L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid that helps your body make proteins and certain brain signaling chemicals.
Your body converts L-tryptophan into a brain chemical called serotonin. Serotonin helps control mood and sleep.
You can get all the L-tryptophan your body needs by eating a healthy, balanced diet. Supplement doses depend on the health conditions you're trying to prevent or treat.
Some people take L-tryptophan supplements to try to help them sleep.
Low levels of L-tryptophan have been observed in people with depression. Some people claim that up to 6 grams of L-tryptophan a day can help improve your mood or ward off mental health disorders such as depression.
Some women take L-tryptophan supplements to try to alleviate mood swings due to premenstrual syndrome (PMS), also called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). The theory is that these conditions could be linked to a problem with serotonin processing in the body and that L-tryptophan could help. However, there is little evidence to show that it actually works.
Early research on people suggests that L-tryptophan supplements may be helpful for:
L-tryptophan is found in meats such as turkey and chicken.
It is also found in:
The amount of L-tryptophan in these foods is very low compared to supplements.
L-tryptophan has been linked to a dangerous, even life-threatening condition called eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS). The FDA recalled tryptophan supplements in 1989 after up to ten thousand people who took them became ill. EMS causes sudden and severe muscle pain, nerve damage, skin changes, and other debilitating symptoms. Doctors saw far fewer people with EMS after the ban. Some research suggests that the illness was due to contaminants that got into the supplements during production at a factory in Japan.
Always seek the advice of your doctor before taking L-tryptophan supplements.
