Posted by samplemethod on May 24, 2003, at 8:54:10
In reply to Re: Foods Serotonin » McPac, posted by Larry Hoover on May 21, 2003, at 10:21:14
Anyone using somethig with 5-htp to make it effective??
And below...
Very interesting Lar.Would you suggest the 45 min high carb method after taking a 5-htp pill. At the moment my 5-htp doesn't seem to affect me at all.
Some people also say take levodopa with 5-htp and that will work? Can you shed any light on this. I am also wondering if there is some sort of coenzyme for 5-htp to cross the blood brain barrier or have something to do with the the rate limiting step of 5-htp to setotonin (Within the brain). Some sort of hydroxylase.
Anyone using somethig with 5-htp to make it effective?
> > Which foods increase serotonin?
> > Can foods ALONE increase the levels as much as meds? Thanks!
>
> The link between food and mood is well established, and I see it as one of the factors within one's control. You will not get a response analogous to antidepressant meds, but every little bit helps, IMHO.
>
> Tryptophan, the twice-removed precursor to serotonin, is one of the amino acids in lower concentration in most protein-containing foods, seldom approaching even two percent of the aminos present.
>
> For tryptophan to enter the brain, it must be taken up by active transporter molecules, as it otherwise cannot pass the so-called blood-brain barrier. The transporter in question, the LNAAT (Large Neutral Amino Acid Transporter) also is responsible for the uptake of four other aminos, and every one of them has a higher affinity for the transporter than has tryptophan.
>
> There is a way to fudge the process a bit, and give tryptophan a better opportunity for uptake into the brain. What you do is eat a high protein meal, and about 45 minutes later, eat something which will promote a burst of insulin (something sweet). The insulin causes muscle fibers to take up many aminos from the blood, except for tryptophan. That gives the circulating tryptophan a much better opportunity for brain uptake.
>
> This mechanism has been suggested as a possible reason for the contented doziness that follows a holiday feast where turkey is the main course. You get a good dose of tryptophan from the turkey, and in the typical scheme of things, you later follow up with a rich dessert course. It has also been suggested as a possible reason for carb-craving in some depressive phases, particularly seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
>
> That said, there are other factors which may make this protein-followed-by-sweets process fail, such as low stomach acidity (inhibiting protein breakdown). I'm just suggesting here that there are always other factors influencing outcomes, so that a negative response to an attempt to regulate mood with food may be a failure for reasons quite apart from the factors you think you're manipulating.
>
> Lar
poster:samplemethod
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