How sulfur deficiency may contribute to the inability to raise Vitamin D levels and chronic diseases like dementia. Where to get this critical nutrient naturally in whole foods to help support natural detoxification via the body’s elimination pathways.
A neighbor of mine who is in his 70’s, looks 50, and still does triathlons once told me that his mother used to make him drink well water. He hated it because it stunk to high heaven of rotten eggs! That rotten egg smell is, of course, hard water with high amounts of sulfur in it. She told him that it would boost his immune system and keep him healthy.
Smart lady.
Unfortunately, sulfur, also spelled sulphur, is all but forgotten as a critical nutrient in recent decades. Yet, this important element is very necessary for the maintenance of health. Moreover, it is important for the prevention of debilitating illnesses such as Metabolic Syndrome and perhaps Alzheimer’s.
Shockingly, a Minimum Daily Requirement (MDR) to avoid sulfur deficiency does not even exist! This despite the fact that this mineral is the eighth most common element by mass in the human body.
Countries With High Sulfur Intake Are Some of the Healthiest
The countries of Greece, Italy, and Japan are the primary suppliers of sulphur to the rest of the world. Isn’t it coincidental that these same countries enjoy some of the lowest rates of heart disease and obesity on the planet?
Perhaps not. Icelanders’ remarkably low rates of depression, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease can possibly be attributed to the country’s distinctive line of volcanoes. Periodic eruptions blanket the soil with sulphur containing volcanic rock. This enriched soil is of tremendous benefit to any plants grown or animals grazing there. In turn, people who use these plants and livestock for food enjoy greatly enhanced health.
It was once thought that the Icelandic diet was so protective against chronic illness due to a high intake of fish. This theory does not hold up, however, as Icelanders who move to Canada and continue eating a lot of fish do not continue to enjoy the same low rates of disease.
It seems that the Icelandic soil which is unusually rich in sulphur may indeed play a pivotal role in the health and avoidance of sulfur deficiency of its residents.
Sulphur’s Critical Role in the Body
Sulphur is critical to many of the body’s biological processes, metabolism included.
Without adequate sulphur, glucose metabolism becomes defective. This leads to muscle and fat cell damage as the result of becoming glucose intolerant. Over time, sulphur deficiency can lead to all manner of skeletal and muscle disorders with corresponding pain and inflammation.
This impaired glucose metabolism resulting from insufficient sulphur is also implicated as a factor in obesity and the dangerous condition known as Metabolic Syndrome. This occurs because one way the body compensates for defective glucose metabolism is by gaining weight.
When sulphur deficiency occurs within the context of a lowfat diet, the problem becomes more serious. Additional sources of glucose present in a lowfat diet in the form of carbohydrates are converted to fat. Worse, these lipids are released into the bloodstream as triglycerides to fuel damaged and inflamed muscle cells.
Alzheimer’s Disease Partly Due to Sulfur Deficiency?
Analysis of the minerals present in the cells of the typical Alzheimer’s patient reveals that sulphur is almost nonexistent compared with a normal profile.
Some research has indicated that the reversal of a serious sulphur deficiency state can prevent or halt the progression of this disease. In addition, it may potentially reverse it provided the patient is still in the early stages where little brain damage has occurred. Coconut oil for Alzheimer’s has shown promise as well.
Could the skyrocketing cases of Alzheimer’s in recent years be related to the shunning of eggs by older Americans? Eggs are an excellent source of sulfur! Yet, in adult living facilities and nursing homes, egg replacements like Egg Beaters are commonly used instead.
Sulphur Helps Mobilize Vitamin D from the Sun?
When unprotected skin is exposed to the sun, the skin synthesizes vitamin D3 sulfate. While vitamin D is fat-soluble, vitamin D3 sulfate is a form of the vitamin that is actually water-soluble. This allows it to travel freely in the blood throughout the body.
On a side note, the vitamin D3 in supplements is not the same vitamin D3 as what you get from the sun and should not be considered an adequate substitute.
Sunlight exposed skin also produces large amounts of cholesterol sulfate, providing cholesterol levels are sufficient for this to happen.
The sun, then, has the potential to provide sulfur to the body in the form of vitamin D3 sulfate and cholesterol sulfate.
Could undiagnosed sulfur deficiency and/or insufficient natural cholesterol in the diet be contributing to the epidemic of undiagnosed Vitamin D deficiency?
Make Sure You Get Enough to Avoid Sulphur Deficiency!
It is quite shocking that sulfur is basically ignored in nutritional circles. Nonetheless, it is a critical nutrient and one that is necessary for vibrant health and prevention of chronic disease.
One very simple way to improve the body’s sulfur status quickly is through regular Epsom salt baths. 2-3 per week soaking for 20 minutes is a sensible regimen. Epsom salt is comprised of magnesium sulfate, and both magnesium and sulfur absorb readily into the body via the skin. One caveat: Be sure to buy USP certified Epsom salts. Avoid lower quality agricultural grades.
With regard to dietary sources, another excellent way to ensure you get enough is to eat more eggs! The incredible edible egg contains high amounts of natural sulfur. Eggs also supply natural cholesterol to ensure enough is available to mobilize sulfur combined with Vitamin D in the blood. Other foods high in this element include onions, garlic, and cabbage.
Do not rely on dried fruit treated with sulfur dioxide. This is not a healthy source of sulfur!
Another caveat to note is that while certain plant foods should contain lots of sulphur, it is likely the amounts are low. Why? Sulfur rich produce is dependent upon cultivation in sulfur-rich soil.
