The team, from the Universities of Manchester and Kyoto, said last week that the supplement – known as SAMe – could be broken down inside the body into substances that cause a wide range of medical problems, including kidney and liver damage. Abbreviation for S-adenosylmethionine, SAMe is available online in the UK as an agent that can help with a number of ailments, including joint and liver disease, and promote emotional well-being. But Jean-Michel Fustin, of the University of Manchester, said experiments he and his colleagues had found that SAMe was broken down into adenine and methylthioadenosine in the body. These substances are known to be toxic, he added. “This discovery came from the blue,” Fustin said last week. “When we gave the supplement to mice we expected it to become healthier. On the contrary, we found the opposite. “We found that when SAMe is broken down in the body, it produces highly toxic molecules, including adenine, which causes gout, kidney disease and liver disease.” Fustin added that although their study – published in Communications Biology last week – was performed on mice, the results were human-related. “We have not yet tried the supplement in men and women, but we have added it to human cells in laboratory cultures and found that it had the same effect as in mice.” SAMe is not sold in pharmacies in the UK. However, many companies offer the supplement for sale on the Internet as a factor in promoting joint comfort, liver health, mobility and “positive mood”. It is also marketed as a liver health promoter for dogs and cats in some locations. “We studied the impact that SAMe had on mice’s body clocks and found that instead of improving, their biological rhythms became slower and slower. “It was clear that something was wrong,” Fustin said. Their study, funded by the Medical Research Council and the Japan Society for the Advancement of Science, makes it clear that the health benefits of SAMe are at least doubtful, Fustin added. “It is not clear which dose can be safe, so there is a good chance that a safe dose will be exceeded if one takes this supplement – if there is a safe dose at all.” A response was requested from the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (MRHA).
