The Fascinating Effects of 5HTP
5HTP is a little known essential amino acid found in all of us. Short for 5 Hydroxytryptophan, 5HTP is the halfway house between tryptophan and serotonin. The importance of serotonin is by now well known, and as a key component in producing serotonin, the importance of 5HTP can easily be inferred.
Serotonin deficiency is unfortunately common in hyper-capitalist western societies built on 24 hour communication and fast food. The body’s ability to produce serotonin is hindered by high stress levels and poor diet, both of which are distressingly familiar to large swathes of the population. As a mood controller, lack of serotonin can lead to depression, insomnia and obesity, all of which can feed off each other.
Given that 5HTP is necessary in producing serotonin, it therefore follows that higher levels of 5HTP will help the body to create more serotonin, thus bringing the body back into balance. It is for this reason that people take 5HTP as a supplement, available in any good natural health shop.
Some of the most interesting research of recent times has brought the link between serotonin and overeating in clear view. Serotonin is not just a mood regulator but an appetite regulator. As such, those suffering from a deficiency are prone to overeating. Even more interesting is that some studies have shown that there is a genetic link to over-eating, and that specifically this link is due to a lack of 5HTP, and therefore serotonin.
As such, the existence of 5HTP as a supplement offers those suffering from obesity as a consequence of a genetic deficiency the chance to overcome genetics and reinstate ‘normal’ appetite regulation and help to stop overeating.
Of course, not everyone who is obese is subject to genetics, but all the same, 5HTP may still help as it could help to combat other root causes of overeating such as depression. Nor should 5HTP be seen as a miracle ‘obesity cure’, even when obesity is the consequence of genetics any attempt to lose weight should involved a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Either way, what with the importance of serotonin for the proper functioning of our body and the propensity for lifestyles that contribute to deficiencies in production, 5HTP could well become one of the most important supplements on the market, as high stress modern lifestyles are only set to rise.
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