http://channels.netscape.com/ns/atplay/package.jsp?name=fte/tryptophan/tryptophan
>
> Drink This at Night. Be Alert in Morning
>
> Wouldn't it be great to wake up clearheaded and alert? You're not
> dreaming! Researchers from the University of Maastricht in the
> Netherlands have found that drinking a special evening milkshake
> spiked with the amino acid tryptophan--it's what is in the
> Thanksgiving turkey that makes you sleepy--may clear the morning fog
> of those who don't get enough shuteye the night before, reports Reuters.
>
Evening intake of alpha-lactalbumin increases plasma tryptophan
availability and improves morning alertness and brain measures of attention.
Markus CR, Jonkman LM, Lammers JH, Deutz NE, Messer MH, Rigtering N.
Department of Experimental Psychology and the Biomedical Center,
University of Maastricht, Maastricht, Netherlands.
[log in to unmask]
BACKGROUND: Brain serotonin function is thought to promote sleep
regulation and cognitive processes, whereas sleep abnormalities and
subsequent behavioral decline are often attributed to deficient brain
serotonin activity. Brain uptake of the serotonin precursor tryptophan
is dependent on nutrients that influence the availability of tryptophan
via a change in the ratio of plasma tryptophan to the sum of the other
large neutral amino acids (Trp:LNAA). OBJECTIVE: We tested whether
evening consumption of alpha-lactalbumin protein with an enriched
tryptophan content of 4.8 g/100 g increases plasma Trp:LNAA and improves
alertness and performance on the morning after sleep, particularly in
subjects with sleep complaints. DESIGN: Healthy subjects with (n = 14)
or without (n = 14) mild sleep complaints participated in a
double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The subjects slept at the
laboratory for 2 separate nights so that morning performance could be
evaluated after an evening diet containing either tryptophan-rich
alpha-lactalbumin or tryptophan-low placebo protein. Evening dietary
changes in plasma Trp:LNAA were measured. Behavioral (reaction time and
errors) and brain measures of attention were recorded during a
continuous performance task. RESULTS: Evening alpha-lactalbumin intake
caused a 130% increase in Trp:LNAA before bedtime (P = 0.0001) and
modestly but significantly reduced sleepiness (P = 0.013) and improved
brain-sustained attention processes (P = 0.002) the following morning.
Only in poor sleepers was this accompanied by improved behavioral
performance (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Evening dietary increases in plasma
tryptophan availability for uptake into the brain enhance sustained
alertness early in the morning after an overnight sleep, most likely
because of improved sleep.
The significance of tryptophan in infant nutrition.
Heine WE.
Children's Hospital, University of Rostock/Germany.
In the newborn, tryptophan (Trp) and its metabolites are essential to
brain maturation and to the development of neurobehavioral regulations
of food intake, satiation and sleep-wake-rhythm. Due to the high Trp
concentration in human milk in relation to the total of neutral amino
acids, the blood-brain transfer of tryptophan as a precursor of its
metabolites serotonin and melatonin is optimal. In contrast, commercial
infant formulas are lower in Trp and higher in neutral amino acid levels
resulting in comparatively lower Trp serum concentrations.
alpha-lactalbumin enriched, protein-reduced formulas adapted to 2.2% Trp
were shown to be capable of producing Trp serum values that did not
differ from those in breast-fed infants.
Apologies if this was posted before. I'm lurking and not keeping up. But
I think this is, at last, a hint to why babies are so alert at 5 a.m.
after sleeping so little. I wonder if a breastmilkshake could help new
mothers feel more rested?
Jo-Anne
***********************************************
To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
|