MSM Supplement Helps Fight Mimic Wrinkles

How to deal with mimic wrinkles at home? American researchers experimented with people aged 35-69 years and found that the consumption of MSM supplement, even in modest doses (1 g per day), has its benefits. The facial wrinkles become smaller and may even disappear altogether. This study’s results were published in early 2020 in the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research.

MSM Supplement Role for Skin

A youthful, radiant, healthy appearance is a common desire of an aging population. It is reflected in the billions of dollars spent annually on vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, and antioxidants in an effort to help maintain skin’s appearance and promote overall well-being.

Products that create “beauty from within” provide endogenous support to reduce aging’s effects and manifestations. These products currently include antioxidants such as polyphenols, phytonutrients, vitamins C and E, as well as structural components such as hydrolyzed collagen and hyaluronic acid, biologically active peptides, oligosaccharides, plant polyphenols, carotenoids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids [2, 3 ].

The addition of these products has been shown to have signs of altered aging, such as skin wrinkles around the eyes, as well as UV protection against aging in several human studies [2, 4].

What is MSM Supplement?

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a naturally occurring component of the environment available in a variety of foods, including milk, grain, fruits, and vegetables [5].

It is a regular oxidation product of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and may be part of the natural global sulfur cycle [6].

MSM Powder as an Organic Form of Sulfur

Sulfur is the third most abundant mineral in the body, obtained almost exclusively from proteins.

Only two amino acids, methionine, and cysteine contain sulfur. Methionine cannot be synthesized in the body and, therefore, must be ingested with food.

On the other hand, cysteine ​​is synthesized by the human body, but this process requires a constant sulfur supply.

MSM is an organic form of sulfur [5] that plays a vital role in many organs and body systems.

Plants concentrate MSM, available for them in the soil and from the atmosphere. That is why it becomes available to us in many food products.

MSM vitamin has long been associated with skin health because of its fundamental role in physiological processes. They included collagen synthesis, hyaluronic acid, and keratohyalin, the most abundant matrix molecules in the skin [8-10].

Sulfur amino acids make a significant contribution to cellular systems’ maintenance and integrity, affecting the redox state of cells and their ability to detoxify toxic compounds, free radicals, and reactive oxygen species [11].

Any food excess is readily oxidized to sulfate, excreted in the urine (or reabsorbed depending on nutritional status), or stored as glutathione (GSH).

There is evidence that MSM sulfur can be incorporated into the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine ​​to provide a dietary sulfur source. Also, MSM can influence the compartmentalization and metabolism of sulfur [6].

MSM Benefits: Acne, Arthritis, and Other Diseases

MSM is known to be a beneficial nutrient and therapeutic agent for the following conditions:

• acne, 
• arthritis, 
• muscle pain, 
• weak nails, 
• dry or rough skin, 
• other diseases. 

Besides, it has been demonstrated that supplementation with MSM powder improves several health-specific indicators, including inflammation, joint/muscle pain, oxidative stress, and antioxidant capacity [12-16].

It has become a popular dietary supplement as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. When taken orally, MSM is rapidly absorbed, well-distributed, and effectively excreted from the body [5, 17].

Oral MSM supplementation has been shown to affect the skin at a genetic level by regulating some genes responsible for inflammation, skin barrier, and hydration, as well as genes involved in the structural integrity of the skin that is associated with the aging process [18].

MSM is generally recognized as a safe and approved substance. It is well tolerated by most people at doses up to four grams per day, with few known and mild side effects [16], and is reported to be non-toxic [5, 19].

Hormonal imbalances, inflammation, smoking, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and environmental stress all contribute to skin aging through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can potentially damage cell membranes, proteins, and DNA.

Free radicals are composed of oxygen molecules with an unpaired electron. They are induced by several exogenous and endogenous factors, including exposure to ultraviolet radiation, environmental pollution, stress, smoking, and normal metabolic processes.

Studies show that free radicals induce changes in gene expression pathways, which, in turn, contribute to collagen degradation and elastin accumulation, characteristic of photoaging skin [20, 21].

MSM supplement supports the body’s natural antioxidant pathways by increasing levels of glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase [22].

This overload of oxidative stress and free radical production can ultimately destroy connective tissue and collagen and release chemicals that lead to cellular and molecular events that are characterized as signs of aging.

In particular, wrinkle formation, uneven skin tone, dyspigmentation, inflammation, immunosuppression, photoaging, photocarcinogenesis, and skin laxity.

Nutricosmetics for the Regulation of Internal Processes in the Body

Nutricosmetics provide nutritional antioxidant supplements to support endogenous antioxidant enzymes that can help regulate oxidative stress internally and help achieve a healthier skin appearance from the inside out [1].

Among the ingredients used in nutricosmetics, antioxidants are the most important. The best-known antioxidants are carotenoids (beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin) and polyphenols (anthocyanidins, catechins, flavonoids, tannins, and procyanidins) [2].

Inflammation is known to contribute to the degradation of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. Thus, reducing inflammation is another integral approach to preventing wrinkle formation.

Antioxidants and free radical scavengers protect the skin by reducing skin inflammation by directly acting on receptors for cytokines and growth factors in dermal cells and keratinocytes [23-27].

Interventions that suppress, prevent, or alter chronic inflammation dynamics hold great promise for the treatment or prevention of various age-related pathologies.

The anti-inflammatory properties of MSM supplement have great potential in maintaining skin health by reducing damage through inflammatory cascades.

Studies have shown that MSM powder can reduce the production of interleukin (IL) -1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and nuclear factor (NF) -KB [ 28-31].

Since MSM crystals can inhibit the transcriptional activity of NF-kB, it reduces the expression of enzymes and cytokines involved in ROS production. Downregulation of COX-2 and iNOS minimizes the amount of superoxide radical (О2 -) and nitric oxide (NO), respectively [29].

Previous studies have clearly shown that 16 weeks of oral administration of 3 g / day MSM is very effective in reducing fine wrinkles and improving the skin’s appearance and condition [18].

Based on this, a new study was designed to determine whether MSM would be useful at a lower dose and what is the most effective dosage for improving skin quality.

Previous Research on the Effects of MSM Supplement on the Skin

The researchers divided 20 subjects into 2 groups. One group took 3 grams of MSM daily for 16 weeks, the other a placebo. During this time, the researchers saw that the wrinkles in the corners of the subjects’ eyes partially disappeared in the MSM group [18].

New Research: Can MSM Fight Mimic Wrinkles?

In a second study, researchers compared the effect of a supplement with 1 gram of MSM with the impact of a supplement with 3 grams of MSM per day.

To do this, they divided 63 subjects into 2 groups in an experiment that took 16 weeks. The number of wrinkles and/or the size of expression lines decreased in both groups [30].

Regular Intake of MSM Has a Beneficial Effect on the Body: Scientists’ Findings

The studies presented were well designed to observe the MSM benefits on the skin using three aspects of assessment: instrumental measurements, peer review, and subject self-esteem. This multi-valued approach lent strength and credibility to the data presented in this manuscript. While this study showed a good understanding of MSM’s effect on reducing signs of aging, the results do not explain the mechanism of action.

More controlled studies are needed to further test the efficacy and hypothetical mechanisms of action. Based on this study’s limitations and conditions, oral administration of MSM resulted in significant improvements in skin appearance and condition as measured by peer review, instrumental measurements, and participant self-esteem. This study indicates that MSM taken by mouth can be beneficial for skin health and reduce fine lines and wrinkles at just 1 gram per day.

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