The amino acid methionine reduces the severity of inflammation.
A popular dietary supplement may help the body cope with dangerous inflammation and reduce the risk of severe complications. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the Salk Institute, who studied how the amino acid methionine affects the course of inflammatory conditions in mice. The results of the study were published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
In experiments, methionine protected animals from exhaustion, damage to the blood-brain barrier, and death during infection. Unexpectedly, the kidneys played a key role: the supplement enhanced their filtration function, allowing pro-inflammatory molecules—cytokines, which in excess lead to tissue damage—to be removed from the blood more quickly.
The researchers showed that this effect is preserved in other models—during sepsis and acute kidney injury. Moreover, methionine did not completely suppress the immune response but rather helped keep inflammation within safe limits, without hindering the body's ability to fight infection.
The authors emphasize that this is still only about experiments on animals. However, the results indicate an underestimated role of nutrition and kidney function in controlling inflammation and open up prospects for new approaches to treating severe inflammatory conditions—from infections to complications in kidney diseases.
