Dimethyglycine, sometimes abbreviated DMG, is a chemical produced in the process of using the B-vitamin choline. Choline becomes betaine, and betaine can convert the inflammatory chemical homocysteine into the amino acid methionine. This process also creates dimethylglycine, which becomes the amino acid glycine. In turn, glycine is used to make the antioxidant glutathione, also known as GSH.
DMG dosage for children seems to be 1-4 tablets per day - 125mg tablet TMG - I can't find the dosage and tablets per day recommendation So my other questions are. Treatment Overview. Two studies have shown no improvements from DMG in individuals with autism, however, at least one of the studies used only half the recommended dose. A double-blind placebo-controlled study by Drs. Shin-siung Jung, Bernard Rimland, and Stephen M. Edelson, involving 84 participants documented a significant decrease in behavioural problems.
Dimethylglycine for Women in Pregnancy
In the bloodstream of pregnant women, choline tends to build up. In the bloodstream of unborn babies, betaine and dimethylglycine tend to build up. Researchers this may be because the unborn baby needs more dimethylglycine to make the glycine to make the GSH to protect its rapidly growing tissues from free radicals. But would it make sense for pregnant mothers to take dimethylglycine for the unborn baby's health?
The answer is, probably not. The placenta sends choline to the fetus, not dimethylglycine. If a pregnant woman takes a dimethylglycine supplement, the dimethylglycine will build up in the mother's bloodstream, not the unborn child's. Making sure to get enough choline in the mother's diet, however, benefits brain development in the unborn child. Researchers even believe that it may reduce the damage caused by the mother's drinking during pregnancy and Down syndrome.The needed supplement may be choline. It's not dimethylglycine. Pregnant women may benefit from choline supplements because it is difficult to get all the choline they need from food. An adequate intake of choline during pregnancy is about 600 mg a day. That's hard to get from food alone.
- A 3-1/2 oz (100 g) serving of beef liver provides about 310 mg of choline.
- A hard-boiled egg provides about 120 mg of choline
- A 3-1/2 oz (100 g) serving of chicken provides about 80 mg of choline.
- A 3-1/2 oz (100 g) serving of soft tofu provides about 70 mg of choline.
- A cup (240 ml) of milk provides about about 40 mg of choline.
- A cup (40 grams) of cooked brown rice provides about 20 mg of choline.
Many pregnant women may want to stay on the safe side by taking supplemental CDP-choline-especially if alcohol use and age at conception are concerns.
Dimethylglycine for Autism
If dimethylglycine isn't the supplement needed to protect brain health in the unborn, could it be the supplement needed to protect brain health in the autistic?
Twenty-eight studies have investigating the potential of supplementing with a combination of vitamin B6 and magnesium can help children and adults with autism. Many parents and givers offer dimethyglycine with B6 and magnesium.
The rationale for adding dimethylglycine to B6 and magnesium supplementation is that the body needs B6 and magnesium for brain health. Vitamin B6 is a cofactor for the enzymes the brain needs to regulate dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA). Magnesium is needed for enzymes that convert essential amino acids to non-essential amino acids in the brain and elsewhere in the body.
Since magnesium and B6 are needed for the brain to make enzymes that use trimethylglycine to remove an inflammatory substance called homocysteine, these supplements have been given to autistic persons. Sometimes there is considerable improvement in symptoms, and sometimes there is not. Lowering levels of homocysteine in the brain seems to be helpful only when the brain is using tryptophan properly, which in turn has to do with blood sugar levels and other dietary issues. Nonetheless, sometimes parents and caregivers report tremendous improvement after giving these two substances.
Some parents have experimented with giving low doses of dimethylglycine. Three clinical research trials have looked at the potential of using dimethylglycine as a treatment for autism.
The brain converts homocysteine into dimethylglycine and methionine, so it was theorized that building up levels of dimethylglycine, rather than lowering levels of homocysteine, was responsible for improvements in autism. None of the three trials of dimethyglycine showed that it helped.
The benefits of magnesium and vitamin B6 for treating autism don't have to do with increasing dimethylglycine levels. They have to do with decreasing homocysteine levels. However, giving trimethlyglycine, which is also known as betaine, may increase results from magnesium and vitamin B6. Typical doses are:
- 30 mg of B6 for every kilo of body weight, or 15 mg of B6 for every pound. (The dosages have been rounded off for easier computation.) A child who weighs 30 kilos would receive 900 mg of B6 a day.
