Vitamin U and acne, dandruff and eczema

Acne, dandruff and eczema are skin conditions the origins of which are often idiosyncratic and mysterious. However, one characteristic shared by all three conditions is low glutathione levels. Glutathione is by far the most important antioxidant in the human body, yet we absorb little of it from our food- that's why our body makes it. 

There are three main causes of low glutathione - 

1. A medical condition that drains large amounts of glutathione

2. A genetic block that prevents the biosynthesis or regeneration of glutathione

3. Not enough glutathione precursors in our diet

Identifying the root cause of your skin condition is an important first step in the healing process. However, this is easier said than done. Often we just don't know why these conditions happen. Sometimes they can break out suddenly and worsen quickly, particularly under stress. At other times, symptoms can persist chronically for years.

Irrespective of the root cause, restoring your glutathione levels is a vital part of this rebalancing act. Glutathione is a tripeptide comprised of cysteine, glutamate and glycine. Of these amino acids, cysteine is most commonly in short supply. If glutathione levels are low due to dietary factors, it is usually due to a shortage of cysteine. Cysteine is found in protein, especially that derived from animals. Cysteine is also made from methionine, again abundant in animal proteins. These sulfur amino acids are also plentiful in grain proteins. However, some people find that meat/dairy/grain are inflammatory for other reasons like hormones or allergens. 

Vitamin U is S-methylmethionine, a soluble nutrient abundant in vegetables and fruit that is converted into methionine by the enzyme BHMT2. There have not been any direct studies into whether Vitamin U has any effect on these three conditions, whether taken internally in the diet or as a supplement, or when applied topically as an active component of a lotion. However, taking Vitamin U can help restore glutathione levels which are low in the tissues affected by acne, dandruff and eczema, so it is quite likely that increasing your intake of Vitamin U will help with these conditions, especially in combination with the identification and removal of triggers of these conditions in you. 

A glass of freshly-made vegetable juice every day is an excellent way to boost your Vitamin U intake along with a slew of vitamins and minerals essential for good skin health.

Celery Juice and Vitamin U

Recently, drinking celery juice has been promoted as a cure for a whole range of ailments. The original promoter Anthony William recommends drinking 16-32 oz of celery juice daily. He stipulates the juice should be fresh, not mixed with other ingredients and that juicing is better than blending. Williams has stated that the science behind the healing powers of celery juice have yet to be discovered. Hollywood types and regular people who get with the program report improved skin quality and gut function among other health improvements, though results are still pending on its effect on most conditions.

Nutritionists have responded that while celery juice can be part of a well-rounded diet, it should not be considered the cure-all being touted. Some are concerned by the removal of fiber. Some consider the positive effects result primarily from the water content rather than any nutrient in the juice. Others generally state that celery juice is nothing special and won't cure anything. There are also skeptics who question William's conflation of the scientifically-backed benefits of eating vegetables with the nonscientific rationale for how this improves health.

Drinking celery juice is most likely good for us. From a scientific standpoint, celery juice contains lots of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that will improve our health if we are not getting enough from our regular diet. Celery juice is also low in calories, unlike most fruit juices. Celery juice might help people psychologically in helping people make healthy lifestyle choices like avoiding bad foods and getting regular exercise.

It is quite likely that some of the health benefits resulting from drinking celery juice daily can be ascribed to boosting one's intake of Vitamin U. For those unfamiliar with Vitamin U (S-methylmethionine), it was discovered as an anti peptic ulcer factor during the 1940s-1950s by Dr Garnett Cheney. Patients with peptic ulcer disease were cured by drinking 1 liter of fresh cabbage juice every day for 7-10 days. Cheney found that other vegetables like celery also worked and increased the palatability of the treatment. Later research found that all vegetables and fruit have Vitamin U, especially in the stalky part. One of its functions in plants is to facilitate the movement of methionine between roots and leaves/fruit. Being mostly stalk, celery makes large amounts of Vitamin U to function. 

Most people have chronically low levels of glutathione, which results in chronically high levels of inflammation. People differ in their susceptibility to inflammation according to their genetic makeup, their diet and lifestyle. Vitamin U in celery juice probably improves the function of every body part by helping to restore glutathione levels, thereby reducing inflammation.