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5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)

Related Topics:

• St. John's wort / 5-HTP / SAMe / NADH / Omega-3 / tyrosine / acetyl-l-carnitine / DHEA / phenylalanine / ginkgo / phosphatidylserine / folate / antidepressants

Specific Recommendations:

• 5-HTP products at Amazon.com

News & Research:

• Serotonin Loss May Drive Cognitive Decline - Medscape, 8/22/17 - "In comparison with control participants, for patients with MCI, levels of serotonin transporters were lower in cortical and limbic areas that are typically affected by pathologic processes in AD. Levels were also lower in sensory and motor areas, the striatum, and the thalamus, which are relatively spared in AD" - Note:  So does that mean taking 5-HTP might help prevent Alzheimer's?  I don't think they know.
• Serotonin deficiency implicated in rheumatoid arthritis - Science Daily, 3/9/16 - "both the number and activity of osteoclasts were higher in 5-HT-deficient mice with arthritis. In addition, more bone resorption was detected both at the affected joints and at remote sites ... The serotonin-deficient mice with arthritis also showed changes in certain cell-signaling molecules known as cytokines (higher IL-17, higher TNF-α, and lower IL-4) in their paws. Specifically, they displayed a shift in the balance between T cell subtypes, especially regulatory T cells and Th17 lymphocytes ... "Altogether, our data show that 5-HT?deficient mice are characterized by a relative, dampened expansion of Treg associated with an enhanced shift toward a Th17 phenotype, a situation previously described in patients with arthritis" - I don't know what all the means but it raises the question whether taking 5-HTP might help.
• Vitamins and minerals can boost energy and enhance mood - Science Daily, 7/16/13 - "In a series of studies she recently conducted in Canada, Kaplan found of the 97 adults with diagnosed mood disorders who kept a three-day food record, a higher intake of vitamins and minerals were significantly correlated with overall enhanced mental functioning ... Other vitamins that have been known to enhance mood, said C.J. Geiger, Ph.D., president of Geiger & Associates, LLC, and research associate professor in the division of nutrition at the University of Utah, include 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5 HTP), Vitamins B and D, as well as ginkgo biloba and Omega 3" - See 5-HTP products at Amazon.com and Ginkgo biloba at Amazon.com.
• Get the diet scoop: 6 promising supplements, 6 to avoid - CNN, 2/16/07 - "promising ... Caffeine ... EGCG ... Chromium ... Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) ... 5-HTP ... L-dopa or L-tyrosine"
• A Supplement to Boost Serotonin? - Dr. Weil, 7/17/02
• Preventing Headaches - Nutrition Science News, 10/01
• 5-HTP: Enhance Your Mood, Your Sleep, and A Lot More - Life Enhancement Magazine, 11/99
• The Marriage of DHEA and 5-HTP for New and Better Mood Function - Life Enhancement Magazine, 7/99
• Doctors Report How Their Patients are Doing on 5-HTP - Life Enhancement Magazine, 3/99
• 5-HTP and the Serotonin Connection - Nutrition Science News, 2/99
• Make Spring Come Sooner - Life Enhancement Magazine, 4/98
• Richard Wurtman: FDA Inside Trader? - Life Enhancement Magazine, 12/97

Abstracts:

• Effects of 5-hydroxytryptophan on distinct types of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Nutr Rev. 2020 Jan 1 - "Analyses revealed a depression remission rate of 0.65 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-0.78; remission rate [k] = 13), and this was confirmed by the questionnaire results, which revealed a large Hedges' g (1.11; 95%CI, 0.53-1.69). Methodological variability (in treatment duration, type of depression studied, experimental design, 5-hydroxytryptophan dosage) contributes to heterogeneity in the results (I2 = 76%, τ2 = 0.379). In addition, the OHAT (Office of Health Assessment and Translation risk of bias rating) tool suggested that, on the whole, current studies are relatively weak (few include placebo groups)" - See 5-HTP products at Amazon.com.