Page 16 - Fall2012

Excess METHIONINE, B VITAMINS, GLYCINE As a result, it is critical for the maintenance and
Successful traditional diets provided muscle
methionine in meats together with organ meats and gelatinous repair of existing tissue, the building up of new
tissue, and cellular communication. Methylation
diets rich in materials such as bones, gristle and other con- is especially important for the passing along of
muscle meats nective tissue. These combinations provided a epigenetic information from parent cells to their
generates toxic healthy balance between the methionine found daughter cells as they multiply. Liver is rich in
all of the B vitamins important to this process.
in muscle meats, the B vitamins found in organ
byproducts meats, and the glycine found in connective tis- Muscle meats provide smaller amounts of most
while the sue. Modern diets, by contrast, provide abundant of them, but are relatively poor in folate. Folate
supply of quantities of methionine-rich muscle meats while is found primarily in liver and legumes, with
organs and connective tissue have fallen by the
modest amounts in egg yolks and some seeds,
glycine is wayside. The result of this imbalance is that seafood, and leafy greens (Table 2). When any
depleted. methionine is unable to fulfill its proper cellular of these vitamins is missing, methionine fails to
functions and generates toxic byproducts instead, contribute properly to methylation and instead
while the supply of glycine is depleted. Together, generates homocysteine, a potentially toxic by-
these changes are likely to contribute to reduced product that may contribute to cardiovascular
longevity and chronic disease (Figure 1). disease. 4
Methionine is an amino acid that we obtain In support of the relevance of these pathways
from most dietary proteins, but is especially to human nutrition, a randomized, placebo-
abundant in animal proteins (Table 1). As shown controlled trial showed that three months of
in Figure 2, folate and vitamin B , and to a combined supplementation with folic acid and
1-3
12
lesser extent vitamin B , niacin, and riboflavin, vitamin B lowered homocysteine concentra-
6
12
assist methionine in carrying out one of its ma- tions. In the same study, a single large dose of
5
jor cellular functions: the addition of a single methionine temporarily increased homocysteine
carbon atom together with a small assortment of concentrations, while supplementation with
hydrogen atoms to a wide variety of molecules, a B vitamins protected against this effect. This
process known as “methylation.” Methylation is study demonstrates the critical need for balance
important for the synthesis of many cellular com- between methionine and these B vitamins, and
ponents and for the regulation of gene expression. suggests that many people may not be getting

ARTICLE SUMMARY

• Successful traditional diets provided many nutrients that cooperate with one another to produce excellent health.
This article provides several illustrative examples of this type of cooperation.

• Methionine from muscle meat contributes to cell growth and repair, cellular communication, antioxidant defense,
and detoxification. In order to fulfill these functions, however, methionine must be balanced with B vitamins, choline,
and glycine from organ meats, egg yolks, legumes, leafy grains, skin and bones.

• Vitamins A, D and K cooperate to protect our soft tissues from calcification, to nourish our bones and teeth, and to
provide children with adequate growth. We obtain these nutrients together by consuming organ meats, cod liver
oil, fatty fish, grass-fed animal fats, green and orange vegetables, and fermented plant foods.

• Magnesium is required for every process in the body. Among its many interactions, magnesium is required for proper
calcium metabolism. Magnesium is abundant in many plant foods and some seafood, but there is little magnesium
in meat and almost none in refined sugar and refined grains. Consuming a balanced diet devoid of refined sugar and
refined grains is the best way to obtain adequate magnesium.

• These interactions demonstrate that biology is very complex. Rather than thinking about whether certain nutrients
from traditional diets are good for us or bad for us, we should seek to understand how they all work together in
proper balance to promote radiant and vibrant health.
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