Current Health Hunters Newsletter:

Minerals are all around us on the earth. They are found in the soil and taken up by the roots of plants and concentrated. These micronutrient minerals are essential to our health. Some of the more talked about minerals are ones like calcium, magnesium, sodium and zinc. This article will focus on one of the lesser known, but incredibly important, minerals – sulfur!

The sulfur compound that we consume as part of our diet is called methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM.

This is the oxidized metabolite of dimethyl sulfoxide, or DMSO. Both of these provide biologically active sulfur, which is the fourth most plentiful mineral in the body (behind calcium, phosphorus, and potassium).

The sulfur cycle primarily begins in the ocean. Algae and phytoplankton release sulfur compounds that get converted into DMSO and MSM in the presence of ozone and ultraviolet light. These water soluble compounds fall to earth in rain and are taken up by plants, which concentrate them up to 100-fold1.

Sulfur is also found in high concentrations in the earth’s core. Therefore, naturally occurring sulfur is present in large quantities around areas of volcanic eruptions and hot springs. People travel long distances to bathe in these sulfur-containing baths to maintain a youthful appearance and treat a variety of skin conditions.

As a supplement, MSM is a very safe way to ingest the biologically active form of sulfur. Virtually no adverse side effects have been reported in the research. Some people report mild digestive symptoms if they take too much. Because MSM helps promote detoxification in the liver, some people have also reported headaches or symptoms related to rapid detoxification.