behav Neural Biol

1993;59:186–93.

10. Benson R, Crowell B, Hill B, Doonquah K, Charlton C. The effects

of L-dopa on the activity of methionine adenosyltransferase: relevance

to L-dopa therapy and tolerance. Neurochem Res 1993;18:325–30.

11. Cheng H, Gomes-Trolin C, Aquilonius SM, et al. Levels of

L-methionine S-adenosyltransferase activity in erythrocytes and

concentrations of S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine in

whole blood of patients with Parkinson's disease. Exp Neurol

1997;145:580–5.

12. Charlton CG, Crowell B Jr. Parkinson's disease-like effects of

S-adenosyl-L-methionine: effects of L-dopa. Pharmacol Biochem Behav

1992;43:423–31.

13. Uden S, Bilton D, L, et al. Antioxidant therapy for

recurrent pancreatitis: placebo-controlled trial. Aliment Pharmacol

Ther 1990;4:357–71.

14. Shaw GM, Velie EM, Schaffer DM. Is dietary intake of methionine

associated with a reduction in risk for neural tube defect-associated

pregnancies? Teratology 1997;56:295–9.

15. Toborek M, Hennig B. Is methionine an atherogenic amino acid? J

Optimalt Nutr 1994;3(2):80–3.

16. McAuley DF, Hanratty CG, McGurk C, et al. Effect of methionine

supplementation on endothelial function, plasma homocysteine, and

lipid peroxidation. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 1999;37:435–40.

17. Leach FN, Braganza JM. Methionine is important in treatment of

chronic pancreatitis. Br Med J 1998;316:474 [letter].

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With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are based on personal experience or

opinion only, and should not be substituted for professional medical

consultation.

[Guest guest]

OH THANK YOU Heidi!! Because SAM-e gives me heart palpitations.

Eileen

Thank you so much for getting back to me and helping me with this,

your a gem.

Eileen

> Eileen,

>

> No, sulphadenosyl-methionine is NOT Sam-E. Sam-E IS NOT recommended.