Amino Acids

	Folic Acid
	Glutathione
	Glycine
	Methionine
	Ornithine
	Phenylalanine
	Proline
	Taurine
	Threonine
	Tryptophan
	Tyrosine
	Valine

Tryptophan - Benefits, Deficiency Symptoms And Food Sources

Tryptophan is a neutral and genetically coded amino acid. It is an essential Amino Acid for human body. Tryptophan is one of the eight essential amino acids found in the human diet. Tryptophan doesn't act on the brain unless it is taken on an empty stomach with no protein present, and the amount gobbled even during a holiday feast is generally too small to have an appreciable effect.

Functions and Benefits of Tryptophan

L-tryptophan was a very popular sleeping aid in the United States until recently, and was also used for premenstrual syndrome and depression. It is used to make various proteins, and in people with low to moderate intakes of vitamin B3, tryptophan may be used by the liver to make B3 at the expensive ratio of 60mg tryptophan to one mg B3. Tryptophan is able to convert into 5-HTP (5-hydroxy-tryptophan), and then to serotonin. Serotonin is involved in mood, appetite, sleep and impulse control. Tryptophan is also converted in the body to niacin and picolinic acid, the latter of which appears to play a role in zinc absorption and transport.

Tryptophan (L-Tryptophan) is used for treating:

• Depression
• Suicidal Depression
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Aggression
• Appetite (to curb the appetite)
• Pain
• Migraines
• Premenstrual Syndrome
• Bulimia
• Parkinsons's Disease
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Nightmares

Recommended Dosage for Tryptophan

Here is how that recommendation would look for each age and gender group, assuming RDA-level protein intake for each group:

• Children 1-3 Years: 91 mg of tryptophan.
• Children 4-8 Years: 133 mg of tryptophan.
• Males 9-13 Years: 238 mg of tryptophan.
• Males 14-18 Years: 364 mg of tryptophan.
• Males 19 Years and Older: 392 mg of tryptophan.
• Females 9-13 Years: 238 mg of tryptophan.
• Females 14 Years and Older: 322 mg of tryptophan.
• Pregnant or Lactating Females: 497 mg of tryptophan.

Food Sources of Tryptophan

There are a wide range of foods that are excellent sources of tryptophan, with turkey being the most well known source. The best sources of tryptophan are chocolate, oats, bananas, dried dates, milk, cottage cheese, meat, fish, turkey, and peanuts. Less concentration is available in corn, cereal grains, legumes (peas and beans), flesh foods, eggs, dairy products, some nuts and seeds and in the casein component of milk. For the maximum effect with tryptophan, use a moderately high carbohydrate-low protein diet since less serotonin will be produced because of less amino acid competition.

Deficiency Symptoms of Tryptophan

Symptoms characteristic is of protein deficiency, which include weight loss and impaired growth in infants and children. When accompanied by dietary niacin deficiency, lack of tryptophan in the diet may also cause pellagra, the classic niacin deficiency disease that is characterized by the "4 Ds" - dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and death. This condition is very rare in the United States , however, and cannot occur simply because of a tryptophan deficiency.