What is your source for alpha keto glutarate not being formed?
I have to take large amounts of GABA and taurine 3-4 X a day to keep things calmed down.
I'm following the free thiol restriction list instead of the sulfur restriction list. According to this page, Yasko would be wrong about restricting actual sulfur:
http://www.livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/food/high-sulfur-sulphur-food-list/
Yep I have read heartfixer as well. Nice site. But in this matter Yasko et al. are incorrect.
I don't doubt that you are experiencing excitotoxicity (sulfites and H2S and ammonia can be big ones) and need to take GABA (which will work assuming your BBB is penetratable) or taurine (which I like myself).
Ironically Rich Vank also pointed out this error on these very same forums some time ago but not many seem to have registered this key distinction.
So here it goes:
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The enzyme that cleaves cystathione is known as cystathionine gamma-lyase.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystathionine_gamma-lyase
As you can see the same enzyme also metabolizes cysteine into pyruvate, ammonia and H2S.
So the figure that Dr Yasko has promulgated and others have taken up is really broken.
I mean for example this figure:
http://www.heartfixer.com/AMRI-Nutrigenomics_files/image004.jpg
It is busted in two places.
First the cystathionine gamma-lyase acts on cystathionine and this results in cysteine, alpha keto
butyrate and ammonia.
Then it the same enzyme that converts cysteine into pyruvate, ammonia, and H2S.
Interestingly enough alpha keto butyrate is a very useful guy in that he eventually can be converted into forms that enter into the Krebs cylce as succinyl-COA.
See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-Ketobutyric_acid for more information
I asked Rich Vank how this error got initiated and why it never got corrected. He had some notion that Dr Yasko had mis-copied it from some presentation or textbook and ran with the alpha-keto-
glutarate. As far as why it has not been corrected, well my best guess is that we as humans like to hang onto memes even if they are wrong some times. But that is my two cents.
Ammonia can certainly cause problems as it needs to be shipped out via the urea cycle, removed via BH4, or shuttled out using glutamine from the brain. All of these can have downstream neurotransmitter effects. And this could explain excitotoxicity (which I certainly experience as well).
The sulfites and H2S and maybe even sulfates feeding sulfate reducing bacteria in the gut can also be big issues.
Personally I notice I sleep better generally when my sulfates are lower (and it turns out I have oodles of alpha and gamma hemolytic strep in my gut so that fits). Molybdenum has been very useful as well so that fits with sulfites.
My ammonia levels are normal but no doubt the load still compromises BH4 resulting in low dopamine and serotonin which also fits for me.
As far as diet goes, I have already found personally the thiol rich avoidance diet is the key. Yes ratcheting up the methylation cycle can also cause enhanced levels of sulfates dependent on which CBS defects exist.
I consume 4000 calories a day and eat a ton of protein (animal form, i.e. 230 grams a day). But if I eat thiol rich vegetables, say more than two servings a day, take a lot of ALA or NAC, or similar things, my sulfates go from 400-600 to 1200-1600 in a day. I still need to do a 24 hour urine sulfate test to correlate with the strips to be sure.
But I still wonder then which is the actual trigger for the CBS excitotoxicity. Is it the ammonia or the H2S or maybe the sulfites.
Or very likely it is the excess sulfates which trigger the adrenergic response. GABA and taurine fight with norepinephrine as well not just glutamate.
Hope this helps
Good luck and God bless!