Have you ever heard of Vitamin U? Don’t worry you’re not alone. I was walking around my favorite big box store a few weeks back and I saw an older man grabbing two giant bottles of Vitamin U supplements. What the hell is that I wondered. I have never heard of Vitamin U. Is this yet another fad in the health world? I needed to investigate. Dunt dunt dunnnn… Fingerlickinkitchen to the rescue.

Vitamin U was discovered by Dr. Garrett Cheney in 1952. He found that cabbage juice helped heal stomach ulcers. Which is how Vitamin U got it’s nickname from the Latin word Ulcus. Vitamin U, or S methylmethionine, is not actually a vitamin at all, but a derivative of methionine an essential amino acid (check out my Amino Acid blog entry)
Vitamin U performs several important functions, one of which is methylation. Methylation is a process where ‘methyl groups’ are added to different proteins, DNA and other molecules to keep them in good ‘working’ order. Vitamin U helps this process by aiding our body’s defenses in recognizing foreign substances (toxins, heavy metals, etc) and getting rid of them.

Dr. Garrett used Vitamin U because he found it promoted healing of various lesions of the mucous membrane, in this case gastrointestinal tract (from erosions to ulcers), and boosts overall immune system. By reducing gastric acid secretion, decreasing pain & inflammation, and speeding recovery Vitamin U has been seen as the great defender of our stomachs.

Vitamin U is also involved in the synthesis of other nutrients in the body. It is vitally important to choline (vitamin B4). Choline is needed to keep our cell walls happy and healthy, preventing the build up of homocysteine (associated with many risk factors for diseases and conditions such as heart disease and osteoporosis), allows nerves and muscles to communicate, and reduces chronic inflammation (which is a risk factor in many disease including cancer, Arthritis, Celiac Disease, IBS)

Today more and more researchers are looking into the myriad of benefits of this mysterious Vitamin U. So far they have found it plays a role in fat metabolism. It’s particularly helpful with protecting the liver and preventing “fatty liver disease”. It also has beneficial effects on cerebral blood flow & coronary atherosclerosis, as it improves cholesterol metabolism. There is promising evidence about Vitamin U’s effectiveness in the treatment of depressed moods that don’t respond well to psychotropic drugs.

Worried about Acetaminophen overdose? Well you should. According to Gary Peltz, MD, PhD, former professor of anesthesiology at Stanford University, Acetaminophen overdose is the most common cause of liver transplantation in this country. However, there is some wonderful research coming out of Stanford University about Vitamin U’s potential ability to prevent Acetaminophen related liver damage.

Vitamin U is found mainly from vegetable: cabbage, spinach, broccoli, kale, parsley, celery, collard green, mustard greens, onion, carrots, beets, asparagus, peppers, spinach, turnips, radish (leaves), Brussel sprouts, alfalfa (sprouts), tomatoes. Vitamin U is found in green tea and especially high in the juice of raw cabbage and potatoes. I personally get my daily dose of Vitamin U from “juicing” and then rotate the above vegetables into my daily meals as frequently as possible.

In the end my research into Vitamin U amounted to what my mother told me when I was five: Vegetables make us strong and healthy! You don’t have to chug down vats of Cabbage juice to reap the benefits of Vitamin U but, adding these vegetables into your everyday routine will go a long long way to making us happier and healthier humans!

Bon Appetit