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The Health Benefits of Tryptophan (and Why Getting it From Your Thanksgiving Turkey Isn’t Enough)

Most of us have experienced the feeling of sleepiness and well-being that comes after a large turkey meal (think Thanksgiving dinner). A popular misconception is that this feeling comes from tryptophan, an amino acid that is present in high amounts in turkey. Despite this popular rumor, it’s not necessarily the tryptophan in your turkey that makes you groggy or sleepy. Many experts now believe that the huge number of carbs eaten along with your Thanksgiving turkey are actually the culprit when it comes to post-Thanksgiving fatigue.

However, this does not mean people who actually relish that post-meal food coma should reject turkey for a plate of mashed potatoes. While it may not be responsible for your afternoon nap this Thursday, the benefits of tryptophan can positively impact your health and well-being in other ways.

What Is Tryptophan?

Experts recommend that people eat a diet rich in all of the essential amino acids, including tryptophan. Like other amino acids, tryptophan serves as a building block for the many proteins and hormones we need to perform vital cellular processes and generally be healthy. The exact form of this amino acid used in the human body is L-tryptophan, and luckily that’s the kind also found in many animal foods and supplements. Tryptophan’s most important role in the human body is to serve as a precursor to the biochemicals that sustain good mental health and functioning. Most notably, tryptophan is a building block for serotonin, also known as the “happy hormone,” and thus can improve mood and decrease anxiety. In fact, people who are low on tryptophan are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and other potentially debilitating mental illnesses.

However, the health benefits of tryptophan extend far beyond improving your mood. It is a precursor for several neurotransmitters that help your brain to transmit signals efficiently. It has been found to protect the liver, help heal an inflamed GI tract, and encourage good, quality sleep. It’s important to get enough tryptophan in your diet on a daily basis and not just holidays, so don’t let your Thanksgiving Day feast be your only source of this vital nutrient.

Are You Getting Enough Tryptophan in Your Diet?

Determining whether you are low on tryptophan is not as simple as getting a blood test. Low levels of tryptophan are not the only reason you may suffer the effects of a deficiency. Some people do not use this amino acid as efficiently as others, while some have higher tryptophan needs that the recommended daily allowance simply doesn’t accommodate. These people may eat plenty of tryptophan-rich foods even while at the same time suffering from a functional deficiency.

While turkey is a well-known way to get this essential amino acid in your diet, there are actually many foods that contain tryptophan. You can get some of the benefits of tryptophan from eating poultry, seafood, legumes and dairy products. Because all animals use tryptophan in a similar way to humans, their meat can contain a great deal of this amino acid. However, because it’s often difficult to eat enough tryptophan-rich foods to maintain proper levels of this important amino acid, many people still find that they see tangible health benefits when they take an L-tryptophan supplement.

The Benefits of a Tryptophan Supplement

There are several conditions that have been found to respond well to tryptophan supplementation, even in people who eat a well-balanced diet with ample amounts of this amino acid. These include:

depression
bipolar disorder
insomnia
premenstrual syndrome
anxiety
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
migraine
obesity
high blood pressure

Because tryptophan is important as a building block of many different hormones and neurotransmitters, increasing your intake can improve your health in a variety of ways. Although the Western diet includes many tryptophan-rich foods, some people simply need more of this amino acid to maintain optimal health and mood. These people may see their health improve when they include a simple supplement in their diet.

While many of us are planning to reap the benefits of tryptophan this fall from Thanksgiving turkey, it shouldn’t be merely an annual event. Getting enough of this essential amino acid is too important to leave it for once or twice a year. Fill your diet with foods rich in tryptophan or consider taking a high-quality tryptophan supplement to ensure that you always have the building blocks you need for good physical and mental wellness.

Not Getting Enough Vitamin B12 During Pregnancy Boosts Disease Risk for Baby

Nov 16 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Many people have are familiar with the importance of getting enough folic acid or folate, also known as vitamin B9, when pregnant. However, getting enough vitamin B12 during pregnancy is also important. New research underscores the importance of getting all of your B vitamins—especially vitamin B12—if you are pregnant or planning to conceive soon.

