Methionine is an essential amino acid, meaning we need to get it from our diet as our body does not produce it. Methionine is a unique sulfur-containing amino acid that can be used to build proteins and produce many molecules in the body.
Methionine is found in a variety of protein-containing foods and is often higher in animal proteins than plant proteins. It is highest in fish and chicken and also eggs, milk, and red meat.
Many cancer cells require methionine to grow, hence a methionine restriction can be recommended for cancer prevention and/or people with existing cancers.
Methionine restriction—best achieved through a plant-based diet—may prove to have a major impact on people with cancer because, unlike normal tissues, many human cancer cells require the amino acid methionine to grow (this is also known as “absolute methionine dependency“). Studies have shown that the less methionine there is in body tissues, the longer different animals tend to live.
Methionine is an essential amino acid, meaning we need to get it from our diet as our body does not produce it. Therefore, we do require a certain amount of methionine to prevent deficiency. Plant foods are naturally lower in methionine, however we can still meet our baseline methionine needs from these plant foods without the need for supplements (like protein shakes) or animal products that will supply a greater quantity of methionine that add up to higher levels than we need.
References:
-https://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/08/a-low-methionine-diet-may-help-starve-cancer-cells/
-https://nutritionfacts.org/video/starving-cancer-with-methionine-restriction/
-https://nutritionfacts.org/video/methionine-restriction-as-a-life-extension-strategy/
-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4524624
-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22342103
-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22171665
-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18789600
-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15955547
-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11603655
-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14585259
With the proper development, dietary methionine restriction, either alone or in combination with other treatments, may prove to have a major impact on people with cancer.
Understand and improve your laboratory results with our health dashboard.
Upload your lab reports and get interpretation today.
Our technology helps to understand, combine, track, organize, and act on your medical lab test results.
Many cancer cells require methionine to grow, hence a methionine restriction can be recommended for prevention and/or people with existing cancers. Methionine restriction—best achieved through a plant-based diet—may prove to have a major impact on people with cancer because, unlike normal tissues, many human cancer cells require the amino acid methionine to grow (this is also known as “absolute methionine dependency“). Studies have shown that the less methionine there is in body tissues, the longer different animals tend to live.
With the proper development, dietary methionine restriction, either alone or in combination with other treatments, may prove to have a major impact on people with cancer.
High methionine intake can increase homocysteine levels and also increase risk of depression, while lower methionine intake may extend lifespan, slow cancer growth, and improve insulin sensitivity.
It is recommended to focus on meeting the baseline methionine needs from a diet rich in plant-based food versus animal-based foods.
Interpret Your Lab Results
Upload your lab report and we’ll interpret and provide you with recomendations today.
Get StartedGet Started With Our Personal Plan
Advanced Plan
Unlimited Plan
Are You a Health Professional?
Get started with our professional plan
Welcome to Healthmatters Pro.
Save time on interpreting lab results with the largest database of biomarkers online. In-depth research on any test at your fingertips, all stored and tracked in one place. Learn more
Pro Plan
for health professionals
$45 per month
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
1-Methylhistidine (Plasma), 3-Methylhistidine (Plasma), Alanine (Plasma), Alpha-Amino-n-butyric acid (Plasma), Alpha-Aminoadipic Acid (Plasma), Alpha-ANB/Leucine, Anserine (Plasma), Arginine (Plasma), Asparagine (Plasma), Aspartic Acid (Plasma), Beta-Alanine, Beta-Aminoisobutyric Acid (Plasma), Carnosine (Plasma), Citrulline, Cystathionine (Plasma), Cystine, Ethanolamine (Plasma), g-Aminobutyric Acid (Plasma), Glutamic Acid (Plasma), Glutamic Acid/Glutamine, Glutamine (Plasma), Glycine (Plasma), Histidine (Plasma), Homocysteine (Genova), Homocystine (Genova), Hydroxylysine (Genova), Hydroxyproline (Genova), Hydroxyproline/Proline (Genova), Isoleucine (Plasma), Leucine (Plasma), Lysine (Plasma), Methionine (Plasma), Ornithine (Genova), Phenylalanine (Plasma), Phenylalanine/Tyrosine (Genova), Phosphoethanolamine (Plasma), Phosphoserine (Plasma), Proline (Plasma), Sarcosine (Plasma), Serine (Plasma), Taurine (Plasma), Threonine (Plasma), Tryptophan (Plasma), Tryptophan/LNAA (Genova), Tyrosine (Plasma), Valine (Plasma)