What Should I Know About L-Cysteine

L-cysteine is an amino acid commonly sold in dietary supplement form. Also found naturally in the human body, L-cysteine is available in many foods as well. Use of L-cysteine supplements is said to offer a variety of health benefits.

Uses

In alternative medicine, L-cysteine is touted as a natural treatment for the following health problems:

angina
cardiovascular disease

In addition, L-cysteine is said to enhance lung health in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Some proponents claim that L-cysteine can also help prevent colon cancer, boost sports performance, and promote detox.

Health Benefits

So far, research on the health effects of taking L-cysteine supplements is limited. However, there's some evidence that L-cysteine may offer certain health benefits. Here's a look at several key findings from the available research:

1) Diabetes

Animal-based research indicates that L-cysteine may aid in the treatment of diabetes. In a 2009 study published in Free Radical Biology & Medicine, for instance, diabetic rats treated with L-cysteine experienced a significant decrease in blood sugar levels and in insulin resistance.

Additionally, L-cysteine appeared to inhibit blood vessel inflammation (shown to be a key contributor to heart disease among diabetes patients).

More: Natural remedies for diabetes.

2) Colitis

A 2009 study from the Dutch journal Biochimica et Biophysica Acta suggests that L-cysteine shows promise in the treatment of colitis (a type of inflammatory bowel disease).

In tests on pigs, scientists found that L-cysteine may help reduce colitis-associated inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

3) Free Radicals

L-cysteine may help prevent exercise-induced overproduction of free radicals (a process shown to contribute to oxidative stress). In an experiment involving 10 male basketball players, the authors of a 2007 study published in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine determined that one week of supplementation with L-cysteine helped boost antioxidant capacity and reduce free radical production.

Food Sources

There are a number of foods that contain L-cysteine, including meat, dairy products, eggs, and legumes.

Caveats

Although little is known about the safety of long-term use of L-cysteine supplements, there's some concern that taking L-cysteine in combination with certain medications (such as prednisone and other drugs that suppress the immune system) may increase the potency of those medications and trigger adverse effects.

Supplements haven't been tested for safety and due to the fact that dietary supplements are largely unregulated, the content of some products may differ from what is specified on the product label. Also keep in mind that the safety of supplements in pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, and those with medical conditions or who are taking medications has not been established.

You can get additional tips on using supplements here.

Where to Find It

Widely available for purchase online, L-cysteine supplements are sold in many natural-foods stores, drugstores, and stores specializing in dietary supplements.

Using It for Health

Due to the limited research, it's too soon to recommend L-cysteine supplements as a treatment for any condition. It's important to note that self-treating a chronic condition—especially a serious illness such as COPD or cardiovascular disease—and avoiding or delaying the use of standard care can have serious health consequences. If you're considering the use of L-cysteine supplements, consult your physician first to weigh the potential risks and benefits.

_Sources:

_{Jain SK, Velusamy T, Croad JL, Rains JL, Bull R. "L-Cysteine Supplementation Lowers Blood Glucose, Glycated Hemoglobin, CRP, MCP-1, and Oxidative Stress and Inhibits NF-KappaB Activation in the Livers of Zucker Diabetic Rats." Free Radic Biol Med. 2009 Jun 15;46(12):1633-8.}

_{Kim CJ, Kovacs-Nolan J, Yang C, Archbold T, Fan MZ, Mine Y. "L-cysteine Supplementation Attenuates Local Inflammation and Restores Gut Homeostasis in a Porcine Model of Colitis." Biochim Biophys Acta. 2009 Oct;1790(10):1161-9.}

_{Parthimos T, Tsopanakis C, Angelogianni P, Schulpis KH, Parthimos N, Tsakiris S. "L-cysteine Supplementation Prevents Exercise-Induced Alterations in Human Erythrocyte Membrane Acetylcholinesterase and Na+,K+-ATPase Activities." Clin Chem Lab Med. 2007;45(1):67-72.}

Disclaimer: The information contained on this site is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis or treatment by a licensed physician. It is not meant to cover all possible precautions, drug interactions, circumstances or adverse effects. You should seek prompt medical care for any health issues and consult your doctor before using alternative medicine or making a change to your regimen.