Vitamins, Minerals
& Weight Loss

Below is an excerpt from Part Two of

The 2004 Multi-Diet

by Anderson A. Anonymous, M.D., Ph.D.

Sulfur

Recommended Dietary Intake

Neither the FDA nor the Food and Nutrition Board has made any official RDI recommendations for sulfur. The daily nutritional requirement for sulfur is unknown and there is very little discussion of the issue in most nutrition texts.

However, sulfur must be considered an important macromineral based on its known metabolic uses and the amounts normally present in the body. Virtually all nutrition texts simply assume (probably correctly) that an adequate intake of protein will also provide sufficient sulfur because sulfur is contained in protein’s constituent amino acids cystine, cysteine, and methionine.

The USDA Nutrient Database does not report the amounts of sulfur in various foods so it is difficult for individuals to track the amounts eaten. The healthy adult human body contains approximately 180,000-mg (180-g) of sulfur. The chemical symbol for sulfur is “S”.

Absorption, Metabolism, Excretion of Sulfur

Like most of the macrominerals, sulfur is absorbed primarily in the small intestine and excreted by the kidneys.

Sulfur Deficiency/Toxicity Symptoms

A lack of sulfur prevents growth, probably due to the associated lack of protein. Toxicity symptoms are unknown.

Sources of Sulfur

Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and protein foods in general are considered good sources of sulfur. Dried beans, broccoli, and cauliflower are also good sources. I know of no available sulfur supplements. The amino acids cystine, cysteine, and methionine are assumed by almost all specialists to provide sufficient sulfur if an adequate amount of protein is eaten.

Deductive advice about Sulfur

There seems to be no reason to believe that the usual assumption of adequate sulfur intake from protein is not accurate. Therefore since you will be paying strict attention to protein while on the Multi-Diet, you should not have a problem with sulfur. (See more on… protein.) Sulfur supplements are unavailable (and we wouldn’t know how much of them to take if they were), so if you feel uncomfortable with the above assumption I suggest simply including several servings per week of dried beans, cauliflower, or broccoli in meals. These foods are always included on lists of “high-sulfur” foods, though the exact amounts of sulfur contained in them are rarely mentioned.

Since your internal sulfur balance, like that of the other macrominerals, is chiefly maintained by the kidneys, it is important to drink enough water to allow the kidneys to eliminate any excess properly.