- Up to 50 mg folic acid every day. This is a precaution; sometimes B6 without folic acid seems to be associated with hyperactivity.
- Up to 200 mg of magnesium every day. Start with the smallest possible dosage and slowly build up to 200 mg a day when you are sure it does not cause diarrhea. Typically one would start with 50 mg a day for a week, then 100 mg a day for a week, and finally 200 mg a day.
- Up to 500 mg of betaine a day, starting with 100 mg and increasing the dosage by 100 mg a day once a week.
Anecdotally, about 90% of parents of autistic children who give both magnesium and B6 report positive changes. About 50% of parents report results from adding betaine to the supplement program. There are parents who find that dimethylglycine helps, but it is not as important as these three supplements.
Dimethylglycine for Seizure Disorders
The advice to give dimethylglycine for epilepsy derives from the experience of a single person. A case study reported the progress of a 22-year-old man with profound developmental issues who had 16 to 18 seizures a week despite heavy medication. When his mother began giving him 90 mg of dimethylglyine twice a day after it was suggested it might give him more stamina, his seizures dropped to just three a week. Stopping dimethylglycine caused the seizures to resume.
A follow-up study, however, did not find any benefit of giving 300 to 600 mg dimethyglycine a day in treating seizures. The study was discontinued after just 28 days of treatment, which might not have been long enough, and it is possible that the benefits of dimethylglycine are limited to lower doses. Other studies have found that dimethylglycine limits brain damage caused by seizures after severe allergies to penicillin, so it is possible that it may be helpful in some cases.
Start with a dosage of 50 to no more than 100 mg twice a day for a month, and then increase for another month to see if it helps. Do not discontinue any prescribed medications, and let your doctor know you are using supplemental dimethylglycine. Your experience may help many other people.
And what else is likely to help?
- Vitamin B6 is used by the brain to make the enzymes involved with the use of the amino acid tryptophan. When seizures first occur during infancy, congenital B6 deficiency is often the cause. You should go to a doctor for diagnosis, but treatment with B6 sometimes prevents permanent brain damage. In toddlers, older children, and teens, supplementing with 50 to 200 mg of B6 every day may reduce the frequency and severity of seizures. When vitamin B6 as pyridoxine is not helpful, vitamin B6 as pyridoxal phosphate sometimes works.
- Severe magnesium deficiency can cause seizures. It is not necessary or advisable to take large doses of magnesium to prevent or correct magnesium deficiency. Children taking more than 500 mg of magnesium a day and adults taking more than 1,000-1,500 mg of magnesium a day sometimes have loose stools. As little as 100 mg a day for children, 300 mg a day for teens, and 1,000 mg a day is a sufficient dose of magnesium.
The B vitamins biotin, thiamin, and folic acid, as well as vitamin D and omega-3 essential fatty acids may help. L-carnitine prevents side effects caused by the antiseizure medication Depakote (valproic acid), sometimes labeled as Depakene for children's dosing.
Dimethyglycine Supplements for Birds, Cats, Dogs, and Horses
Dimethyglycine drops are a popular supplement among pet owners. Dimethlyglycine is advertising for use in treating diabetes in both dog and cats, mange in dogs, and feline leukemia. It is also used to treat 'doggy Alzheimer's' and 'kitty Alzheimer's,' age-related eye problems in both dogs and cats, and as a general immune stimulant for birds. It's supposed to increase stamina of race horses, too. But does it really work?
- Clinical studies with cats have only tested whether a single 100-mg dose of dimethylglycline would increase a cat's immune response to vaccination for feline herpesvirus or feline calicivirus. It didn't. Another test found that dimethylglycine supplements actually reduced cats' immune response to vaccinations for Newcastle disease.
- If feline immune systems worked the same way as humans, dimethylglycine might be useful in treating feline leukemia. But there is no scientific evidence that it helps cats overcome feline leukemia.
- No study has ever demonstrated a benefit of dimethylglycine of any kind for horses.
Despite the lack of any evidence of benefit, dimethyglycine is a very popular supplement for birds, cats dogs, and horses. We at least know from 20 years of widespread use that it is not harmful to them. The more important question is, if dimethylglycine does not work, what does?
Animals have nutritional requirements that are quite different from humans. Here is a list of supplements that don't work, followed by a list of supplements that do.
