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Tryptophan
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Tryptophan is one of the essential amino acids needed by humans—primarily to make proteins. Essential amino acids are necessary for body functions, but the human body cannot make them. Ordinarily, they are obtained from the diet in foods such as dairy products, eggs, fish, meats, and nuts. Only small amounts of tryptophan are needed and typical diets provide more than enough for most individuals. Commercial amino acid supplements commonly are derived from bacteria or plants; both of which do make essential amino acids. Supplemental tryptophan is made from purified bacteria by-products.
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Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is frequently imbalanced in cases of depression. Conventional antidepressants work to increase neurotransmitter levels by blocking their breakdown. Depression associated with menstrual cycles and postpartum depression sometimes respond very well to tryptophan supplementation. Postpartum women usually have high estrogen levels and it has been found that high estrogen levels increase the conversion of tryptophan to niacin. Progesterone and hydrocortisone decrease its conversion. Women on birth control pills, when given vitamin B6 and tryptophan, generally tend to metabolize tryptophan more normally.
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Only free Tryptophan has been shown to have any sleep producing properties. More likely, the feeling of sleepiness occurs because the body diverts a portion of its blood supply to help digest the large meal.
Tryptophan degradation into kynurenine (KYN) during immune activation may contribute to development of depressive symptoms during interferon (IFN)-alpha therapy. Twenty-six patients with malignant melanoma were randomly assigned in double-blind fashion to receive either placebo or paroxetine, beginning 2 weeks before IFN-alpha treatment and continuing for the first 12 weeks of IFN-alpha therapy. At treatment initiation and at 2, 4, and 12 weeks of IFN-alpha treatment, measurements of tryptophan, KYN, and neopterin (a marker of immune activation), were obtained, along with structured assessments of depression, anxiety, and neurotoxicity. RESULTS: Among antidepressant-free patients, patients who developed major depression exhibited significantly greater increases in KYN and neopterin concentrations and more prolonged decreases in tryptophan concentrations than did nondepressed, antidepressant-free patients. Moreover, in antidepressant-free patients, decreases in tryptophan correlated with depressive, anxious, and cognitive symptoms, but not neurovegetative or somatic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that reduced tryptophan availability plays a role in IFN-alpha-induced depressive symptoms, and paroxetine, although not altering the KYN or neopterin response to IFN-alpha, attenuates the behavioral consequences of IFN-alpha-mediated tryptophan depletion.
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Tryptophan aids the body to synthesize the B-vitamin, niacin. With the new niacin created, the body produces Serotonin. "Serotonin is a chemical that acts as a calming agent in the brain and plays a roll in sleep."(?) A person that lacks the gene which produces an enzyme allowing Tryptophan to synthesize niacin to in turn produce serotonin, will experience an 80 percent loss of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. Patients clinically diagnosed with depression are 10 times more likely to carry this mutant gene than non-depressed patients. If one were diagnosed with low serotonin levels resulting in depression, a common treatment is prescribing a patient with SSRI drugs. Serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors are drugs that allow cells to uptake serotonin in the brain.
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Tryptophan was first identified in 1901 in a protein from milk. Nearly 70 years later, it was discovered to be involved in regulating appetite, mood, and sleep. Subsequently, tryptophan supplements were promoted for treating a number of conditions including depression, insomnia, and obesity. It was ... thought to improve exercise capability, a theory that has not been proved. In 1989, a company that tried to increase their production of tryptophan, used a type of genetically modified bacteria. Over the next few years, suspected contaminants in the resulting tryptophan product caused more than 35 deaths and about 1500 cases of disability among individuals who took the product.
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Tryptophan