MSM is naturally present in body fluids and tissues and is found in milk and a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains in small amounts. 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 pharmaceutically 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 anticholinesterases, thereby providing protection against insecticide exposure of ingestion. 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 sulfur requirement, 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 a high correlation between abnormal physiological symptoms and low blood levels in human beings. Although MSM is found as a natural constituent of foodstuffs, 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 show that MSM occurs in lower concentrations with increasing age.