- Grains are not a basic food for cats, and too much grain in a cat's diet can cause urinary problems. Urinary tract blockages in male cats are usually caused by magnesium struvite bladder and kidney stones. Magnesium builds up in alkaline urine and dissolves in acidic urine. An 'acidifying' diet is normal for cats. The more grains are added to a cat's diet, the more alkaline the cat's urine, and the less magnesium it can remove in its urine.
- Cats do not need vitamin C. Unlike humans, cats make their own vitamin C. Cats do not need dietary vitamin C, and providing them with vitamin C can actually cause stones that block the urinary tract, especially in male cats.
- Cow's milk and puppy milk replacements tend to provide too much calcium and vitamin D, causing excessive growth in bones that can lead to canine joint problems later in the dog's life.
- Dimethylglycine does not control seizures in dogs. Neither do essential fatty acid supplements.
And the veterinary supplements that actually do work?
- Cats need more arginine than most animals do, because they do not have an enzyme that in most other mammals converts ornithine to arginine and vice versa. Cats that do not get enough arginine in each meal can suffer severe consequences from elevated arginine levels.
- Cats need the amino acid taurine to regulate cholesterol. Humans can make the bile salts that the liver uses to flush excess cholesterol out of the bloodstream with either glycine or taurine, but taurine is especially important to cats for cardiovascular health.
- Humans can make vitamin A from beta-carotene, but cats need vitamin A from animal foods such as cream or very small amounts of cod liver oil (less than the dose for a human).
- Omega-3 essential fatty acid supplements help relieve most skin conditions in both dogs and cats.
- Puppies given antioxidant supplements before they are taken to the vet for their first set of shots usually have a stronger immune response to parvovirus and distemper immunizations.
- The probiotic Lactobacillus casei may increase immune vigor in dogs. You can provide your dog with this probiotic bacterium by feeding small (teaspoon-sized) amounts of yogurt containing active cultures of Lactobacillus casei (Lactobacillus acidophilus is a different microorganism) or by giving your dog small amounts of a probiotic supplement containing Lactobacillus casei.
- Magnesium supplements may enhance the action of antibiotics in treating horses.
How can you provide the animals in your life with these supplements? That is a bigger topic than I can cover in this article, but you can download free reports on nutrition for dogs, nutrition for cats, nutrition for birds, and nutrition for horses from this site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is dimethylglycine useful for treating high homocysteine levels?
A. No, the supplement used for treating high homocysteine (it's FDA approved in the United States) is trimethylglycine, also known as betaine. Dimethylglycine is what is left after trimethlyglycine removes homocysteine from circulation.
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Nutritional Therapies and Autism
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Nutritional Therapies and Autism
Vitamin B-12: Download istumbler for mac free.
Vitamin B-12 shots have been used for autism, usually at a dose of 1000 micrograms (1 cc) intramuscularly per treatment. Amounts above 1000 micrograms may be excreted in urine since this is a water soluble vitamin. There are no reported cases of B-12 toxicity even at high doses.
B-12 is sometimes given several times for the first week, then weekly for about 3-6 weeks, then monthly for three months, and then put on maintenance therapy.
Screening tests for B-12 deficiency include serum and urine methylmalonic acid levels. It is not necessary to have low levels to benefit from B-12.
B-12 works better with folic acid, whose deficiency is common among people with bowel disorders and epilepsy. Folic acid deficiency is common in celiac disease.
B-12 does take some time to work initially, up to a few weeks. When improvement occurs, it typically does so about 2-4 weeks after the first injection and lasts 4 weeks. Some report that up to three months sometimes pass before improvements are seen with B-12.
For general information about Vitamin B-12 see:
- Wikipedia: Vitamin B-12
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Magnesium:
Intramuscular or intravenous magnesium is sometimes helpful, but may also produce increased agitation.[Return to 'Quick-Index' of Nutritional Therapies and Autism]
Gluten and casein free diets:
Urinary peptide tests are available to assess for this. The urine is tested for the presence of certain opioid compounds which are a by-product of incomplete digestion of the gluten and casein proteins. These compounds are thought to be hazardous to the brain, producing or magnifying the autistic symptoms. The labs who do these tests include:
Great Plains Laboratories: Gluten & Casein Urinary Peptide TestSample Requirements: 5 ml first morning urine.
Panel Includes:
- Casomorphin peptide
- Gliadorphin peptide
Another source of peptide testing is:
Dr. Robert Cade
Depts. of Medicine & Physiology
University of Florida
Phone: 352/392-8952
FAX: 352-392-8481
Theoretically, if these peptides are present in the urine, eliminating gluten and casein from the diet will be helpful.
