Cysteine is a non-essential amino acid, a building block of proteins that occurs naturally in the human body. It can be synthesized from methionine and other amino acids, and acts as a component of other amino acids. Cysteine is one of the few amino acids that contains sulfur, which allows it to bond to other proteins and maintain the structure of those proteins.
Cysteine helps to strengthen the protective lining of the stomach and intestines, which can reduce the risk of ulcers and lessen the damage caused to the stomach and intestines by aspirin and similar drugs. Cysteine also plays an important role in the immune system by improving communication between different types of immune cells. In addition, it can be converted into glucose to provide the body with extra energy. Some studies suggest that patients with HIV have low cysteine levels in the blood; as a result, low levels may contribute to a suppressed immune system.
Because it is produced naturally in the body, cysteine is usually not consumed as a supplement. However, a variation of the amino acid, n-acetyl cysteine (which contains cysteine), is often sold as a dietary supplement. Most clinical research has been conducted on n-acetyl cysteine; as a result, little is known about the appropriate levels or consumption of cysteine.
Cysteine occurs naturally in the body from the synthesization of other amino acids. Cysteine is also found in some foods that contain high levels of protein, including eggs, cheese and red meat.
While virtually no research has been conducted on cysteine, preliminary studies on n-acetyl cysteine suggest that extremely large amounts may cause oxidative damage and/or nerve damage in animals. In addition, because cysteine is derived in large part from methionine, people need to have adequate amounts of methionine to prevent a cysteine deficiency from occurring. As of this writing, there are no well-known drug interactions with cysteine. As always, make sure to consult with a licensed health care provider before taking cysteine or any other dietary supplement or herbal remedy.
References
Chronic pain afflicts over 20% of the adult population. Sadly, most MDs have essentially no education in treating pain, beyond offering a few toxic medications. Then they tend to steer people with pain away from those health practitioners who are trained. This puts the acupuncture community on the front lines for addressing this epidemic.
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One of the things that makes acupuncture so difficult to measure is that the medicine actually does contain some esoteric aspects. There have been numerous studies that demonstrate the neurochemical reasoning behind why acupuncture points stimulate the autonomic nervous system to enact change However, not all the benefits of TCM can easily be measured by randomized, controlled trials. But does that make them fundamentally and definitively untrue?
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