Learn All About Tryptophan And Why
It's Considered Nature's Antidepressant
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that can not be synthesized in the body from other amino acids. Therefore, it must be obtained from the diet through the consumption of turkey, fish, yogurt, and other Tryptophan rich foods.
Tryptophan is not one of the amino acids that athletes typically take for performance enhancement.It only has a few benefits that are of use to the typical athlete or bodybuilder. Tryptophan finds most of its use as a vital component of nervous system chemicals and has also been used as a sleep aid and natural antidepressant.
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Tryptophan has gained attention in recent years for its potential use as a natural antidepressant. It is a precursor of the neurotransmitter Serotonin, a chemical that is widely believe to control mood. Modern antidepressant drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil work by increasing the amount of Serotonin that is available in the brain.
However, these antidepressant drugs do not actually cause the brain to produce more Serotonin--rather they prevent the rapid degradation of Serotonin in the brain. For this reason, these drugs are called selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs can take weeks or months to become fully effective since they can not create Serotonin.
Tryptophan, on the other hand, might serve to increase Serotonin levels directly and may be useful in combination with SSRIs to increase the effectiveness of these drugs and to reduce the time that it takes to see benefits. The link between Tryptophan and depression is still under active investigation, and it has not been scientifically proven to have any effect on depression or Serotonin levels.
Tryptophan is the subject of a common myth. Many people attribute the sleepiness that one often feels after eating Thanksgiving dinner to the Tryptophan in the turkey. While Turkey does contain Tryptophan, it is incorporated into proteins.
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.
Tall tales aside, Tryptophan does have sleep inducing properties if taken in its pure form. Therefore, Tryptophan supplements have been used occasionally as sleep aids, and Tryptophan shows great promise as a natural sleep inducing agent.
While Tryptophan on its own is not an amino acid that is commonly taken to enhance athletic performance, it still may be of some use to athletes who are suffering from depression or a depressive like disorder.
Depression, even in people who do not realize that they have it, can decrease athletic performance by reducing the amount of energy, motivation, and desire that the athlete can draw upon. Taking Tryptophan may be beneficial to athletes in such situations.
However, it is never safe to self diagnose depression or any other serious illness, so, if you suspect that your performance problems may be related to a depressed condition, you should talk to your physician immediately. Your physician may subscribe antidepressant drugs and may suggest taking Tryptophan supplements to enhance and quicken their effects.
More Amino Acid Supplements
Read more on BCAA - Branched Chain Amino Acids for muscle building.
- Alanine
- Arginine
- Aspartic Acid
- Carnitine
- Cysteine
- Dopa
- Glutamic Acid
- Glutathione
- Histidine
- Isoleucine*
- Leucine *
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Ornithine
- Phenylalanine
- Taurine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Tyrosine
- Valine *
