Tryptophan is one of 20 different standard amino acids and is an essential amino acid in the human diet. Basically, this means that in order for our bodies to have tryptophan we must ingest it from our meal. This is the definition of the essential amino acids. There are also nonessential amino acids which are manufactured by the body from the structure of the essential amino acids.
Tryptophan was first reported and isolated in 1901 by Sir Fredric Hopkins. Plants and microorganisms commonly synthesize tryptophan during metabolism. Tryptophan is plentiful in foods that contain protein but unfortunately cooking and processing usually easily destroys it. Researchers know that it is a precursor for the mood regulating molecule, serotonin, and a deficiency can seriously affect emotional health.
Tryptophan is an important precursor to serotonin which researchers and physicians recognize as a neurotransmitter which helps to regulate mood. Researchers also recognize that moderate dieting will help to lower the blood levels of tryptophan which can alter serotonin levels in the brain. Researchers have developed other medications called SSRI (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) used to treat depression.
Holistic medicine physicians and chiropractors understand the relationship between tryptophan and treatment for several emotional disorders such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, aggression, pain, migraines and nightmares.
Think back to your last Thanksgiving meal in which you overindulged in the roasted turkey at the dinner table. More than likely you became incredibly sleepy after the meal which was a result of the high amount of tryptophan in your body from the turkey meat. While most of the tryptophan can be destroyed in high heat turkey has a larger amount of it and most individuals succumbed to an afternoon nap after a Thanksgiving meal.
Tryptophan supplements are also available both at the health food store and by prescription from your primary care physician. Before adding this supplement to your daily regimen it is important to discuss your options with your primary care physician in order to ensure that this supplement does not interfere with any other medications which you may already be taking that affects serotonin neurotransmitter levels. It is also important to ensure that this supplement will not adversely affect any other underlying medical condition from which you may suffer.
Individuals who use a tryptophan supplement will find that between 500 and 1500 mg once or twice a day between meals or before bedtime works best. Tryptophan should not be taken during a meal in which you have eaten protein because your body will not absorb it. It is not usually possible to take with other proteins as they compete with the tryptophan to get into your system. You may want to use it with juice or fruit or another carbohydrate in order to help absorption.
In a study, researchers recruited 98 healthy volunteers and split them into two separate groups. One group took a gram of tryptophan with each meal for 12 days while the other group took a placebo. At the end of 12 days both groups received nothing for two days and then switched the type of pills they were taking for another 12 days. During the study both groups were given questionnaires that assess their various mood states and behaviors.
What the researchers found was that it helped to boost confidence and made individuals less quarrelsome. In each of the groups agreeable and dominant behaviors were common when they were taking the tryptophan and quarrelsome and submissive behavior was more common when they were not taking the tryptophan.
This study, among others, points to the cause and effect of withdrawing or introducing essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants into the daily life regimen. Our bodies function most optimally when given the building blocks it needs.
Leave a Reply