L Tryptophan Information

Are you looking for L tryptophan information? There is a lot to learn about this amino acid, which is essential for sleep, appetite moderation and mood balance.

Soybeans are a good source of tryptophan.

As one of the eight essential amino acids, tryptophan is an important nutrient in your system. Your body cannot generate its own tryptophan like it can with some other amino acids, so you need to get it from the food you eat. You don't need very much tryptophan to stay in health – about 200-300mg a day will do you well. That might sound like a lot, but if you consider that there is 300mg of tryptophan in a cup of cottage cheese and 600mg in a pound of turkey, it's pretty clear that it's not tough to get your daily requirement.

Tryptophan is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical in the brain that helps to regulate appetite, sleep cycle, mood balance, the ability to concentration and more. A lot of people have found that taking an l-tryptophan supplement can help them to deal with problems in these areas, such as those that suffer from insomnia, habitual overeating or issues concentrating. It is considered by many to be nature's mood lifter.

Tryptophan may be difficult to get in some areas, depending on the legislation in your area. If you can't find l-tryptophan in your area, another option is to take a 5HTP supplement. 5HTP, or 5-Hydroxytryptophan, is an intermediate step in tryptophan metabolism, meaning that it will give you many of the same benefits of l-tryptophan if you take it as a supplement. If taken with other metabolites that aid in the creation of serotonin – vitamin B, niacin and magnesium, which a multivitamin should provide – 5HTP can help deal with many of the same health issues that people take tryptophan for.

While tryptophan may be difficult to buy in its pure form, you can often find it readily available for veterinary use.

If you don't want to take an l-tryptophan dietary supplement, there are a lot of foods you can eat that will increase your tryptophan levels simply by making a few small changes in your diet. Since tryptophan is an essential amino acid, the only way you can get it is from eating tryptophan-rich foods. Here are some things you might consider eating more of that will increase your intake:

Beef has tryptophan in it as well.

• Tuna
• Soybeans
• Beef
• Spirulina
• Sea vegetable
• Elk
• Wheat germ
• Cottage cheese
• Lamb
• Halibut
• Roasted chicken breast
• Sesame seeds
• Eggs
• Snapper
• Peanuts
• Cheddar cheese

If you want to know more about tryptophan, there are many great articles on the Internet that will help you learn all you need to know. Here are a few links that will help you in your research.

• The National Institute of Health's Medline Site has a lot of information on tryptophan and how it can help you. They also have a similar article on melatonin, another amino acid necessary for sleep and relaxation.
• WiseGeek's article of tryptophan has a great deal of information that may be useful if you are interested in taking a supplement.
• If you're planning on taking a tryptophan supplement, check out this article from the Mayo Clinic that talks about allergies, drug interactions, and side effects.
• Tryptophan may help with PMS, as this article from GotTryptophan discusses.
• If you're still curious about oral tryptophan, read this WebMD article about its uses and effectiveness.

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