X-Message-Number: 11307
From: 
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 22:12:56 EST
Subject: MSM & DMSO

In response to my mention of the book about MSM (The Miracle of MSM, The
Natural Solution for Pain, by Jacob, Lawrence, & Zucker, Putnam,
1999),Damien Broderick (#11301) has passed along some comments about DMSO,
indicating some possible toxicity or side effects. However, although MSM
is a metabolite of DMSO, and is advocated (for certain purposes) by some
of the same people who advocate DMSO (for certain purposes), it is a
different compound, and findings of side effects or toxicity for DMSO do
not necessarily carry over to MSM. 

 

The specific claim for non-toxicity of MSM, quoting from the book:  

"In long term toxicity trials with laboratory animals we found no toxic
effects with oral doses of 8 grams per kilogram…of body weight. Most
people take from 2 to 8 grams total as a daily supplement." In other
words, humans take less than 1%, proportionately, of a dose found harmless
to laboratory animals. Also: "For MSM…the LD-50 [50% lethal dose] was more
than 20 grams for each kilogram of body weight." This compares, they say,
to LD-50 of 2.5 to 3 grams per kilogram of body weight for common table
salt, and more than 20 grams per kilogram for water. In other words, MSM
is about as non-toxic as water, and much less toxic than salt, if the
authors' figures are correct.  

Robert Ettinger Cryonics Institute Immortalist Society
http://www.cryonics.org  

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