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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by McPac on December 5, 2003, at 16:15:17
Obviously many here, including myself, have purchased tryptophan via the 'net. And I did see it at a GNC a while back, though the last time I went there it was no longer for sale there. I asked a Sales Rep. at Vitamin Shoppe to get some tryptophan. She said that they CAN'T sell it because it is prohibited for sale in the US. Is tryptophan legal or not for U.S. sale? thnx
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 5, 2003, at 17:22:00
In reply to Is tryptophan prohibited for sale in the U.S.?, posted by McPac on December 5, 2003, at 16:15:17
> Obviously many here, including myself, have purchased tryptophan via the 'net. And I did see it at a GNC a while back, though the last time I went there it was no longer for sale there. I asked a Sales Rep. at Vitamin Shoppe to get some tryptophan. She said that they CAN'T sell it because it is prohibited for sale in the US. Is tryptophan legal or not for U.S. sale? thnx
Not prohibited.
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-tryp1.html
Posted by McPac on December 6, 2003, at 0:30:52
In reply to Re: Is tryptophan prohibited for sale in the U.S.?, posted by Larry Hoover on December 5, 2003, at 17:22:00
Lar,
from reading that, they sure don't seem to feel that tryptophan is very safe---even the "uncontaminated" tryptophan.
Also, don't they say that products that contain tryptophan is allowed...but do they say that tryptophan by itself is allowed?
Posted by McPac on December 6, 2003, at 0:35:07
In reply to Re: Is tryptophan prohibited for sale in the U.S.?, posted by Larry Hoover on December 5, 2003, at 17:22:00
Lar,
the Rep. from Vitamin Shoppe sent me this (she still maintains that it's prohibited). I know I see it all the time as one of multiple ingredients in a product, like protein that weightlifters would use...but I haven't seen it at a health food store as a single product lately. Anyway, she sent me this:Please look at the link below obtained from the official web site of the
FDA. In the very bottom of the email in the Guidance section, it specifies
that the sale of L-Tryptophane is prohibited in the U.S.Thank You,
Kathy
http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia5404.html
<<IMPORT ALERT IA5404.url>>
Posted by stjames on December 6, 2003, at 1:26:38
In reply to Re: Is tryptophan prohibited for sale in the U.S.?, posted by Larry Hoover on December 5, 2003, at 17:22:00
According to some, tryptophan was prohibited not for the health problems but because it could be made into DMT, a psychedellic. All NT's are almost
psychedellics, save a few atoms. DMT is though by some to be an NT, as the body does make it.
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 6, 2003, at 7:08:55
In reply to Larry, prohibited for sale in the U.S.?, posted by McPac on December 6, 2003, at 0:35:07
> Lar,
> the Rep. from Vitamin Shoppe sent me this (she still maintains that it's prohibited). I know I see it all the time as one of multiple ingredients in a product, like protein that weightlifters would use...but I haven't seen it at a health food store as a single product lately.It's possible there's been some government pressure, post 9/11.
> Anyway, she sent me this:
>
> Please look at the link below obtained from the official web site of the
> FDA. In the very bottom of the email in the Guidance section, it specifies
> that the sale of L-Tryptophane is prohibited in the U.S.
>
> Thank You,
> Kathy
>
> http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia5404.html
> <<IMPORT ALERT IA5404.url>>
>McPac is a girl? I'll tell you....I form impressions, but they can be wrong ones.
The way I read the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, and the explicit way the FDA referred to l-tryptophan as *not* being prohibited in dietary supplements....there is no prohibition against sale, period. The l-tryptophan in weightlifting products was in the crude protein, so it's nothing more than pre-digested food.
The way I interpret the import alert is as a tool for front-line workers in the customs department, i.e. detain all tryptophan until smarter people can have a look at it. For bulk imports destined for approved uses, as under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, the product would undoubtedly be released for use. Smaller samples, such as shipments purchased by an individual would not be released, as testing and assurances of safety would be cost-prohibitive. All that means is American users of tryptophan are by necessity forced to use domestic sources, where the supply has come under US government regulation.
That is my interpretation of the law, and how it applies to l-tryptophan. Legal, but only under certain conditions.
Lar
Posted by McPac on December 7, 2003, at 16:21:56
In reply to Re: Larry, prohibited for sale in the U.S.? » McPac, posted by Larry Hoover on December 6, 2003, at 7:08:55
"McPac is a girl?"
>>>>>>>>>>> No, I'm a dude......the Kathy in the post above was the Vitamin Shoppe Rep. who sent me that link.
Later!
Posted by stjames on December 7, 2003, at 17:04:08
In reply to Re: Larry, prohibited for sale in the U.S.? » McPac, posted by Larry Hoover on December 6, 2003, at 7:08:55
Is there an advantage to taking a single product,
l-tryptophan, vs increasing the foods it is rich in (eggs, ect) ? I would think the food source is more bio-avalible.
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 7, 2003, at 18:27:19
In reply to Lar, Re: Larry, prohibited for sale in the U.S.?, posted by McPac on December 7, 2003, at 16:21:56
> "McPac is a girl?"
>
> >>>>>>>>>>> No, I'm a dude......the Kathy in the post above was the Vitamin Shoppe Rep. who sent me that link.
> Later!Doh! I'm so literal.....sorry.
Lar
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 7, 2003, at 18:42:34
In reply to Re: Larry, prohibited for sale in the U.S.? » Larry Hoover, posted by stjames on December 7, 2003, at 17:04:08
> Is there an advantage to taking a single product,
> l-tryptophan, vs increasing the foods it is rich in (eggs, ect) ? I would think the food source is more bio-avalible.There is a significant advantage to using pure l-trypophan over any other source. Actually two significant advantages.
The first is not specific to tryptophan, but is true of using any pure amino.....it requires no digestion, and uptake is rapid and probably close to 100%, if taken on an empty stomach.
The second advantage also requires the empty stomach thingie...
Once in the blood, tryptophan must be pumped across the blood/brain barrier. The pump (called the Large Neutral Amino Acid Transporter, LNAAT) is not specific to tryptophan. Tryptophan must compete against five other aminos for access to the pump, and tryptophan is in lower relative concentration to each of those five competitors in all common proteins. So, it starts at a disadvantage if ingested as a component of protein... but there's another aspect as well ....tryptophan has the lowest binding affinity for the pump receptor, as well. Low concentration combined with low affinity makes tryptophan uptake an inefficient process.
Getting back to the empty stomach advantage:
So, if you take an oral dose of tryptophan on an empty stomach, you raise the concentration of tryptophan relative to all its competitors, and it is far more likely to be taken up by the brain.In order to enhance brain uptake of tryptophan from complex sources, like hydrolysed whey or soy protein (the stuff body builders use), or simply from food, the trick is to eat a sugary dessert after the meal. The sugar triggers an insulin spike, and insulin causes muscles to take up amino acids (all the competitors to tryptophan), with the exception of tryptophan. This also gives tryptophan less hindered access to the LNAAT.
I hope that weren't too compleecated.
Lar
Posted by stjames on December 8, 2003, at 11:38:16
In reply to Re: tryptophan as a supp, and in food » stjames, posted by Larry Hoover on December 7, 2003, at 18:42:34
> I hope that weren't too compleecated.
>
> Lar
No at all. Makes sense. Thanks !
This is the end of the thread.
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