One way to cope with anxiety or depression is to eat foods that contain tryptophan, according to MayoClinic.com, because tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, which helps you relax and can improve your mood. Tryptophan must be obtained through diet, since your body cannot manufacture this essential amino acid on its own.
Tryptophan and Serotonin
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that must be obtained from food rather than a nonessential amino acid the body can make irrespective of diet. In the body tryptophan is converted into the chemical 5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP, which is then converted into melatonin, serotonin, and, very inefficiently, niacin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that facilitates the relay of signals between brain cells. Eating foods containing tryptophan is a way to increase serotonin in your brain naturally, which may have a positive effect not only on your mood and anxiety, but on your sleep, appetite and pain sensation as well.
Tryptophan and Depression
Antidepressant drugs help relieve depression by increasing the availability of serotonin in the brain and preventing its depletion. Tryptophan can increase serotonin levels naturally. Research by Linda Booij and colleagues, reported in 2005 in "The British Journal of Psychiatry," found that acute tryptophan depletion causes a relapse into depression and depressive symptoms, such as lethargy and loss of appetite, in people with remitted depression, highlighting the importance of tryptophan for protection against depressed moods. Women need more tryptophan than men. Research in 1997 from McGill University found that men produce 52 percent more serotonin in their brains than women, with the result that women are more likely than men to suffer from depression unless their tryptophan levels are high.
Tryptophan and Anxiety
When tryptophan levels are depleted in the body, a significant lowering of mood and an experience of anxiety and subjective distress when faced with provocative and stressful situations can occur. This was confirmed by a study at McGill University, published in the "Journal of the Society of Biological Psychiatry" in 2006.
Foods Containing Tryptophan
Foods that contain tryptophan include milk, turkey, beef, cottage cheese, oats, soy, bananas, cheese, nuts, sesame seeds and peanut butter. Nuts, in particular almonds, and sesame seeds can be sprinkled on casseroles, breakfast cereals and salads.
Tryptophan Supplements
One disadvantage of tryptophan is that our bodies do not always absorb it efficiently, even when foods high in tryptophan, such as almonds and peanut butter, are eaten. Supplements of tryptophan are available at doses that can be readily absorbed by the brain. These supplements must be taken together with vitamin C and B-complex vitamins to support the transformation of tryptophan into serotonin. Like all supplements, tryptophan should be taken only on the recommendation of your doctor.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Coping With Anxiety: Can Diet Make a Difference?
- Natural News: Tryptophan Supplements Treat Depression
- University of Maryland Medical Center: 5-Hydroxytryptophan 5-HTP
- "The British Journal of Psychiatry"; Acute Tryptophan Depletion as a Model of Depressive Relapse; Linda Booij et al.; August, 2005
- "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA"; Differences Between Males and Females in Rates of Serotonin Synthesis in Human Brain; S. Nishizawa et al.; May 13, 1997
- "Journal of the Society of Biological Psychiatry"; Lack of Effects on Core Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms of Tryptophan Depletion During Symptom Provocation in Remitted Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Patients; Alexandre Berney et al.; August, 2005
