NATURAL HOME CURES · NOPAL SCIENCE
Methionine
& Nopal
An essential amino acid linking proteins, sulfur and the chemistry of our cells.
Explore the scienceSeveral roles in your cells.
Methionine is one of the building blocks your body uses to make proteins. It also supplies sulfur for other compounds your cells need.(1)
Methionine is an essential amino acid. This means the body cannot make it on its own, so we need to obtain methionine from the foods we eat.(2)
What Does Methionine Do?
A SIMPLIFIED CONNECTION
Methionine → Cysteine → Glutathione
Several regulated steps connect these substances. More methionine does not automatically mean more glutathione.
Your body can use methionine to make cysteine, another sulfur-containing amino acid. This conversion involves several carefully controlled steps.(3)
Cysteine is one of the building blocks used to make glutathione, a substance that helps protect cells against oxidative stress.(4)
The body regulates this pathway, so eating more methionine does not automatically produce more glutathione.
Methionine and the Body’s "Chemical Tags"
METHYL-GROUP TRANSFERS
Methionine → SAM
S-adenosylmethionine donates small methyl groups in normal processes involving DNA, proteins and other molecules.
Your body can turn methionine into S-adenosylmethionine, usually shortened to SAM.(5)
SAM transfers small chemical groups, called methyl groups, to other molecules. Think of these as tiny chemical tags.
These transfers take part in normal processes involving DNA, proteins and other substances inside your cells.(5), (6)
Where Does Methionine Come From?
Methionine occurs naturally in many protein-containing foods, including:
Meat and poultry
Fish
Eggs
Milk and dairy products
Beans, lentils and soy foods
Nuts and seeds
Whole grains
Leafy vegetables
Nopal cactus pads
How Much Methionine Is in Nopal?
USDA FoodData Central · “Nopales, raw”
The USDA entry lists 0.015 grams of methionine per 100 grams of raw nopales, equal to 15 milligrams. This provides context for the amount in fresh cactus pads.(9)
Researchers have identified methionine among the naturally occurring amino acids in Nopal cactus.(7)
Nopal also contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, pigments and other plant compounds.(7), (8)
These findings describe the plant’s composition. They do not establish the methionine amount in a serving of our finished products.
From Our Farms to Your Bottle
Our Nopal capsule story begins on our mountain farms in Mexico, where Opuntia streptacantha grows at about 8,200 feet in rich volcanic soil. Sunlight, temperature, and rainfall shape the living cactus.
We stay involved from growing through harvest and preparation of the capsules. This growing environment is part of the story behind each amino acid discussed here.
More Than Methionine
Methionine is one part of Nopal’s wider nutritional picture. Explore the other science articles to learn about the cactus’s fiber, vitamins, minerals and other plant compounds.
FROM CACTUS TO PRODUCT
Meet Our Nopal Cactus & Prickly Pear Family
Nopal cactus capsules, prickly pear drops, and Nopal cactus powder.
Explore Nopal Cactus →The research behind this articleSource References
- 01Nutrition referencePhysiology, Proteins.View source
Full citation
LaPelusa A, Kaushik R. “Physiology, Proteins.” StatPearls. National Center for Biotechnology Information. - 02Research referenceNational Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. National Academies Press.View source
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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. National Academies Press. - 03Research referenceSulfur Amino Acid Metabolism: Pathways for Production and Removal of Homocysteine and Cysteine.View source
Full citation
Stipanuk MH. “Sulfur Amino Acid Metabolism: Pathways for Production and Removal of Homocysteine and Cysteine.” Annual Review of Nutrition. 2004;24:539–577. - 04Research referenceGlutathione Synthesis.View source
Full citation
Lu SC. “Glutathione Synthesis.” Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. 2013;1830(5):3143–3153. - 05Research referenceMethionine Metabolism and Liver Disease.View source
Full citation
Mato JM, Martínez-Chantar ML, Lu SC. “Methionine Metabolism and Liver Disease.” Annual Review of Nutrition. 2008;28:273–293. - 06Research referenceThe Sulfur-Containing Amino Acids: An Overview.View source
Full citation
Brosnan JT, Brosnan ME. “The Sulfur-Containing Amino Acids: An Overview.” Journal of Nutrition. 2006;136(6 Suppl):1636S–1640S. - 07Research referenceNopal Cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) as a Source of Bioactive Compounds for Nutrition, Health and Disease.View source
Full citation
El-Mostafa K, El Kharrassi Y, Badreddine A, et al. “Nopal Cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) as a Source of Bioactive Compounds for Nutrition, Health and Disease.” Molecules. 2014;19(9):14879–14901. - 08Research referenceCactus Stems (Opuntia spp.): A Review on Their Chemistry, Technology, and Uses.View source
Full citation
Stintzing FC, Carle R. “Cactus Stems (Opuntia spp.): A Review on Their Chemistry, Technology, and Uses.” Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. 2005;49(2):175–194. - 09USDA food composition referenceNopales, raw.View source
Full citation
U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central. “Nopales, raw.” FDC ID 168571; SR Legacy. Methionine: 0.015 g per 100 g of raw edible food, equivalent to 15 mg. General raw-food composition; not a finished-product assay.