Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Oral MSN supplementation of 3 grams per day significantly increased blood levels in a time-dependent manner.

Methylsulfonylmethane, more commonly known as “MSM”, is a naturally occurring compound found in small quantities in foods such as milk, fruits and vegetables, coffee, and tea (1). Because it is usually removed during food processing and/or preparation, consuming the average diet is thought to lead to low blood levels of MSM, suggesting a possible role for supplementation. MSM possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and has achieved popularity in helping with muscle recovery after exercising and helping manage joint pain during normal walking (2).

Short-term studies have shown that MSM supplementation of 3 grams per dose significantly increases blood levels within 90 minutes (4). Now a new study (5) suggests a possible benefit with long-term supplementation. In the study, 40 healthy men aged 18 to 32 were supplemented with 3 grams of MSM daily (20 men) or placebo (20 men) for four weeks. Blood samples were collected before the study started and at weeks 2 and 4.

The method used to measure the MSM blood levels (NMR Spectroscopy (6)) cannot detect levels below 0.002 milliMolar (mM). All but one of the 40 men had levels below 0.002 mM (0.0028 mM for the one subject) so no exact values before the study started were provided. As a result, no data were provided for the placebo group for the weeks 2 and 4 measurements; data were only provided for the supplement group.

MSM supplementation of 3 grams per day significantly increased MSM blood levels by week 2 to an average of 1.68 mM and then 1.91 mM by week 4 (p < 0.05). When looking at MSM levels between weeks 2 and 4, only 13 of the 20 men demonstrated higher serum MSM values at week 4 as compared to week 2. Of these 13 men, 8 men demonstrated an increase at week 4 of at least 25% above what was observed at week 2. When offering an explanation for some men having larger increases than others, the researchers suggested that increased body mass appeared to be “weakly/moderately” correlated to MSM blood levels (p =0.03). However, they added “it is likely that metabolic factors involved in the uptake, distribution, and storage of MSM in humans also contribute to serum MSM concentrations.”

For the researchers, “[blood levels of MSM] increase following oral MSM supplementation, in somewhat of a time-dependent manner in selected subjects. The pattern of increase varies somewhat from subject to subject, although all individuals experience an increase of approximately 1-3 mM after 2-4 weeks of supplementation.

Source: Bloomer, R. J., D. A. Melcher, and R. L. Benjamin. “Serum MSM Concentrations Following One Month of MSM Treatment in Healthy Men.” Clin Pharmacol Biopharm 4.135 (2015): 2.

Posted July 6, 2015.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

References:

  1. Pearson TW, Dawson HJ, Lackey HB (1981) Natural occurring levels of dimethyl sulfoxide in selected fruits, vegetables, grains, and beverages. J Agric Food Chem 29:1089-1091
  2. Kim YH, Kim DH, Lim H, Baek DY, Shin HK et al. (2009) The anti-inflammatory effects of methylsulfonylmethane on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses in murine macrophages. Biol Pharm Bull 32: 651-656
  3. Krieger DR, Schwartz HI, Feldman R, Pino I, Vanzant (2009) A Pharmacokinetic Dose-Escalating Evaluation of MSM in Healthy Male Volunteers. Final Report – Miami Research Associates for Bergstrom Nutrition.
  4. Krieger DR, Schwartz HI, Feldman R, Pino I, Vanzant (2009) A Pharmacokinetic Dose-Escalating Evaluation of MSM in Healthy Male Volunteers. Final Report – Miami Research Associates for Bergstrom Nutrition
  5. Bloomer RJ, Melcher DA, Benjamin RL. Serum MSM Concentrations Following One Month of MSM Treatment in Healthy Men. Clin Pharmacol Biopharm 2015; 4: 135
  6. Engelke UFH, Tangerman A, Willemsen MAAP, Moskau D, Moskau D et al. (2005) Dimethyl Sulfone in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid and Blood Plasma Confirmed by One-Dimensional 1H and Two dimensional 1H-13C NMR. NMR in Biomedicine 18: 331-336