What Is Vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 is an essential water-soluble vitamin that is used in a wide variety of cellular reactions. Essentially, it is a puzzle piece among many vitamins that are important for metabolism, energy production and other vital processes. People who do not get enough of this vitamin suffer from depressed mood, poorer memory and mental function and even a higher risk of infection. A long-term deficiency can cause permanent dementia and a variety of other serious illnesses. Pregnant women who do not get enough vitamin B12 during pregnancy are at a higher risk of giving birth to a baby with serious—and sometimes deadly—neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly.

Because vitamin B12 is water soluble, our cells do not store it in any significant amount. Going even a short time without foods or vitamins containing B12 can result in noticeable health effects. Most people who eat animal products usually get enough of this critical vitamin in their diets, as it is present in high levels in meat and eggs. However, there are times in life when your vitamin needs increase sharply, beyond what a typical Western diet can support. Pregnancy is one of these times. Pregnant women, especially those who do not eat a lot of animal products, are at e high risk of a B12 deficiency.

The Importance of Vitamin B12 During Pregnancy

According to new research, a vitamin B12 deficiency during pregnancy may have more effects than previously realized. Even babies who are born appearing to be in good health may suffer the consequences over their lifetimes. In one study, vitamin B12 levels were measured in pregnant women and both their and their babies’ health was analyzed. Babies born to mothers with a B12 deficiency had markedly lower levels of leptin, which is known as the “satiety hormone.” Low levels of leptin cause a person to need to eat more to feel satisfied, predisposing them to obesity, type 2 diabetes and other diseases. They also stored more fat. While extra fat stores are generally healthy in an infant, they can be a health problem later in life. Even worse, babies whose mothers had low vitamin B12 during pregnancy were more likely to become diabetic later in life.

This was a small study so it will need to be repeated to confirm the results. However, researchers and doctors are already calling for an increase in the recommended intake of vitamin B12 during pregnancy to ensure that women get ample amounts of this critical vitamin. With a large proportion of the population struggling with obesity, diabetes and the many related health problems, it is important to ensure we have the basic building blocks we need for a healthy metabolism. This is especially true when we are eating for two, such as when pregnant or breastfeeding.

I Thought Eating Too Much Meat Was Bad for Me?

The irony of this and other studies underscoring the importance of vitamin B12 during pregnancy and throughout one’s life is that many people believe they must cut back on meat and other B12-rich foods to improve their health. While eating a lot of animal products can negatively affect your health, these foods do contain nutrients that we need to be healthy and to bear healthy children. Ultimately, a well-balanced diet appears to be the key to leading a healthy life both in pregnancy and beyond. Pregnant women should eat a variety of foods and also take a high-quality prenatal multivitamin supplement to ensure their high nutritional needs are met. This is especially true for women who are vegetarian or unable to get enough animal products in their diet.

It is important for pregnant and breastfeeding women to talk to their doctors about any supplements that they are taking. However, during pregnancy, most doctors recommend taking a prenatal vitamin formula to ensure that you always have the building blocks that you and your baby need to enjoy optimal health. Eating a well-rounded diet and taking vitamins is an important way of giving your children the best chance at leading long, healthy lives.

Discovered: A Direct Link Between Circadian Clock and the Immune System

Nov 11 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

You may have noticed that you are more likely to get sick when tired or otherwise feeling out-of-sync. Many people who travel have noted that they are most likely to become ill just after a large trip, especially one that takes them across time zones and causes the dreaded jet lag. Is this a coincidence? Studies have long suggested a link between the circadian clock and the immune system, but were unable to find a direct cause for the connection. However, new research now suggests that T cells, an important part of the immune system, are the missing link.

The Circadian Rhythm of the Immune System

Like all cells in the human body, the cells of your immune system run on a distinct circadian, or 24-hour, rhythm. There are daily rhythms in the release of immune proteins such as cytokines as well as in the migration of immune cells to inflamed tissues and the production of T cells and other cells involved in immunity.

How is this circadian rhythm maintained? Like many cells, immune cells appear to express circadian rhythm genes as well as to responding to melatonin and other hormones governing our sleep-wake cycle. According to new research, circadian genes may be more important to our immune system than we previously realized.

T Cells: The Link Between the Circadian Clock and the Immune System

If you have a loved one with a disease that affects their immune system, you have probably heard of T cells. T cells are tested to measure the strength of an immune system, and are in fact one of the most important parts of your immune system. T cells scout your body looking for microbes. When they see them, they attack. In addition, T cells have an amazing ability to remember the microbes that they have encountered, which is why you can only get some diseases once. Because T cells are so important, their numbers are tightly regulated.