Most soils today are depleted of this critical nutrient (unless of volcanic origin or organically treated with azomite volcanic rock dust). Thus, unless you are sure about where your vegetables are grown, relying on eggs for adequate sulfur in the diet is the decidedly better way to go!
Reference
 A Possible Contributing Factor in Obesity, Heart Disease, Alzheimer’s and Chronic Fatigue
In response to Sarah’s comment “On a side note, the vitamin D3 in supplements is not the same vitamin D3 as what you get from the sun and should not be considered an adequate substitute.” This is not correct. It’s vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) that is synthetic.
Vitamin D metabolism
Cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol are biologically inactive precursors of vitamin D and must be converted to biologically active forms in the liver and kidneys. Indeed, following dietary intake or synthesis in the epidermis of skin after UVB exposure, both forms of vitamin D enter the circulation and are transported to the liver by the vitamin D-binding protein (and to a lesser extent by albumin). In hepatocytes (liver cells), vitamin D is hydroxylated to form 25-hydroxyvitamin D (calcidiol; calcifediol). Exposure to sunlight or dietary intake of vitamin D increases serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. 25-hydroxyvitamin D constitutes the major circulating form of vitamin D, and the sum of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels in serum is used as an indicator of vitamin D nutritional status (3). The renal 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1α-hydroxylase enzyme (also known as CYP27B1) eventually catalyzes a second hydroxylation that converts 25-hydroxyvitamin D to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol). The production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D in the kidneys is regulated by several factors, including serum phosphorus, calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23), and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D itself. While the kidney is the main source of 1α-hydroxylase activity, extra-renal production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D has also been demonstrated in a variety of tissues, including skin, parathyroid gland, breast, colon, prostate, as well as cells of the immune system and bone cells (2). Most of the physiological effects of vitamin D in the body are related to the activity of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D
Forms of Vitamin D. vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) present in plants; vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) present in the skin of animals; vitamin D3 is converted 25-hydroxyvitamin D (calcidiol) in the liver and then converted to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol) in the kidneys.
You are misquoting what I wrote. I didn’t say the D3 is supplements was necessarily synthetic … it’s just not the same vitamin D as what you get from the sun (Vitamin D sulfate which is water soluble and travels freely in the blood .. MUCH more effective than the IMO useless and possibly very dangerous vitamin D3 supplements). And .. there are natural D2 sources by the way. Fermented cod liver oil has quite a bit (contact Dave Wetzel of Green Pasture Products for more info on this).
theres a bit of vitamin d3 that is synthetic as well.. if it comes out of a bottle its basically synthetic.
theres hundreds and hundreds of different types of vitamin d. I wouldnt limit my inclusion of vitamins by taking one particular molecule synthetically made in a factory.
I have 4 grandchildren who suffer from eczema and nothing works on it. My husband bought a 50 lb. bag of Sulfur dust 98%. His 94 year old father used it to cure his eczema. we thought it can be mixed with coconut oil so as to rub it on. Does anyone know of its safety in this way? I am tired of seeing my 2 year old granddaughter in the ER because of her eczema. the last time, she was hospitalized for 5 days due to infection. Please help!
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I’m surprised you haven’t received a response yet. I have psoriasis and in my experience, applying anything to the skin is simply treating the symptoms and not addressing the cause. You need to have her ingest it. There is lots of information about that on the internet.
What I did, was to balance my daughter’s immune system, it eliminated her eczema, it was not as bad as you describe it though. But I am interested in the Organic sulfur crystals for heavy metal detoxing.
Eczema is actually skin mites and mites don’t like sulfur, so yes, it will work.
When I was 6 years old, I was very ill. When I finally was “better”, my grandmother insisted that I wear a small cotton bag of sulphur around my neck to ward off any infectious diseases.
I didn’t like it and asked my mother if I could take it off and she told me that it wouldn’t hurt me so keep wearing it.:} I think she didn’t want to encourage a few words about it with her mother-in-law.:}
My grandmother was of old Yankee stock and used a word identifying the bag with sulpher in it. I was young and was’;t much interested in the stuff hanging around my neck and don’t recall what she called it.
To my ear, it was strange sounding and all I can remember (I think I do) is that it may have begun with an “a’, fairly long word and now, as an adult all I can think of is that it may have had a Greek, Italian, French sound sound to it. I know that years ago, I saw the word in print but I was still in my not caring years.
Any help with the identifying of the word would be most appreciated.
Thank you
Barbara
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It seems that the Indian spice, asafetida, could be what your grandmother used. It has a strong sulfurous odor that mellows when cooked. There is lots of interesting information about it’s usage available.
“Without adequate sulphur, glucose metabolism becomes defective and muscle and fat cells are damaged as the result of becoming glucose intolerant.”
“This impaired glucose metabolism resulting from insufficient sulphur is also implicated as a factor in obesity and the dangerous condition known as Metabolic Syndrome because one way the body compensates for defective glucose metabolism is by gaining weight.”
Can you say how sulfur intake affects glucose in the body?
what do you do if you’re allergic to eggs!?
You recognize so tremendously in relation to that theme, made me in my opinion think it is from a lot of several angles. It has the just like males and females will not be serious right up until it is something to complete by using Girl coo! Your very own stuffs excellent. All the time maintain it!
My doughter has leukoderma(white pach in two fingers) does sulphar powder helps ? Please reply me if anyone have the right answer