Are amino acids important for mental health? Yes! Amino acids are essential for the production of mood-regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and adrenaline. Without the right amino acids, nerves can’t send the proper signals and mental health can be thrown off kilter. Let’s dive in and explore this topic.

What Are Amino Acids and Where Can We Get Them?

Amino acids are organic compounds our body uses to make neurotransmitters, hormones, muscles, immune system components, and so much more. While many amino acids are recycled internally, our body still needs additional amino acids to be acquired from food. For this reason, it is important to make sure we consume a variety of foods, particularly ones that contain protein (because protein is made up of amino acids).

Fortunately, nearly all foods contain protein. Fruits, vegetables, meat, beans, dairy, eggs, whole grains, nuts and seeds all contain protein and as long as we are eating a varied diet rich in whole and minimally processed foods, we’re likely consuming all the amino acids our body needs.

However, when we are fighting an illness, dealing with chronic stress, experiencing mental health issues, recovering from addiction and/or navigating other extenuating circumstances, it becomes more important to regularly consume the most concentrated food sources of amino acids which are meat, poultry, fish, beans, dairy, eggs, nuts, and seeds.

Here’s an example of what a varied diet containing plenty of amino acids can look like.

   Breakfast: Whole wheat toast with Peanut butter and banana

    Lunch: Grilled Chicken sandwich (or smoked tempeh sandwich) with vegetable soup 

   Snack: Low-fat yogurt or dried apricots and almonds.

   Dinner:  Broiled Salmon (or braised tofu) with brown rice and vegetable stir-fry.

Eating the right foods is only half the battle. Our body still must digest the foods we eat to extract the amino acids. In many cases the hardships that boost our need for amino acids also make it more challenging to metabolize them.

How to Know if Digestion Is a Problem

Our digestion might be a problem if we are experiencing gas, bloating, difficulty focusing, energy fluctuations, and/or bowel movements less than once a day. If our body can’t digest the foods we eat to obtain amino acids, our mental health is affected.

Boosting Digestive Health

While there are many ways we can boost our digestive health, a few quick ideas are:

• Eat fiber-containing foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds as a part of every meal. Fiber helps keep the intestines clean and healthy.
• Eat probiotic-containing foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, or kefir 1-2 times a day. Probiotics help populate the intestines with beneficial microorganisms that support digestion.
• Drink plenty of water. Water provides the fluid medium through which all foods are metabolized, and amino acids are absorbed and distributed.

What if Food Isn’t Enough?

Sometimes, eating the right food is not enough to obtain the mental health results we want. Extenuating circumstances such as illness, addiction, and/or prolonged stress can all increase our chances of needing extra support. When it comes to amino acids, extra support arrives in the form of supplementation with specific amino acids in specific combinations to address specific symptoms. This support is called amino acid therapy.

Amino Acid Therapy

Amino Acid Therapy is an approach to healing from addiction, mental health issues, and physical health concerns that focuses on supplying the body with the particular amino acids it needs to build and maintain targeted neurotransmitters, hormones, immune system components, etc.

Because amino acids are important to so many of the body’s mental and physical functions, it’s important to ensure that sufficient amino acids are ingested. Consuming amino acids as supplements makes it easier for a body to absorb what it needs. Supplementation also allows for higher doses than would normally be easily available via food sources.

Specific Amino Acids for Specific Conditions

Common conditions helped by amino acid therapy include anxiety, depression, fatigue, and digestive issues.

While all amino acids have some role in mental health, a few key players are the following:

• DL-Phenylalanine and Tyrosine help with dopamine production and energy to reduce fatigue and depression (1).
•  L-Glutamine is great for digestive health and is a primary ingredient in the making of many neurotransmitters.
• L-Glycine can interrupt a panic attack because it interferes with the release of norepinephrine.
• L-Threonine and 5-HTP (tryptophan) can be helpful for anxiety and depression because they encourage the brain’s production of the neurotransmitter called GABA which helps shift the brain toward relaxation. (1)
•  Tryptophan supports the making of serotonin for mood regulation and melatonin for sleep regulation. It can also help with depression, insomnia, anxiety, and intestinal problems. (1)
• Tyrosine (often paired with DL-phenylalanine) increases dopamine and is helpful for low mood, fatigue, pain, and withdrawal from caffeine. (1) It also has roles with the adrenal, pituitary and thyroid glands. (2)

Where Do We Start With Amino Acid Therapy?

Research and talking with experts are a few good places to start when desiring to learn more about amino acid therapy. Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health by Leslie Korn and The Mood Cure by Julia Ross are excellent books to refer to for information. For an online resource, Dr. Gersten’s website is highly informative. He is an Integrative Psychiatrist who has specialized in Amino Acid Therapy for over 30 years.

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Sources:

1. Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health by Leslie Korn

2.The Mood Cure by Julia Ross