However, T cells appear to be regulated in a different way than most cells in the body. Most cells can divide a set number of times, while T cells appear to have a time limit for division instead. They can divide as often as needed within their allotted lifetime and then they self-destruct. This appears to be controlled by a gene called Bcl-2, which also is involved in the circadian rhythm.

Circadian Rhythm-Governed Expression of Immune Cells

There are yet other ways that the circadian clock and the immune system are linked. The immune system revs up production of immune cells at certain times of day in response to melatonin levels. In addition, the expression of certain cell receptors that are crucial in the function of immune cells also appears to be governed in part by the time of day. These receptors are crucial in helping T cells to detect an antigen and then set off the immune cascade that will prevent or lessen the symptoms of an illness. The result is that you are far less likely to catch a cold that you are exposed to in the late morning, and far more likely to die from a serious infection such as sepsis in the late night and the hours just before dawn.

These new studies add to a growing body of research on the link between infections, immunity and the circadian rhythm. It explains a phenomenon that researchers have already repeatedly observed: Animals exposed to an illness just before or during their resting phase get more serious infections and become sicker. Your circadian rhythm appears to have an immense effect on whether you get sick from the many pathogens we are exposed to on a daily basis.

You may not be able to choose the time of day at which you are exposed to an illness, but there are a few things you can do to improve your odds of making it through the fall and winter with as few sick days as possible. Be especially vigilant about hand-washing and other common-sense disease-control measures in the evening and late at night when your immune system is most susceptible. Maintain a healthy circadian rhythm with set bedtimes and wake up times. Keeping a healthy body, including a healthy sleep-wake cycle, is one of the best disease prevention measures you can use to reduce your chances of catching the next office cold.

Researchers Reveal the Best Time of Day for Decision Making

Nov 09 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

We make a plethora of decisions every day of our lives, from which shoes to wear to which politician to vote for in elections. Although we do not consciously realize it, a great deal of neurological activity goes into making even minor choices. During the decision-making process, neurons in three different areas of the brain communicate with each in a series of rapid firings that can take less than a second. Our brains balance risk, the likelihood of reward and emotions with our own life experiences, memories and knowledge. This intense brain activity results (ideally) in a clear decision that suits our values and needs.

However, there are differences in the way we make decisions at different times of day. You may be surprised to find out that the decision you make in the morning is very different from the decision you might have made late at night. Even more surprisingly, researchers can predict how your decision making varies throughout your day.

Time of Day and Decision Making

How can researchers study the way you make decisions? There are a variety of approaches; some use logic-based games such as chess while others look at the choices made by professional decision makers, such as judges, throughout their day. Regardless of the approach, research has found that there is a clear pattern. People are more likely to make decisions with higher risk and higher potential for reward early in the morning. As the day wears on, we become more likely to make the safe choice even if we stand to gain a great deal less.

Why do humans make different decisions at different times of day in such a predictable manner? There appear to be multiple factors at play, including levels of neurotransmitters, a phenomenon known as decision fatigue and even the chronotype of the decision maker.

Serotonin: How the Happy Hormone Influences Your Choices

Serotonin is a brain chemical usually associated with happiness. A shortage of serotonin can cause depression and other mental illnesses, but it’s also important for relaying messages between different areas of the brain. According to new research, serotonin levels may be a factor in why you make varying decisions at different times of the day. High serotonin levels calm us and make us more likely to take risks. As the day wears on, we begin to make decisions that involve less risk (and often less reward) due to a decreasing amount of this vital neurotransmitter.

The results of lower serotonin levels can have serious consequences. Judges who hear parole cases all day are far more likely to grant parole early in the morning as well as after breaks. People who have parole hearings later are much more likely to see them denied. The truth is, we all engage in a different reasoning process as the day wears on. This is due to mental fatigue resulting from using up stores of serotonin and other neurotransmitters needed to effectively weigh risks and rewards.

Decision Fatigue: When You’re Just Tired of Making Choices

Have you ever gotten tired of making decisions? This is a universal phenomenon known as decision fatigue. Unfortunately, we all must make a variety of significant and less significant decisions throughout our day, leaving the areas of our brains that are involved in these processes less energetic. Should you get up early to prepare a healthier breakfast or sleep in and grab a cup of coffee instead? Even these little decisions quickly add up to a tired brain.

