One of my readers have their own blog, Il diario di Fable. Today, he facebooked me with “I am so happy!” – wait a minute, this is someone with CFS — how can they be happy?  We had an excellent skype session and his latest post cites a WestonAPrice.org topic on sulfur-deficiency. This is interesting coincidental because earlier this week we found that sulfur vegetables encourages the growth of E.Coli (post) which CFS patients are low in (E.Coli is a dominant family in healthy individuals). A sulfur deficiency may lead to an E.Coli reduction to almost zero seen in CFS patients.

This blogger has been taking various probiotics , L Rhamnosus, Saccharomyces Boulardii, Mutaflor — but none had significant effect until sulfur was added. He is excited, he sees signs of remission — I am interested because it makes sense.

His post is in Italian but it translated into very clear English using Google Translate. There are tie in with Vitamin D3, ATP etc.

He identifies our love of soft water is likely a part of why we may have deficiency, as well as association between soil sulfur levels and the rate of many illnesses. An issue echoed by WHO scientists.

• “Cooking food in soft water also tends to remove magnesium, calcium, and other essential elements from food, making matters worse.” [2008]

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a supplement that he suggests and provides a link to another blogger, “HealthbBenefits of MSM: Microflora“.

Pub Med?

There has been zero studies on MSM and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, IBS. Two studies on fibromyalgia, none reporting on actual studies.

• ” the combined administration of MSM and boswellic acids ….significantly reduced patients need for anti-inflammatory drugs.” [2011]
•  “Sulfur is the sixth most abundant macromineral in breast milk and the third most abundant mineral based on percentage of total body weight.” [2002]

Bottom Line

Taking MSM alone may have little effect. Taking it with a  E.Coli probiotic would appear to be a reasonable approach. The E.Coli will both grow from it, but it will also transform it into other sulfur compounds in the body.

This is theoretical — there is no significant evidence for or against it.

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