Kitty,
I can tell you something about three of the transmitters in your list.
Tyrosine is the essential amino acid for dopamine and norepinephrine. This
amino acid is available in many sources of protein. Tryptophan is the
essential amino acid for serotonin and it is available from dairy products,
bananas, and corn among others.
The story is not as simple as ingest these foods and increase the levels of
these transmitters. The amount of transmitter produced in each cell is
limited by the availability of these essential building blocks and other
enzymes. More importantly, the amount of the essential amino acid that cross
the blood brain barrier is determined by the amount that is present in the
blood stream and other nutritional factors. For example, I remember that the
amount of tryptophan that crosses is in part dependent on the carbohydrate
load in the blood stream at the time.
I hope this is helpful.
Dennis
Dennis M. Goff
Dept. of Psychology
Randolph-Macon Woman's College
Lynchburg, VA 24503
-----Original Message-----
From: K Jung [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 6:09 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: neurotransmitters and food student question
Might anyone know which foods affect which neurotransmitters, esp. the
"popular" neurotransmitters, ie, serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine,
endorphins, norepinephrine? I vaguely remember dairy and acetylcholine
going together. A student stumped me on this one and a search on my part
has turned up nothing remarkable.
peace,
K
Kitty K. Jung, MA
Lecturer
Truckee Meadows Community College
Reno, Nevada
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
775.673.7098
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