Decision fatigue is becoming more of an issue in the modern world. While people in days gone by might make a handful of decisions every day, we have more choices, and thus are more likely to become fatigued. We have several pairs of shoes, many options for breakfast, and a variety of decisions to be made before we even walk out the door. This adds up to minds that are simply tired and lacking the ability to weigh risks and rewards in a way that leads to good decision making. The degree of decision fatigue also may be affected by our unique chronotypes. While we all suffer from the effects of depleted neurotransmitters, “morning larks” tend to think best earlier in the day while so-called “night owls” appear to make their best decisions at night.

Improving Your Decision Making

If you would like to improve your decision making at times of the day when it is a problem for you, consider these helpful tips. First, make big decisions early in the day, when your brain is fresh. Eat and take a short break before agreeing to any potential plan or solution. If you speak a foreign language, try thinking about your decision in it. Research has found that people often think more rationally when using a foreign language because they lack the idiomatic knowledge to fall prey to emotional arguments. Last, get some air. High oxygen and low carbon dioxide both help your brain to react as calmly and rationally possible.

Researchers are still studying how the time of day for making the best decisions coincides with our circadian rhythms. Until we have performed more study in this area, it’s best to get quality sleep, care for your internal clocks, and keep as close to your inborn sleep-wake pattern as possible. Sleep is essential to living a long and healthy life.

Timing is Everything: Using Chronotherapy in Cancer Treatment

Nov 03 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Cancer is one of the most deadly diseases in the world, killing an estimated 7.6 million people every year. While there is a constant flow of new treatments, the number of deaths nonetheless demands more research and, hopefully, an eventual cure. Many people use all available treatments but still die of this disease. For many, the treatment itself is part of the problem, as chemotherapy side effects can be quite serious. Until there are ways of stopping cancer in its tracks, we may be able to improve outcomes and reduce the tide of deaths by using chronotherapy in cancer treatment.

What Is Chronotherapy?

Every cell in our bodies runs on an internal clock called a circadian rhythm. Chronotherapy is the practice of timing treatments so they are taken at the most effective time of day. Giving medications at the right time can increase efficacy while reducing the actual amount of medication that patients need. For example, if a person who has high blood pressure primarily at night takes their medication before bed, not only will it be more effective, they will also need less medication than if they took it in the morning or another random time of day. This, in turn, reduces side effects, medication interactions and the chances of developing toxicity from high levels of medication.

We do not currently know all of the diseases that respond best to chronotherapy. However, research suggests that allergies, heart disease and a wide range of illnesses may be treated more effectively when treatments are given at specific times. According to new research on chronotherapy in cancer treatment, chemotherapy may be among the growing number of medications where timing is everything.

Using Chronotherapy in Cancer Treatment

Chemotherapy aims to kill cancer cells, but unfortunately kills many of the patient’s healthy cells as well. Balancing side effects and toxicity is a major challenge for both doctors and patients. What if there were a way to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy while decreasing side effects and toxicity? It appears that chronotherapy may be the answer.

A recent study found that chemotherapy and other cancer treatments are more effective when timed to coincide with the most active times of the circadian rhythm of cancer cells. In other words, timing the medications to stop growth exactly when the tumor is actively trying to grow. This study did not discover only a small difference in efficacy; the chemotherapy administered at the right time of day was actually twice as effective in treating cancer. The perfect time to give a drug depends on the type of cancer and the type of medication, but there appears to be a perfect time for most cancer drugs. Giving medications at carefully-determined times also reduces side effects and toxicity, which are two major reasons that patients often cannot continue with an otherwise successful treatment.

The Circadian Rhythm of Cancer Cells

How can timing the administration of a drug make such a difference? Cancer cells tend to have a circadian rhythm that is different from that of healthy cells. They have often lost many of the checkpoints to growth that are present in healthy cells, which means that they can grow almost continuously. While they may grow faster at certain times of day, they are growing or preparing to do so almost constantly. On the other hand, human cells grow only for very small periods of time during the day.

