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The body uses tryptophan to help produce niacin, melatonin and serotonin.
The latter is believed to produce a healthy sleep and a stable mood. In order for the tryptophan in the diet to become niacin, the body needs to have enough: Iron. As an essential amino acid, it helps the body make its own proteins. Tryptophan is essential for the pineal gland to secrete melatonin, which is a brain hormone. It favors sleep, since serotonin is a precursor of the hormone melatonin, vital to regulate the daily sleep-wake cycle.
Tryptophan is an amino acid that is deeply linked to the proper functioning of the brain and our neurons.
The blood-brain barrier determines which substances that are found in the blood can reach the brain. At least nine amino acids, including tryptophan, compete with each other to access the same support that transports them through this barrier.
The amino acids that are present in greater quantity in the blood are more likely to pass the barrier. In most foods, tryptophan is found in small amounts, so it has serious difficulties to pass the blood-brain barrier. However, it is possible to increase the possibility of crossing the barrier if it is consumed together with carbohydrates. The latter cause the release of insulin, which reduces the amount of other amino acids in the blood without affecting the levels of tryptophan.
Serotonin is a chemical substance with which neurons communicate, that is, a neurotransmitter.
Serotonin is essential in the brain. Once the tryptophan reaches the brain, it is converted to serotonin. As a neurotransmitter, serotonin plays an important role in memory, regulates mood or appetite. Low levels of this neurotransmitter are associated with different pathologies (depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, etc.).
After becoming serotonin, the body can use this chemical to make the hormone melatonin. In this sense, tryptophan helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, because melatonin regulates the biological clock.
The body can convert tryptophan into niacin, which is essential to change food into energy and maintain a healthy nervous system.
Another important vitamin, which helps convert tryptophan to serotonin, is vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 deficiency can cause confusion, depression, memory loss, a faster rate of brain degeneration, difficulty paying attention, fatigue, and insomnia.
A product that may also work is: L-tryptophan 500mg
Learn more about health in Pharmamedic.
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