Amino acids are the compounds that attach together to form proteins. When you consume proteins, your digestive system breaks them down into amino acids which are used to repair tissues, break down food and keep you healthy. Your body also has the...
According to "The Food-Mood Solution" by Melvyn R. Werbach and Jack Challem, vitamin deficiencies are amongst the physiological causes of moodiness and irritability. Individuals with a mood disorder often notice a difference when they take...
A lack of serotonin can lead to a multitude of serious medical issues ranging from sleeping and eating disorders to full blown panic attacks and clinical depression. Being one of your body's most important and widely used neurotransmitters, this...
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is necessary for your brain cells to communicate with one another. Serotonin is especially important because it plays a role in depression and mood balance. As serotonin is made from the amino acid tryptophan,...
5-hydroxytryptamine, also known as serotonin, is a neurotransmitter used by the brain for communicating with cells of the nervous system. It is synthesized from the essential amino acid tryptophan. Essential amino acids cannot be produced by any...
Serotonin is an important chemical in your body that is responsible for a number of physiological functions and brain processes, such as mood and sleeping. Along with dopamine and norepinephrine, it is chemically categorized as a monoamine...
Your body uses the amino acid tryptophan -- sometimes called L-tryptophan -- to make the B vitamin niacin as well as melatonin and serotonin. Melatonin and serotonin are chemicals called neurotransmitters that the nervous system uses as...
5-HTP, also know as 5-Hydroxtryptophan, is a little known chemical that plays a very important roll in many of your bodily processes. Your body converts tryptophan, an essential amino acid, into 5-HTP, and then from 5-HTP to serotonin, a necessary...
While everyone's sleep requirement is different, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that adults need seven to nine hours of sleep. However, if you suffer from insomnia, chances are that you have a hard time getting a full...
Tryptophan and L-lysine are two common components of dietary supplements. They're not the same thing, though they're both amino acids -- components of protein. They're easily confused because they both relate -- though in different ways -- to the...
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter released by neurons in the brain. It's made from the amino acid tryptophan, which is a component of protein and which humans eating a normal diet consume in significant amounts. High levels of tryptophan in the...
Many different health problems, including depression and insomnia, have been linked to low levels of certain chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin. One way that many people use to treat these imbalances is by eating supplements that can be...
Cuddling your baby or toddler and nursing, rocking or patting her to sleep can be a comforting ritual for parents and children. While it can be sweet to hold your baby while she drifts off in your arms, her dependence on you can create problems if...
Sleep is an essential part of our health because it helps to restore the muscles in our body after a day of hard work. Sleep is also important for maintaining brain health. According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, despite the importance...
Depression is a sullen mood accompanied by one or more symptoms such as fatigue, physical pain, sleep disorder, anxiety or suicidal thought. It is caused by a low level of the hormone serotonin and can last for months or even years. According to...
Serotonin is a chemical neurotransmitter in the brain associated with feelings of well-being. The lack of serotonin may be responsible for some forms of depression and other mental health issues. Your brain produces serotonin from an essential...
Amino acids have many different roles in your body. One amino acid, known as tryptophan, is needed to make a variety of different biologically active substances, including the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin levels can affect your health in...
The supplement 5-hydroxytryptophan, also known as 5-HTP, can be used to help treat psychiatric and neurological problems. This supplement is a form of an amino acid, tryptophan, which can be converted into other molecules that affect the way...
5-HTP, or 5-hydroxytryptophan, is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin. 5-HTP is synthesized in the body using the amino acid tryptophan. Consumption of 5-HTP in pill form can boost the body's serotonin level. 5-HTP is most commonly used...
Produced by nerve cells, serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is essential for regulating emotions. It is believed that serotonin plays a crucial role role in anxiety and sexuality. It also curbs your appetite, preventing you from overeating. Low...
Glutamine and tyrosine are amino acids, and 5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP, is the byproduct of the amino acid tryptophan. All three of these supplements are available in drugstores and each performs a different function within the body. Glutamine...
The nerve cells in your brain, also called neurons, produce chemicals known as neurotransmitters to carry the electrical impulses across the gap between nerve cells. Normal brain function requires a delicate balance between the different types of...
Certain foods affect amino acids that increase levels of neurotransmitters. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter, does not come directly from foods. However, some foods, including carbohydrate-rich meals, promote the effectiveness of the amino acid...
If your monthly premenstrual symptoms have grown more intense and difficult to bear, you may be suffering from premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, a severe and sometimes disabling form of premenstrual syndrome. PMDD occurs in up to 8 percent...
According to the George Mateljan Foundation, foods that contain L-tryptophan can help control your appetite, help you sleep more soundly and elevate your mood. Many people might associate the heavy Thanksgiving turkey dinner and its subsequent...
Pellagra is a disease that occurs when you don't get enough niacin or an amino acid called tryptophan. Niacin, or vitamin B-3, is a B-complex vitamin necessary for the conversion of food into energy. Niacin also helps the digestive system, skin...
Certain dietary factors are believed to have an impact on the development or exacerbation of obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD. OCD is an anxiety disorder that manifests in obsessions, or repetitive, intrusive thoughts and compulsions, or...
The nervous system is composed of a network of organs and interconnected pathways traveling throughout your body and working to together to control and communicate bodily functions. Your brain and spinal cord, the main control centers, make up the...
Serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters that provide you chemically with the feeling of satisfaction and pleasure. When levels of these neurotransmitters are low, you can experience depression. The brain produces dopamine from the essential...
