The Difference Between L‑Tryptophan and 5‑HTP

L‑Tryptophan

L-Tryptophan is the amino acid from which your body produces 5-HTP, the neurotransmitters Serotonin and Melatonin, and a vast array of proteins, enzymes, and other essential biochemicals your body needs. L-Tryptophan, as such, cannot be replaced by any other amino acid, herb, vitamin, mineral, or man-made chemical.

Supplements or drugs that produce a tranquilizing effect, induce sleep or suppress appetite may be masking an L-Tryptophan deficiency.

Your body needs a number of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients (coenzymes and cofactors) to metabolize L-Tryptophan properly. Without these, you receive little benefit from proteins or supplemental amino acids. L-Tryptophan Complete is designed for individuals who may need such coenzymes and cofactors.

Lidtke L-Tryptophan is manufactured by a fermentation process (kosher) without the use of genetically- modified organisms (GMO’s), using natural glucose as a substrate for the fermenting bacteria. This method is much to be preferred over synthetic methods.

The resulting solution is then separated and purified using highly specific filtration and recrystallization procedures. The purification of Lidtke LTryptophan takes place until the purity always is as close to 100.0% as humanly possible. Often our assays are higher than 100.0% because our L-Tryptophan is more pure than the best reference standards available that are used for testing. This level of purity is unparalleled.

L-Tryptophan is an essential (aromatic) amino acid that must be included in your diet. For this reason, L-Tryptophan is commonly added to baby formulas and to hospital intravenous solutions, where it is clearly essential for growth and survival.

L-Tryptophan has long been used by doctors in the United States and Europe to treat a variety of deficiency symptoms, especially physical and emotional disorders such as those found in Serotonin Deficiency Syndrome (SDS). These symptoms include nervousness, anxiety, sleep disorders, mood disorders, and excessive appetite. According to medical research, L-Tryptophan is the amino acid most commonly deficient in our diet.

When recommending L-Tryptophan as a dietary supplement, medical practitioners typically start low and work up to the ideal dosage. Sixty days may be needed for full benefit when a deficiency exists. Dosage seldom exceeds 500 mg per 50-pounds of body weight and may be lower. It is always prudent with a new supplement to start low and work up to the needed level.

L-Tryptophan is most effective when taken with little or no protein. Low-protein snacks or beverages are O.K. Certain other amino acids, especially aromatic amino acids and branched-chain amino acids, including Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine may compete with L-Tryptophan for passage through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Hence, when L-Tryptophan is taken without protein or competing amino acids, more L-Tryptophan is able to pass through to the brain.

The thorough testing of L-Tryptophan should include tests for EBT, total contaminants, including organic volatile impurites (OVI’s), and a full microbiological battery. Anything less may not comply with common food-safety.

5‑HTP

An enzyme in your body converts L-Tryptophan to 5-HTP, so 5-HTP is merely a stepping stone in the production of Serotonin and Melatonin. While it is true that 5-HTP converts more quickly to Serotonin than L-Tryptophan, 5-HTP has far fewer functions in the body than L-Tryptophan and cannot replace L-Tryptophan.

5-HTP is extracted from an herb, Griffonia simplicifolia, that grows wild in western Africa. The seeds of the Griffonia plant are then hand-picked and dried and shipped to factories around the world where the extraction of 5-HTP takes place. Extraction yields only about 4% pure 5-HTP... hence, the higher price of 5-HTP than L-Tryptophan on a perkilogram basis.

5-HTP is not essential except in rare cases when a patient does not produce the rate-limiting enzyme that converts L-Tryptophan to 5-HTP. On the other hand, because supplements of 5-HTP bypass this rate-limiting step, the body has less ability to modulate proper Serotonin levels. Therefore, 5-HTP dosage may need careful monitoring and adjustment.

Although 5-HTP has been prescribed extensively in Europe to correct some of the same Serotonin deficiency symptoms that L-Tryptophan corrects… such as helping to normalize mood, anxiety, and appetite… 5-HTP is not an essential amino acid and cannot correct an L-Tryptophan deficiency. And unlike the essential amino acids such as L-Tryptophan, 5-HTP does not typically occur in our diet.

Health practitioners commonly recommend between 100 mg and 200 mg of 5-HTP per day when correcting Serotonin deficiency symptoms in adults. 5-HTP, however, generally will cause nausea on an empty stomach, so always give 5-HTP with food.

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