Who is deceiving us!!!???

October 14, 2006

For your education. http://www.futurescience.com/tryptoph.html

THE TRYPTOPHAN STORY

Tryptophan is a naturally occurring amino acid that is found in many

foods, most significantly in milk and bananas. This amino acid is

essential to the human body for the production of serotonin, a brain

chemical necessary for sleep and for mood regulation. Tryptophan is

also the nutrient that the body uses to make melatonin.

According to the Jan.12, 1991 issue of the Journal of the American

Medical Association (JAMA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) said, " L-Tryptophan has no approved indication for marketing as

a prescription or over-the-counter drug.

During the 1980's, however, tryptophan was widely available as a

supplement in health food stores and other major retail outlets such

as supermarkets and drug stores. Individuals used it for sleeping

difficulties, premenstrual syndrome, stress, depression and alcohol

and other drug abuse. "

In November, 1990 tryptophan was taken off the market by the FDA

because of its statistical connection to a dangerous blood disease.

Physicians in New Mexico and Minnesota had noted that persons with

this unusual disease had all been taking tryptophan supplements. The

blood disease, Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome (EMS), is characterized

by severe muscle pain and a dramatic increase in the number of

eosinophils, a type of white blood cell. Eosinophils are one of the

blood components measured in a routine blood count. A high eosinophil

count is usually associated with a parasitic infection or severe

allergy. EMS, however, produces an unusual cluster of symptoms.

Between July, 1989 and December, 1990, more than 1500 cases of EMS

were reported in the United States to the Centers for Disease Control

(CDC) in Atlanta, and 27 deaths were reported. The CDC said that

virtually all of these cases were linked to the use of tryptophan.

According to a letter sent to British physicians by the Chief Medical

Officer of the Department of Health of the United Kingdom, no cases

of EMS had been reported by Nov., 1989, in England where tryptophan

was also a popular nutritional supplement. EMS was virtually unknown

in the United States before 1989, although tryptophan had been a

popular nutrient for many years.

These facts led to a search for a contaminant in certain batches of

the nutrient rather than a problem with use of tryptophan as a

nutritional supplement.

The contaminant was found by researchers from the CDC and from the

Oregon Health Division of the State of Oregon. The contaminant was

also pinpointed in a separate study by scientists from the Minnesota

Department of Health and the Mayo Clinic. The contaminant appeared in

tryptophan manufactured during January through June 1989, by Showa

Denko K.K., one of six Japanese manufacturers that provided nearly

all of the tryptophan to the United States.

In the July 11, 1990 issue of JAMA, the Oregon researchers reported

that Showa Denko claimed to have provided 50 to 60 percent of the

tryptophan used in the United States.

The Minnesota researchers reported that the contaminant first

appeared after Showa Denko changed their manufacturing process for

tryptophan. The manufacturing process at Showa Denko involved a

fermentation using a selected strain of bacteria.

The contaminant appeared when, at the end of 1988, the process was

altered to allow the company to reduce the amount of activated

charcoal purification by using a genetically engineered bacteria

(Bacillus Amylo-liquefaciens, Strain V) in the manufacturing process.

According to Minnesota researcher Dr. Gerald Gleich of the Mayo

Clinic, it is unclear whether the new strain of bacteria, the

reduction in charcoal purification, or a combination of both, led to

the appearance of the EMS-producing contaminant.

The Minnesota researchers reported in the Aug. 9, 1990 issue of the

New England Journal of Medicine that the contaminant is apparently a

very potent agent for producing EMS because its concentration in the

tryptophan was extremely low. The contaminated batches were more than

99.6 percent pure tryptophan. This exceeded the U.S. FDA purity

standard of 98.5 percent for tryptophan for human consumption. In the

Dec. 21, 1990 issue of Science, Arthur Mayeno of the Mayo Clinic (and

others) reported that the contaminant is a new synthetic amino acid

that is chemically somewhat similar to naturally occurring

tryptophan.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta independently

confirmed the chemical structure of the contaminant. This accidently

synthesized new amino acid has been identified as 1,1, ethylidenebis

[tryptophan], commonly called EBT. It is logical to conclude that if

this new synthetic amino acid were incorporated into the proteins in

the human body, all kinds of problems might be expected ranging from

cells that do not function properly to reactions where the body

becomes allergic to some of its own cells. Research into this new

amino acid, accidently synthesized by Showa Denko during the first

actual genetic engineering catastrophe, is continuing.

