A diet rich in the amino acid cysteine may have rejuvenating effects in the small intestine, according to a new study from MIT. This amino acid, the researchers discovered, can turn on an immune signaling pathway that helps stem cells to regrow new intestinal tissue.
This enhanced regeneration may help to heal injuries from radiation, which often occur in patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer. The research was conducted in mice, but if future research shows similar results in humans, then delivering elevated quantities of cysteine, through diet or supplements, could offer a new strategy to help damaged tissue heal faster, the researchers say.
“The study suggests that if we give these patients a cysteine-rich diet or cysteine supplementation, perhaps we can dampen some of the chemotherapy or radiation-induced injury,” says Omer Yilmaz, director of the MIT Stem Cell Initiative, an associate professor of biology at MIT, and a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. “The beauty here is we’re not using a synthetic molecule; we’re exploiting a natural dietary compound.”
Interesting study. It kind of goes against various “problem” amino acids, such as methionine or cysteine, sometimes mentioned by people online which can possibly be contributed to certain health conditions.
It would be nice to see ITP, or other testing programs doing various proteins(whey, casein, collagen etc), or amino acid blends/combinations in their longevity studies.
The body can also synthesize its own cysteine, by converting the amino acid methionine to cysteine—a process that takes place in the liver. However, cysteine produced in the liver is distributed throughout the entire body and doesn’t lead to a buildup in the small intestine the way that consuming cysteine in the diet does.
One can get cysteine from the following:
Best food sources of L-Cysteine for NAC production | Purovitalis.
| Food item | Approx. L‑Cystine (mg/100 g) |
|---|---|
| Roasted chicken leg (with skin) | ~740 mg |
| Braised lamb (lean cut) | ~721 mg |
| Grilled pork tenderloin | ~644 mg |
| Roasted goose | ~636 mg |
| Braised pork chop (with fat) | ~616 mg |
| Raw chicken leg (boneless, skinless) | ~599 mg |
| Braised pork chop (lean) | ~595 mg |
| Grilled beef steak | ~587 mg |
| Cooked chicken breast (lean) | ~571 mg |
| Boiled egg | ~480 mg |
Source: MyFoodData / USDA FoodData Central
| Food item | Approx. L‑Cystine (mg/100 g) |
|---|---|
| Raw oats | ~636 mg |
| Oat bran (raw) | ~541 mg |
| Boiled soybeans (edamame) | ~461 mg |
| Cooked lentil sprouts | ~328 mg |
| Cooked lupin beans | ~319 mg |
| Cooked split peas | ~249 mg |
| Cooked lentils | ~234 mg |
| Cooked green soybeans | ~203 mg |
| Cooked chickpeas | ~195 mg |