Phenylethylamine is created from l-phenylalanine and is a substance in your brain that controls your mood. You can get phenylethylamine via phylalanine in your diet from a wide variety of foods. If you feel that you aren't getting enough of this substance or have a related medical problem, consult your physician before changing your diet or taking any kind of supplement.
Sources
Phenylalanine is a natural amino acid contained in most protein-rich foods, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. You can get phenylalanine from foods such as meats, eggs, dairy, beans and fish. Soy products, certain nuts and seeds, and aspartame sweetener also contain phenylalanine, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. Natural and synthetic forms of phenylalanine are available as supplements in the form of powders, tablets, capsules and topical creams.
Benefits
Extra phenylethylamine derived from phenylalanine might help in treating depression, vitiligo and attention deficit disorder, or "ADD," says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Phenylalanine supplements could also help to support alcoholism treatments by relieving alcohol-withdrawal symptoms, notes the University of Michigan Health System. No widely accepted medical research supports the use of phenylalanine supplements to treat or cure any health condition, however.
Considerations
Deficiencies of l-phenylalanine and phenylethylamine are rare, but you can benefit from increasing your intake of phenylalanine food sources or taking a supplement even if you don't have a deficiency. To get extra phenylethylamine, you could take a supplement of up to 3.5g of l-phenylalanine each day, says the University of Michigan Health System.
Medical Research
Two double-blind studies found that taking l-phenylalanine supplements was equally effective in treating depression as taking the antidepressant medication imipramine, according to a 1978 report called Noncatecholic Phenylethylamines in a 1979 German medical journal. Other, slighter benefits of taking l-phenylalanine were seen in studies of people with depression reported in a 1984 issue of the "Journal of the American Osteopathic Association" and a 1986 issue of the "Journal of Clinical Psychiatry," notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Using phenylalanine orally and topically could increase the effects of ultraviolet radiation treatments used for vitiligo. A 2002 study published in the "Journal of Drugs in Dermatology" discovered that phenylalanine offered increased results from UVA light treatments for vitiligo, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Another study reported in the "Archives of Dermatology Research" in 1985 also found similar benefits. But studies published in "Psychiatry Research" in 1985 and the "American Journal of Psychiatry" in 1987 failed to find any benefit from taking phenylalanine for treating ADD.
Dangers
Phenylalanine supplements or a high-protein diet may be dangerous if you have the rare metabolic disorder called phenylketonuria or "PKU." If you have PKU, you don't have a key enzyme that helps to utilize phenylalanine, causing excessive levels in your body and leading to severe brain and growth deficiencies such as mental retardation, explains the University of Maryland Medical Center. You should take phenylalanine between meals to prevent any interference with absorption due to the protein content in your food. Phenylalanine supplements or increased phenylalanine in your diet could interact negatively with certain medications such as antipsychotic drugs and the drug for Parkinson's disease called levodopa, warns the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
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