Amino Acids

	Folic Acid
	Glutathione
	Glycine
	Methionine
	Ornithine
	Phenylalanine
	Proline
	Taurine
	Threonine
	Tryptophan
	Tyrosine
	Valine

Methionine - Benefits, Deficiency Symptoms And Food Sources

Methionine is an essential amino acid that is required for the absorption, transportation, and bioavailability of zinc and selenium in the body. Methionine supplies sulfur and other compounds required by the body for normal metabolism and growth. It is an important source of dietary sulfur.

Functions and Benefits of Methionine

It helps in the breakdown of fats and thereby prevents the build-up of fat in the arteries, as well as assisting with the digestive system and removing heavy metals from the body since it can be converted to cysteine, which is a precursor to gluthione, which is of prime importance in detoxifying the liver. Methionine is needed to make creatine, a nutrient naturally found primarily in muscle tissue that provides the energy our muscles need to move, and has been found to boost athletic performance during short, intense workouts. Taurine works in electrically active tissues to stabilize cell membranes. Taurine aids the movement of potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium in and out of cells and thus helps generate nerve impulses.

If anyone has any serious illness or are pregnant, only take an amino acid such as methionine after consulting your physician.

Recommended Dosage for Methionine

The dosage listed underneath is the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), but be aware that this dosage is the minimum that you require per day, to ward off serious deficiency of this particular nutrient. In the therapeutic use of this nutrient, the dosage is usually increased considerably, but the toxicity level must be kept in mind. The daily dosage of methionine is about 12 mg per kilogram of body weight per day - which would translate to about 840 mg for a 70 kg male.

Food Sources of Methionine

Meat, fish, and dairy are all good sources of methionine. Vegetarians can obtain methionine from whole grains, but beans are a relatively poor source of this amino acid.

Foods High in Methionine content are listed below:

• Cottage Cheese (dry): 1,200 mg/cup.
• Cottage Cheese (crmd): 854 mg/cup.
• Fish & Other Seafoods: 2,000-3,500 mg/lb.
• Meats: 750-2,500 mg/lb.
• Poultry: 1,500-2,000 mg/lb.
• Roasted Peanuts: 640 mg/cup.
• Sesame Seeds: 1,400 mg/cup.
• Dry, whole lentils: 350 mg/cup.

Deficiency Symptoms of Methionine

Methionine deficiency can cause apathy, loss of pigmentation in hair, edema, lethargy, liver damage, muscle loss, fat loss, skin lesions, weakness, and slowed growth in children. When methionine levels are low, folate becomes trapped in the liver as 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate, causing a temporary folic acid deficiency since this form cannot be used. This is also seen in Vitamin B12 deficiencies and may be an important factor in all allergy and some anemia patients.