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Are we getting enough sulfur in our diet?

Overview of attention for article published in Nutrition & Metabolism, November 2007
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About this Attention Score

  • In the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • Among the highest-scoring outputs from this source (#30 of 1,069)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (99th percentile)

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mendeley
289 Mendeley
citeulike
2 CiteULike
Title
Are we getting enough sulfur in our diet?
Published in
Nutrition & Metabolism, November 2007
DOI 10.1186/1743-7075-4-24
Pubmed ID
Authors

Marcel E Nimni, Bo Han, Fabiola Cordoba

Abstract

Sulfur, after calcium and phosphorus, is the most abundant mineral element found in our body. It is available to us in our diets, derived almost exclusively from proteins, and yet only 2 of the 20 amino acids normally present in proteins contains sulfur. One of these amino acids, methionine, cannot be synthesized by our bodies and therefore has to be supplied by the diet. Cysteine, another sulfur containing amino acid, and a large number of key metabolic intermediates essential for life, are synthesized by us, but the process requires a steady supply of sulfur.Proteins contain between 3 and 6% of sulfur amino acids. A very small percentage of sulfur comes in the form of inorganic sulfates and other forms of organic sulfur present in foods such as garlic, onion, broccoli, etc.The minimal requirements (RDA) for all the essential amino acids have always been estimated in terms of their ability to maintain a nitrogen balance. This method asses amino acid requirements for protein synthesis, only one of the pathways that methionine follows after ingestion. To adequately evaluate the RDA for methionine, one should perform, together with a nitrogen balance a sulfur balance, something never done, neither in humans nor animals.With this in mind we decided to evaluate the dietary intake of sulfur (as sulfur amino acids) in a random population and perform sulfur balance studies in a limited number of human volunteers. Initially this was done to try and gain some information on the possible mode of action of a variety of sulfur containing compounds (chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine sulfate, and others, ) used as dietary supplements to treat diseases of the joints. Out of this study came information that suggested that a significant proportion of the population that included disproportionally the aged, may not be receiving sufficient sulfur and that these dietary supplements, were very likely exhibiting their pharmacological actions by supplying inorganic sulfur.

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X Demographics

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 289 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
United States 4 1%
Australia 2 <1%
Germany 1 <1%
Switzerland 1 <1%
Japan 1 <1%
United Kingdom 1 <1%
Unknown 279 97%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 63 22%
Student > Bachelor 32 11%
Researcher 31 11%
Student > Ph. D. Student 30 10%
Other 19 7%
Other 43 15%
Unknown 71 25%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Medicine and Dentistry 51 18%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 47 16%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 24 8%
Nursing and Health Professions 22 8%
Chemistry 15 5%
Other 49 17%
Unknown 81 28%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 223. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 25 March 2024.
All research outputs
#185,749
of 26,705,860 outputs
Outputs from Nutrition & Metabolism
#30
of 1,069 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#255
of 94,581 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Nutrition & Metabolism
#1
of 3 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 26,705,860 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,069 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 29.1. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 97% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 94,581 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 3 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has scored higher than all of them