With many types of cancer, it is possible to identify a time when cancer cells are extremely active while normal cells are not. When a drug attacking that part of the cell cycle is administered at these times, it is likely to have a huge impact on cancer while affecting normal cells very little, which means fewer side effects.

Your Circadian Rhythm and Your Health

While most people are not aware of their circadian rhythm, your internal clock plays a huge role in your health. The amount you sleep—or don’t—can affect whether you feel rested but also your risk of developing serious diseases. Because a poorly-regulated circadian rhythm is essential to health, it makes sense that working with your own innate timing would play a role in recovery from serious diseases such as cancer.

If you or a loved one are facing a battle with cancer, chronotherapy may give you an advantage. It’s important to talk to your doctors about the best time to take your medications to maximize treatment and reduce adverse effects.

Turning the Clocks Back This Weekend Could Be Detrimental to Your Health

Oct 31 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Couldn’t most of us use an extra hour of sleep? Many people look forward to the fall time change, which occurs on November 6 this year. Unlike the spring changing of the clocks, which equates to lost sleep, turning the clocks back in the fall, or “falling back,” gives us a much-needed extra hour of slumber. It also means waking up to a little more sunshine, even if we pay for that sunshine with an earlier sunset. However, the fall time change can impact your health in a variety of negative ways.

The History of Daylight Saving Time

The tradition of turning the clocks back in the fall and forward in the spring began in World War II. Seasonally adjusting the clock in this way allowed people to enjoy maximum sunlight during the day, thus lowering the amount of resources used in lighting homes and businesses. Fuel was at a premium during the war, so this tactic had a measurable impact on how much fuel citizens used. When the war ended, the United States and Europe made Daylight Saving Time (DST) a local option.

Some communities continued the twice-yearly change in clocks while others did not. As the country became more mobile and well-connected, this inconsistency led to a great deal of confusion. This spurred the creation of the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which made changing clocks mandatory for the entire nation (except in the case of special exemptions). Since then, most Americans and a great deal of Europe as well changed clocks one hour forward in spring and one hour backward in the autumn.

The Effects of Time Change on Your Circadian Rhythm

Our bodies run according to a series of internal clocks known as our circadian rhythm. When our sleep-wake cycle changes suddenly, we suffer from the mixture of fatigue and clouded thinking that we call jet lag. Our bodies are suddenly out of sync with our environments and must adjust to the new time, a process that happens slowly.

In the spring, a switch to Daylight Saving Time means that many people lose an hour of sleep and must adjust to waking up significantly earlier. The effects of this change in time have been well-documented, including an increase in strokes, heart attacks and even car accidents. Until recently, much of the research on the effects of time change has centered on the spring change in clocks, as this involves losing sleep. However, it has become increasingly evident that the fall time change may also have a variety of negative effects on your health.

How Is Turning the Clocks Back Bad for Your Health?

While getting an extra hour of sleep is better than losing one, it still has an effect on the circadian rhythm. Many scientists believe that any change in the circadian rhythm can have long-term effects on health, including an increase in cancer risk. The decrease in light during the day also can have an effect on health. Children are less likely to play outside during the long dark hours of winter evenings, increasing the risk of obesity and the many other health risks associated with it. Adults are similarly less likely to go for a jog or otherwise get exercise when it’s dark out.

In addition, the decrease in light during waking hours can affect mental health, worsening mood disorders and increasing depression. Many people are affected mentally by a change in light, even among those who haven’t been diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). We rely on light to regulate our circadian rhythms. A lack of light can throw metabolism into disarray and disrupt the internal clocks.

Healthy Ways to Deal With a Time Change

If you are concerned about how turning back the clocks affects your health, there are a few things you can do to soften the blow. Begin by slowly changing your schedule in the week before the time change, so it has a less-abrupt effect on your sleep-wake cycle. Maximize outdoor time and access to sunlight, even adding light therapy if you feel you can’t get enough sunshine. Take a melatonin supplement before bedtime if you aren’t feeling sleepy. Last, be sure to get enough exercise even if this means switching to indoor activities. Caring for your health and replacing the light stolen from your day can mitigate many of the effects of turning the clocks back.

Our circadian rhythms are essential to our health and well-being. There are many ill effects, both short-term and long-term, when we disrupt our internal clocks. However, there are ways to make Daylight Saving Time easier on our bodies and minds. Caring for your circadian rhythm is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle.