Maybe You Heard about It, But What is Tryptophan?

By Dr. Magdy Badran

CAIRO, Dec. 28 (SEE) - Amino acids are key components in the body’s optimal function, as they serve as building blocks of protein and aid as intermediates in metabolism, topped by tryptophan.

There are around 20 types of amino acids that can help the body, and one in particular that has been gaining popularity is tryptophan. There are two types of tryptophan: L-tryptophan and D-tryptophan.

L- Tryptophan is called an "essential" amino acid because the body can't make it and it must be acquired from food.

Tryptophan has various functions, including the regulation of mood, appetite, muscle contraction, and some cognitive functions including memory and learning.

Tryptophan is the only substance that can be converted into Serotonin. Metabolism of Tryptophan to serotonin requires vitamin C. Serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter: a chemical that helps relay signals from one area of the brain to another. Serotonin is considered a hormone of happiness.

Tryptophan deficiency can lead to lower serotonin levels. This can result in mood disorders. The lowered mood is one of the major symptoms of depression, an affective disorder which is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting approximately 20% of the world’s population.

Serotonin is a key player in mood, anxiety, fear, and a general sense of well-being. Serotonin is a key to our feelings of happiness and very important for our emotions because it helps defend against both anxiety and depression.

Many life stressors can lead to low serotonin: prolonged periods of stress can deplete serotonin levels, genetic factors, faulty metabolism, digestive issues that can impair absorption and breakdown of food which reduces the ability to build serotonin and poor diet.

Toxic substances like heavy metals, pesticides, and drug use may cause permanent damage to the nerve cells that make serotonin. Certain drugs and substances such as caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and some cholesterol-lowering medications deplete serotonin levels.

Serotonin is also released in response to sunlight, which helps elevate mood and energy.

Lack of sunlight contributes to low serotonin levels. Suicidal patients, as well as agitated, depressed patients, show a decrease in serotonin levels. Sunshine has a direct and immediate effect on serotonin concentration in the synapses, which are the junctions between nerve cells.

Brain low serotonin levels in the cerebrospinal fluid are known to correlate with suicide, irritability, and violence.

There is a relationship between normal seasonal variations in the levels of serotonin and the amount of available sunshine. In addition to other body sites (e.g., brain, gut and platelets), serotonin is present in human skin.

There is a machinery of the serotonergic system in the skin and the tryptophan hydroxylase, the initial enzyme in the synthesis of serotonin, is found in human skin. Likewise, serotonin and serotonin transporters have been detected in 90% of human skin cells in the epidermis.

Tryptophan plays an instrumental role in balancing mood and sleep patterns. Serotonin is converted into melatonin, which has been shown in several good studies to assist in sleep.

It requires vitamin B6, vitamin C, folic acid and magnesium for its metabolism. Tryptophan is used by the body to produce vitamin B3 which can assist in increasing good cholesterol levels and reducing bad cholesterol levels.

Vitamin B3 helps to convert carbohydrates into energy, and aid in maintaining optimal health of the digestive system, skin, hair, and eyes.

There is a huge difference in how men and women react to a reduction in serotonin, and that may be one reason why women suffer from depression far more than men.

Tryptophan loading has shown memory improvements, mood improvement and sleep improvement in adults with some sleep disturbances.

Tryptophan decreases aggressive behavior. Abnormalities in tryptophan metabolism occur in aggressive mentally retarded patients. Increased violent crimes occur in areas where tryptophan-deficient corn is a major dietary staple.

Exercise can boost serotonin levels, regular exercise can do a lot to improve mood can be as effective a treatment for depression as antidepressant medication or psychotherapy. Recent studies proved that Just 40 minutes of regular exercise can have an immediate effect on mood.

High corn or other tryptophan-deficient diets can cause pellagra, which is a niacin-tryptophan deficiency disease with symptoms of dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia.

Adults' minimum daily requirement of tryptophan is 3 mg/kg/day or about 200 mg a day. A cup of wheat germ contains 400 mg of tryptophan and a cup of low fat cottage cheese contains 300 mg of tryptophan.

It is possible to lift your mood by adding foods that are rich sources of tryptophan to your diet. Foods sources of tryptophan are bananas, dried dates, milk, cottage cheese, shrimp, fish, turkey, nuts and Legumes as beans, lentils, peas, and lupine are the cheapest foods sources of tryptophan.

For tryptophan to be effective, it must cross into the brain. To enhance blood levels of tryptophan, and increase the conversion rate to serotonin, take your tryptophan with a carbohydrate meal.