Posted by Larry Hoover on December 6, 2002, at 7:13:36
In reply to Re: dl-phenylalanine vs l-tyrosine » Larry Hoover, posted by bluedog on December 6, 2002, at 1:55:09
> > ONLY BECAUSE IT HAS A TENDENCY TO PRODUCE ABOUT AS MUCH PEA AS TYROSINE.
> >
>
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> Larry
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> When I read my above questions and your answers I seem to see some sort of circular reasoning happening.
>
> You say that dl-Phenylalanine is preferable to take to l-tyrosine because the d-isomer is used to produce to PEA. The l-isomer can be used to produce both PEA and l-tyrosine. Then you say in your last statement that dl-phenylalanine has a tendency to produce about as much PEA as l-tyrosine!!!I'm sorry. The answer is semantic, nor chemical. I could have stated it more clearly.
What I meant was DLPA will produce roughly equivalent amounts of PEA and tyrosine. Taking tyrosine will do nothing substantial towards producing PEA.
> My interpretation of this is that both dl-phenylalanine and l-tyrosine are used to produce similar amounts of PEA but that with dl-phenylalanine there is an additional step involved in that the l-isomer is converted to l-tyrosine before the body then uses this l-tyrosine to produce PEA.
My bad. Tyrosine does not go to PEA. It is converted to thyroid hormone or L-DOPA.
> This brings me back to my original question which is why is it more beneficial to take dl-phenylalanine instead of l-tyrosine? My simplistic understanding of the above process is that l-tyrosine will produce the "similar amount" of PEA you mentioned a lot faster than the dl-phenylalanine because you avoid the additional step of the l-phenylalanine having to be converted to l-tyrosine.
No. I confused you.
> You also say that you'll get more dopamine from l- tyrosine than from phenylalanine. Does the answer to my question lie buried somewhere in this distinction? Is it more beneficial to have a higher ratio of PEA to Dopamine rather than the other way around (ie a higher ratio of Dopamine to PEA? Can you see what I'm getting at?
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> Here's my New summary and again correct me if I'm wrong!!
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> 1.Both dl-phenylalanine and l-tyrosine will produce a similar amount of PEA.This statement is wrong.
> 2.However l-tyrosine will produce a greater amount of dopamine because with the dl-phenylalanine only the l-isomer is available to produce l-tyrosine which will in turn produce dopamine whereas the d-isomer is only able to produce PEA.
For equal gram weights, yes.
> 3. Therefore l-tyrosine will give you a higher ratio of dopamine to PEA in the brain: and
> 4. dl-phenylalanine will give you a higher ratio of PEA to dopamine in the brain.
Yes. If you consider the weights of each you're taking.
> OR is this merely a matter of working out comparative dosages?????
>
> Thanks for your patience
> bluedog2 grams DLPA will have very nearly the same dopamine precursor effect as 1 gram l-tyrosine. Not quite, but close.
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:129993
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021203/msgs/130736.html