Separate scientific surveys conducted by the Oregon researchers and

the Minnesota researchers showed that about two percent of the

population had been using tryptophan supplements before the problem

was discovered. The Minnesota researchers also reported that

tryptophan use more than doubled between 1988 and 1989. According a

UPI report, CDC medical epidemiologist Dr. Swygert placed the

estimate even higher, stating that as many as 14 million Americans

were using tryptophan supplements at the time of the FDA recall.

Even though the contaminant was isolated several years ago, the FDA

currently has no plans to allow tryptophan back on store shelves. The

FDA has no criteria for the lifting of the ban on tryptophan. In

fact, the FDA has tried, unsuccessfully, to ban all amino acids from

over-the-counter nutritional products. Most makers of tryptophan

nutritional supplements purchased at least some of their tryptophan

from Showa Denko during 1989 and 1990. Therefore, the use of any

tryptophan purchased during this period could have been dangerous,

even fatal.

For several years, uncontaminated tryptophan was one of the most

difficult substances to obtain in the U.S. Several people have

pointed out that harmful substances such as heroin and cocaine were

far easier for U.S. citizens to obtain than uncontaminated

tryptophan. Tryptophan has recently become available by prescription

through compounding pharmacies.

Uncontaminated high-purity tryptophan is available for animal

consumption and is sold without restriction. It is perfectly legal

for humans to consume veterinary tryptophan. It is not legal for

suppliers of veterinary tryptophan to sell it to you if you indicate

it is for human consumption.

Many important prescription drugs increase brain serotonin levels by

mechanisms that are different from tryptophan. Prozac, and the other

anti-depressants in its class (selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitors), work through the selective enhancement of serotonin.

Dexfenfluramine is an appetite suppressor that is very effective in

reducing carbohydrate-craving. It has been available in Europe for

many years. It was approved by the FDA after the tryptophan ban, but

was subsequently removed from the market because of isolated, but

sometimes lethal, side effects.

Dexfenfluramine works by mimicking serotonin in the brain. Even

before the FDA approval, the safety of dexfenfluramine was called

into question by one important study that showed it to cause brain

damage in monkeys.

A substitute for tryptophan that is usually quite safe is 5-hydroxy-

tryptophan, sometimes called 5-HTP. Tryptophan is converted in the

body to 5-hydroxy-tryptophan, then 5-hydroxy-tryptophan is converted

to serotonin. Even though 5-hydroxy-tryptophan is much more expensive

than tryptophan, it is about ten times as effective as tryptophan in

getting converted into serotonin. Unfortunately, much of the

conversion to serotonin may occur outside of the brain, especially in

those who are taking vitamin B6 supplements. A excess of serotonin

outside the brain has the potential for causing serious health

problems, but these problems have not been noted in people taking 5-

hydroxy-tryptophan. In Europe, 5-hydroxy-tryptophan is often used

with the prescription drug carbidopa, which can inhibit the

conversion of 5-hydroxy-tryptophan to serotonin outside the brain.

Normally, 5-hydroxy-tryptophan is sold in 50 mg. capsules, whereas

tryptophan is typically sold in a 500 mg. capsules.

In 1996 and 1997, 5-hydroxy-tryptophan became available from some

suppliers of nutritional supplements, and it is now commonly

available. Dosage should be limited to 50 mg. per day unless it is

being used under the supervision of a knowledgable physician who can

do a simple urine test for serotonin metabolites to watch for

potential problems.

Even though no significant problems have yet been seen with 5-hydroxy-

tryptophan, there is no doubt that ordinary l-tryptophan is much

safer, and should be used in place of substitutes whenever possible.

L-Tryptophan is available by prescription from most compounding

pharmacies in the U.S. and from many overseas pharmacies. The cost

from compounding pharmacies in the U.S. is about 50 cents per 500 mg.

capsule (about $1 per gram).

If you believe than tryptophan may be beneficial for you, and your

doctor will not write you a prescription for it, find another doctor.

Next Chapter: MCT & FATS IN YOUR FOODS

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October 14, 2006