Phenylalanine promotes a process in your body that motivates and excites you. Your body cannot produce the essential amino acid, so you need to acquire it through foods or supplements. Phenylalanine helps make energy-inducing neurotransmitters that bolster your moods and actions. This process may interfere with the neurotransmitter serotonin, which provides you with calmness. The foods you eat affect the neurotransmitters that determine your behavior. Phenylalanine and serotonin offer opposite effects.
Energy Foods
High-protein foods contain phenylalanine. These foods include beef, poultry, fish, yogurt, eggs, cheese, soy, lentils, nuts and seeds. Protein foods break down and release amino acids during digestion. Phenylalanine, one of those amino acids, converts to tyrosine, another amino acid, as it moves from the bloodstream to the brain. Tyrosine increases levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. These neurotransmitters boost your energy, mental capabilities, motivation and concentration.
Relaxation
Serotonin levels increase in the brain from another amino acid, tryptophan. Amino acids from protein foods often overpower tryptophan and manage to cross the bloodstream-brain barrier first. Carbohydrates strengthen tryptophan’s ability to reach the brain by releasing insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin pushes away the other amino acids, which absorb into the body, but does not affect tryptophan. The amino acid is allowed to travel to the brain where it converts to serotonin. This brings you relaxing effects. Serotonin also helps improve your sleep.
Desired Effects
Your desired moods, such as being energized or calming down, may depend on the foods that boost particular neurotransmitters. If you need to relax or relieve anxiety due to stressful conditions, eating carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, will help raise your serotonin levels. You need to pay attention to product content labels in some cases. For example, manufacturers use phenylalanine in some diet sodas and foods. The artificial sweetener aspartame contains phenylalanine. These products may interfere with serotonin’s abilities to relax you because phenylalanine fuels your energy.
Balance
Phenylalanine and serotonin provide you with particular health benefits. It just depends on your needs. High-protein foods help you when you want mental or physical energy. Carbohydrates may work for you when you want to settle down. A balance of protein and carbohydrates helps provide you with the energy you need to achieve certain tasks while keeping you relaxed enough to avoid anxiety. Certain protein foods, including poultry, milk and cheese, also contain significant amounts of carbohydrates to offer a balance.
Other Benefits
The amino acid and neurotransmitter have other benefits as well. Phenylalanine supplements may help patients with chronic pain and Parkinson’s disease. The amino acid has also shown promise in treating depression patients because it raises levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, but more studies are needed, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Serotonin may help relieve pain by traveling to the area of injury in your body. Serotonin also works as an appetite suppressant.