In my experience (LMM), sometimes eliminating gluten and casein is helpful despite the absence of these metabolites. My suggestion to try the elimination for two months regardless of the test results when autism is present.
Gluten can reduce the secretion of the hormone, secretin, which has central nervous system effects.
- A Note About Including Oats in Gluten Free/Casein Free Diets:
Some literature shows that children on the gluten free/casein free diet can apparently eat oats, though many potential problems still exist with most oat preparations, since they may be grown in fields that rotate with wheat. Such crops of oats may inadvertently contain wheat.
It is possible that oats grown without rotation in fields of gluten-containing grains would produce no adverse effects on autoantibody or intraepithelial lymphocyte levels in gluten sensitive patients, however very few oat products are grown this way.
The GFCF Diet Support Group states: 'Less than 5% of the oats which are now grown commercially are for human consumption. The chief value of oats remains as a pasturage and hay crop, especially for horses. Oats are also used in crop rotation. The possibility of cross contamination is the issue here, rather than the glutenous type of protein which is not found in oats. However, oats are considered unacceptable by our standards.'
'Wheat, rye, and barley have harmful effects on the small intestinal mucosa of patients with celiac disease, whereas maize and rice are harmless,' wrote Dr. M. I. J. Uusitupa, from the University of Kuopio, and colleagues in the March 2000 issue of Gut.
His research team studied two groups of patients: 40 adults with newly diagnosed celiac disease and 52 adults whose celiac disease was in remission. Patients in both groups were randomized to a conventional gluten-free diet or a gluten-free diet containing oats, and were monitored for autoantibodies and intraepithelial lymphocytes over a 6- or 12-month period. Bitdefender free license key generator.
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The rate of disappearance of antireticulin antibodies, antigliadin antibodies, and intraepithelial lymphocytes were similar, regardless of diet, among patients newly diagnosed with celiac disease. Similarly, antibody and intraepithelial lymphocytelevels were similar among patients whose celiac disease was in remission.
The authors wrote, 'These results strengthen the view that adult patients with celiac disease can consume moderate amounts of oats without adverse immunological effects.'However, in light of the fact that most available oat products are likely to be contaminated with other gluten grains, we urge that people err on the side of caution regarding including oats in a gluten-free diet, especially when there are better alternatives, such as rice products, available.
For more information on this topic, please see: the Gluten/Casein Theories of Autism and its Relation to Celiac Disease section on our Overview page.
For information about special diets see:
- The Gluten-Free Website Collection
- Wheat-free, Milk-free Diet for Autism and PDD
Another resource for cooking without dairy, sugar or wheat is the Natural Gourmet Cookery School, 48 West 21st Street, New York, NY.
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Pancreatic Enzymes:
Many anecdotal reports exist of the helpfulness of pancreatic enzymes for the digestive problems of autistic children. Nevertheless, other parents report that their children regressed on pancreatic enzymes (including the legendary Victoria Beck). I have seen both results in my experience, and have no way to determine which will happen. Needless to say, some children show no change. Cotazym and Creon are two of the most common pancreatic enzymes used.
Here is a typical story: https://worxturbo.weebly.com/transfer-pages-app-from-one-mac-to-another.html.
When my autistic daughter was born, she had severe diarrhea. After manytrips to the Pediatrician and changing her formula daily, it was decidedshe may have Cystic Fibroses. Thus she was given Cotazym. The firstday Maggie was on the meds, she slept all night (she was sleeping 10minutes at a time, 24 hours a day before) and the diarrhea stopped.
Upon starting pancreatic enzymes, some autistic children show improvements in speech, eye contact, tolerance, awareness of surroundings and self, improved color, and more understanding.
Cotazym, and other pancreatic enzymes, are given 4 times a day. Sometimes, one must open the capsule and mix the powder with something that does not need chewing (pudding, ice cream, jello). Unfortunately, then the powder starts breaking down the food before it is eaten.
Creon 10 is supposed to be delayed release. Creon 10 starts breaking down the food inthe intestines instead of 'on contact', which means it should not turn pudding into water before it can be eaten.
These medicines do not hurt the kids systems; anything they do not need they simply pass.
Pancrease capsules used daily have been anecdotally reported to solve problems with loose stools.
