Abstract
Under carefully chosen experimental conditions the consumption of specific diets or the administration of the precursor amino acid tryptophan (TRP) can influence serotonin (5-HT) synthesis. The mechanism proposed is as follows: The consumption of TRP and/or the proportions of carbohydrate and protein in a meal may change the plasma ratio of tryptophan to large neutral amino acids (TRP/LNAA), which in turn can influence the rate of TRP transport into brain, brain TRP levels and hence rates of 5-HT synthesis. It has been suggested that, via this mechanism, dietary interventions might influence a range of behaviours linked to serotoninergic neurotransmission. This short review examines some of the evidence for this idea, and concludes that when TRP is given, under some limited conditions, results are coherent with the idea that precursor availability can influence serotoninergic function. On the other hand, the suggestion that carbohydrate and protein meals can influence serotoninergic function is not supported by current evidence.
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© 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Leathwood, P.D. (1990). Tryptophan Availability and Serotonin Synthesis. In: Paoletti, R., Vanhoutte, P.M., Brunello, N., Maggi, F.M. (eds) Serotonin. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1912-9_28
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1912-9_28
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7353-0
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