By David Liu, PHD

Saturday May 11, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking a dietary supplement known as methylsulfonylmethane or MSM may help osteoarthritis in adults, according to a new Japanese study published in Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism.

The study also suggests that children or adolescents should not use MSM because MSM may retard the growth of body weight, the liver and the spleen in those who are not mature.

J. Ezaki from National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Tokyo, Japan and colleagues conducted a study in rats and found supplementation of MSM for 13 weeks decreased degeneration of the cartilage in the knee joints of adult mice with osteoarthritis.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) has already been a popular dietary supplement that is commonly used as a healthful food in Japan to relieve inflammation in arthritis and allergies.  The current study was intended to provide some evidence to either prove or disprove the efficacy of MSM in treating osteoarthritis.

For the study, four groups of 6-week old rats were assigned to use either a control or a methylsulfonylmethane supplemented diet and three groups of 10-week old mice with osteoarthritis were assigned to receive a control diet or a diet with MSM supplemented.

MSM used in the study was in three doses including 0.06 grams of MSM per kg body weight per day, which is equivalent to the amount recommended for humans, 0.6 grams per kg body weight per day and 6 grams of MSM per kg body weight per day.

The study shows that supplementation of methylsulfonylmethane for four weeks did not affect cartilage formation in the knee joint in young rats.   But young rats supplemented with six grams of MSM per kg per day had a smaller body, liver, and spleen, compared with those on the control diet.

However, supplementation of MSM for 13 weeks did decrease degeneration of the cartilage at the joint surface in the knee joints in adult mice with osteoarthritis in a dose-dependent manner. 

The researchers concluded "These results suggest that appropriate intake of MSM is possibly effective in OA (osteoarthritis) model mice; however, intake of large amounts of MSM induced atrophy of several organs."

The study suggests that an adult with osteoarthritis with 180 pounds of body weight may use 5 grams of methylsulfonylmethane or MSM per day without any adverse effects.