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Colloidal Silver:
Colloidal silver in a glass of water can also help with diarrhea, as well as frothy andsmelly stools. It is often given once a month.For more information about colloidal silver please see:
- What do We Know About Colloidal Silver?
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Super Nu Thera:
A product called Super Nu Thera powder has been reported anecdotally as helpful, but sometimes make children more irritable.
'A new, good-tasting vitamin B6 and magnesium formula, Super Nu Thera 500, is now available from the Kirkman Company of Wilsonville, OR. SNT-500 is a strawberry flavored liquid concentrate that is well-accepted by the vast majority of autistic children. The company will continue to sell the Super Nu Thera formula as a flavored power and as unflavored tablets. All three products contain, in addition to the B6 and magnesium, 20 other nutrients designed to enhance the effectiveness of the B6.To contact Kirkman:
- Phone: 1-800-245-8282
- Fax: 503- 682-0838
(Courtesy Autism Research Institute's Suggested Dosages for Nutritional Supplements)
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Omega-3 Fatty Acids:
A new Omega-3 supplement has been developed by European Reference Botanical Laboratories, Inc. (ERBL). The new product called Coromega comes in an easy-to-use foil packet which doesn't spoil and contains a daily dose of Omega-3.
While the best source of Omega-3 remains cod liver oil and fish oil, this supplement is readily absorbed in the bloodstream. Omega-3 supplements in the past have been known to taste bad. ERBL claims to have solved this problems and says the new product tastes like 'orange creamsicles'.
See Coremega: An Omega-3 Dietary supplement for more information.
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Dimethylglycine (DMG):
'For over 20 years ARI [Autism Research Institute] has been hearing from parents who have tried DMG on their autistic children. In many cases remarkably good results have been seen, especially in enhancing speech. In some cases, drug-resistant seizures have been stopped by DMG. (See New England Journal of Medicine, 10-21-82, pgs 1081-82).
There is an extensive research literature on the safety and health benefits of DMG. Many studies have shown that DMG enhances the effectiveness of the immune system, improves the physical and athletic performance of humans and other animals (e.g. race horses) and has, all in all, a very wide range of beneficial effects. It is very safe. I have seen no evidence of any toxic or significant adverse effects. DMG is available in many health food stores in small, foil-sealed 125mg tablets from Food Science Laboratories. Ask for the original Aangamik DMG or for further information from the company, call toll-free at 800-992-8451. (Avoid DMG in liquid or large tablets.)
Dimethylglycine is technically classified as a food. It is found, in very small amounts, in some foods, such as brown rice and liver. Chemically and physiologically, it resembles the water-soluble vitamins, such as the B vitamins. The main reason it is not classified as a vitamin is that there are no specific symptoms associated with a deficiency of DMG.
Many parents have reported that, within a few days of starting DMG, the child's behavior improved noticeably, better eye contact was seen, frustration tolerance increased, the child's speech improved, or more interest and ability in speaking was observed.
For a pre-school child, I would start with 1/2 of a 125mg tablet or capsule a day, with breakfast, for a few days, or one tablet a day for a larger child. I would go up, gradually, to one to four tablets a day for a child, and to 2 to 8 tablets per day for an adult. If there is an initial increase in hyperactivity (rare) reduce the dosage. If the hyperactivity continues, the child may be telling you, in effect, that he or she needs more folic acid. Folic acid is a very safe B-vitamin. Purchase some 800mcg folic acid tablets and give two of these with each 125mg of DMG.
If you are just starting out, I suggest giving the DMG for 2-3 weeks then adding the B6/magnesium (which should also be started gradually: write to us for publication 39F). When you start a trial of DMG, don't confuse the results by simultaneously starting other vitamins, drugs, or other forms of treatment that might make it difficult to tease out the effects of DMG from the effects of the other things tried. If the child is already taking vitamin B6 and magnesium, or anything else that is helpful, there is no reason to stop taking the B6 (or whatever). The DMG is merely a highly concentrated food. It may in fact improve the effectiveness of the B6.'
Bernard Rimland, Ph.D.
Autism Research Institute
4182 Adams Avenue
San Diego, CA 92116
(Excerpted from: Dimethylglycine (DMG) for Autism)
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Calcium:
Calcium has been used, especially for twitching during sleep.
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Aloe Vera:
Aloe vera in a liquid solution can make food digest better and behavior seems better. You take a few drops 1/2 hour before a meal to prevent leaky gut.
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