Methionine
Methionine is an essential sulfur amino acid. Supplemental evidence for specific conditions is limited.
Overview
What is methionine?
Methionine is an essential amino acid. It is the precursor to cysteine.
Dosage
The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of methionine and cysteine combined is 19 mg/kg daily.
Effect graph
Effect heatmap
SupplementDEX Database
6 conditions for and rated at least stars. All purchase bands. No minimum star filter.
Database Snapshot
Most methionine research is concentrated in a handful of conditions.
- Colorectal cancer accounts for 3 of 11 studies (27%).
- Breast cancer accounts for 2 of 11 studies (18%).
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) accounts for 2 of 11 studies (18%).
- Sparse coverage remains for Breast cancer, Human papillomavirus (HPV), Neural tube defects.
Dietary Sources
Top dietary sources
Food sources
Sources include Beef, Brazil Nuts, Firm Tofu, Large White Beans, Low-Fat Ricotta Cheese, Milk, Pork, Quinoa, Tuna, and Turkey.
Safety
Oral methionine is likely safe when used in amounts found in natural foods.
Frequently Asked Questions
References
Sources10 references
SupplementDEX uses only high-quality sources to determine supplement effectiveness.
SupplementDEX Database · Neural tube defects
2 references1.SupplementDEX Database: Neural tube defects — Dietary methionine is involved in the etiology of neural tube defect-affected pregnancies in humans2001
A case-control study of 170 neural tube defect pregnancies found maternal dietary methionine intake above 1,580 mg/day was associated with 30–55% lower NTD risk.
2.SupplementDEX Database: Neural tube defects — Is dietary intake of methionine associated with a reduction in risk for neural tube defect-affected pregnancies?1997
A California case-control study found maternal dietary methionine intake above 1,342 mg/day before conception was associated with about 30–40% lower risk of NTD-affected pregnancies.
SupplementDEX Database · Breast cancer
2 references3.SupplementDEX Database: Breast cancer — The association between dietary intakes of methionine, choline and betaine and breast cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis2023
A meta-analysis of 21 observational studies found little evidence that dietary methionine or betaine intake affects breast cancer risk; choline showed an inverse association only in case-control studies.
4.SupplementDEX Database: Breast cancer — Association of vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and methionine with risk of breast cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis2013
A dose-response meta-analysis found higher serum pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and dietary methionine intake were inversely associated with breast cancer risk, especially among postmenopausal women.
SupplementDEX Database · Colorectal cancer
3 references5.SupplementDEX Database: Colorectal cancer — Dietary methionine intake and risk of incident colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis of 8 prospective studies involving 431,029 participants2013
A meta-analysis of 8 prospective cohorts (431,029 participants) found higher dietary methionine intake was associated with lower colon cancer risk (RR 0.77), especially in Western studies and men.
6.SupplementDEX Database: Colorectal cancer — The influence of folate and multivitamin use on the familial risk of colon cancer in women2002
A prospective cohort of 88,758 women found high folate and methionine intake and multivitamin use reduced excess colon cancer risk associated with a family history of colorectal cancer.
7.SupplementDEX Database: Colorectal cancer — Nutritional status of folate and colon cancer risk: evidence from NHANES I epidemiologic follow-up study2001
An analysis of 14,407 NHANES I participants found high folate intake was inversely associated with colon cancer in men, and low folate plus low methionine with high alcohol increased risk.
SupplementDEX Database · Hot flashes
1 reference8.SupplementDEX Database: Hot flashes — Effect of L-methionine on hot flashes in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial2009
An RCT of 51 postmenopausal women found L-methionine up to 2 g/day for 12–20 weeks did not reduce hot flash composite scores more than placebo.
9.SupplementDEX Database: Human papillomavirus (HPV) — Coenzyme Q(10), vitamin E, selenium, and methionine in the treatment of chronic recurrent viral mucocutaneous infections2012
Two RCTs in 88 patients with recurrent HPV warts or herpes infections found a coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, selenium, and L-methionine nutriceutical accelerated healing and reduced relapses vs standard therapy alone.
10.SupplementDEX Database: Human papillomavirus (HPV) — Oral supplementation with a nutraceutical containing Echinacea, methionine and antioxidant/immunostimulating compounds in patients with cutaneous viral warts2011
An RCT of 172 patients with cutaneous warts found adding a methionin-containing nutriceutical to standard therapy increased complete remission to 86% vs 54.5% and reduced new wart formation.