Methionine - How Methionine Can Make Life Easier for AIDS and HIV-Infected Patients

Methionine is an amino acid used in the production of various phospholipids in the body which include lecithin, taurine, carnitine, cysteine and phosphatidylcholine. It is one of two amino acids that contain sulfur. It is not produced naturally in the body and therefore should be obtained from the food we eat.

Like its sulfur-containing pair cysteine, methionine also serves as an effective antioxidant and helps in body metabolism in the cellular level. It is a perfect scavenging agent against oxidative stress due to its ability to be converted to methionine sulfoxide. It is important because it can provide the body with the sulfur and methyl elements essential for human growth.

It is used to treat diseases of the liver especially those caused by carbon tetrachloride and arsenic. Methionine is also known to possess the ability to minimize the spread of the flu virus by inhibiting their further proliferation in the body.

An overdose of methionine increases acidity of urine and causes the elimination of calcium from the body. This is the reason why this amino acid is given to dogs as a dietary supplement to protect damage to plants by reducing the pH level of the animal urine. Calcium supplementation is recommended to compensate for the lost amount of calcium in the body.

Studies conducted on animal cells prove that methionine, like cysteine, is a key component in the production of glutathione. It is effective in increasing the amount of glutathione stored in the liver and muscles which, researchers say, could provide relief to patients with AIDS and those infected with the HIV virus. This can be attributed to the scavenging nature of methionine. AIDS is believed to be a disease brought about by oxidative stress and should be treated with effective antioxidants.

Some references indicate that methionine may cause atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries. This conclusion might have come from the fact that methionine is the source of homocysteine which is known to cause heart disease. However, studies show that homocysteine is solely responsible for the build up of plaque in blood vessel walls by causing an imbalance in the interior portion of the blood vessels called the endothelium.

Methionine can be obtained from fish, meat, eggs, tuna, wheat germ, oats, peanuts, corn, almonds, beans, brown rice, soy protein, sesame seeds, Brazil nuts and cereal grains. It is hardly found in fruits and vegetables and legumes.

Methionine should no be taken by people with kidney or liver disease as well as those currently taking MOA or monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Patients undergoing chemotherapy should not take this substance as well.