MSM Side Effects
What are the side effects to MSM?
OptiMSM is non-toxic and non-allergenic. However, taking amounts greater than your body's ability to absorb it may result in loose stools. OptiMSM is non-allergenic. In the many years MSM has been researched, no significant allergic reactions have been reported. We recommend informing your doctor you are supplementing with MSM. MSM has no known side effects or contraindications with pharmaceutical drugs or over-the-counter medications. However, it is recommended that it not be used by pregnant or lactating mothers, or by children under the age of two. Also, persons that are taking blood thinners such as Coumadin (warfarin) consult their doctor before using MSM.
All MSM in supplements must be manufactured, making purification an essential step in the production of MSM. This minimizes the risk of MSM side effects. There are two methods by which MSM is purified-crystallization or distillation.
Cardinal Nutrition's MSM has always been distilled for purity. Distillation is a process of purifying MSM that uses heat to separate pure MSM from impurities and by-products of manufacturing through unique boiling points. MSM's 460° F (238° C) boiling point allows pure MSM to be isolated from solution, producing the purest MSM available. In crystallization, the purity of MSM is highly dependent on the quality of the raw materials and on the procedures used during manufacturing.1
While some manufacturers of MSM chose crystallization because it is a cheaper process, Cardinal Nutrition made the decision in 1989 to distill its MSM to assure the unsurpassed purity of its finished product. Industry research favors distillation as the preferred purification method, "In fact, a sound approach to the selection of appropriate separation processes is to begin by asking: Why not distillation?" Hence, with this purifying process, side effects of this product is kept to a minimum.
