At low levels of ingestion, it functions as a normal dietary ingredient and assimilable source of essential dietary sulfur. At higher levels, it functions as a pharmaccutically active agent which can be used safely and effectively for a variety of purposes. MSM, like DMSO, enhances urinary taurine secretion produced by aromatic hydrocarbons in man and neutralizes the toxicity of anti-cholinesterases, thereby providing protection against insecticide exposure or ingestion. MSM and many precursor compounds which are readily converted to MSM in the body, are found in most natural, unprocessed foods. Unless the diet consists largely of raw, unprocessed, foods it is unlikely that sufficient MSM will be ingested to contribute significantly to the daily nutritional requirements, thus furthering the high incidence of sulfur deficient diets which exist globally.
Sulfur plays an indispensable role in human nutrition which is often overlooked.
It is responsible for the conformation of body proteins through the formation of disulfide bonds, thereby holding connective tissue together. To perform these roles, constant intake of assimilable sulfur is needed by the body. Although MSM has not yet been established to be a vitamin, it does have a vitamin-like moderating or normalizing activity for various body functions, as there appears to be high correlation between abnormal physiological symptoms and low MSM blood levels in human beings. Although MSM is found as a natural constituent of food stuffs, like vitamin D, the principle supply is believed to be synthesized by the body using one of its naturally occurring precursor compounds. Also, excretion data shows that MSM occurs in lower concentrations with increasing age.