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 neurotransmitter that regulates many of your normal biological functions and patterns.
What is 5-HTP?
5-Hydroxytryptophan is the organic, or naturally occurring, precursor to the all important neurotransmitter serotonin, which regulates sleep and involuntary muscle movement. However, it is the intermediate in the biosynthesis, or natural production, of serotonin, with the beginning ingredient being "essential," meaning that your body can't make it itself, amino acid l-tryptophan.
Where Do You Get 5-HTP?
There are two places you can get 5-HTP. The first is through your everyday diet. You can't get 5-HTP directly, but you can acquire its precursor, the amino acid l-tryptophan. This amino acid is fairly common; you can find it in egg whites, spirulina, cod, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, in turkey and many other foods. Your body will take this l-tryprtophan and convert it into 5-hydroxtryptophan. The other place you can get it is through supplementation. It is sold in solid and liquid forms at health food stores.
How is 5-HTP Made and Converted?
Your body starts with l-tryptophan, which it pulls out of the foods you consume. With the help of the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase, a hydroxl group, a compund consisting of an oxygen and hydrogen atom, is added to the l-tryptrophan molecule. This new molecule is a complete 5-hydroxytryptophan molecule. Your body then uses the enzyme aromatic amino acid decarboxylase, which is specialized to remove carboxyl groups, a compound made of a hydroxl group bonded to another oxygen atom, from amino acids, to decarboxlate 5-HTP into serotonin.
The Benefits of Supplementing 5-HTP.
Supplementing 5- Hydroxytryptrophan is a shortcut to serotonin production; the l-tryptophan to 5-HTP conversion, which can severely limit the rate of the serotonin production, is bypassed and the brain directly turns the supplemented 5-HTP into serotonin. This can help regulate sleep cycles, which serotonin has a large part in, act as an anti-depressant, as serotonin is vital in mood control, and treat ailments such as ADD, migraines, and fibromyalgia (See Reference 1).
Member Comments