Tryptophan amino acid supplements can help boost mood and enhance emotional stability. It can also help improve cognitive performance. If you want any of these effects, you can find help from a tryptophan supplement because it is the only precursor to Serotonin. Serotonin is an essential neurotransmitter that regulates your mood, emotional stability, and cognitive performance, among a few other things. It is very vital for maintaining stable moods, as well as avoiding impulsive behavior, depression, and aggression. It also ensures high-quality sleep. Do you see how important serotonin is? Now, if tryptophan is its only precursor, should you not ensure to get adequate amounts? You can get this either from your meals or via supplements.
Tryptophan supplements are great options for boosting serotonin. You may not understand the value of serotonin until you are aware of mental disorders that low serotonin can cause. Such disorders include autism, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, ADHD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Do you even know that antidepressants work by boosting serotonin levels? So if your doctor prescribes antidepressant drugs for you, what he is trying to achieve is to increase serotonin in your brain. However, many of these antidepressants may have serious adverse effects. More so, they only work for 6 out of 10 people who use them. Thankfully, tryptophan supplements are available as viable non-rug options for boosting serotonin. We have listed the top tryptophan supplements to boost your Serotonin.
Top Tryptophan Amino Acid Supplements
1. NOW L-Tryptophan
This is the best for you if you are looking for something simple and straightforward. In each capsule of this supplement, you will find 500mg tryptophan. More so, it contains no added ingredients other than stearic acid.
The capsule of NOW L-tryptophan is cellulose-based, which is friendly for vegans and vegetarians. The dosage is also very moderate and the supplement design is clean.
2. Superior Labs Tryptophan
This brand aims at delivering moderate dosages of tryptophan without additives. Its purity also has a very high level and that makes it top-notch among many others. Its capsules are also cellulose-based and each has 500mg tryptophan.
The amount of capsules in each bottle is fairly ample. To be precise, there are 120 capsules in each bottle. This brand is smaller than many others but its support base is still quite wide among L-tryptophan supplement users.
3. Amazing Formulas
This is a brand you can count on for the delivery of high doses of tryptophan, yet in minimal packages. Its gelatin capsules deliver 1000mg tryptophan. There is also some magnesium stearate in the capsule. But this is only for stability. This is indeed a very reliable and strong tryptophan source for boosting your cognition.
4. Longlifenutri Tryptophan
The tryptophan in this brand is pretty basic. It contains the standard 500mg dosage per capsule. This bottle is quite generous too. It has about 120 capsules. Its design is also clean and the capsule is made of gelatin. Aside from tryptophan, the capsule also includes magnesium stearate.
5. Pure Naturals
This brand has moderate dosages and is of high quality. It fits anyone who is not in need of high dosages. Its gelatin-based capsules would deliver 500mg tryptophan. There is nothing else in the capsule other than tryptophan; no pointless ingredients at all. It’s indeed a very solid pick.
6. Nutricost
This brand builds its capsules to boost the absorption of tryptophan and its bioavailability. It uses the proprietary extract of black pepper; BioPerine. Each capsule will give you 500mg tryptophan along with 5mg BioPerine. However, it may also contain silicon dioxide, which some people may not like.
Other Supplements to Boost Serotonin
1. SAMe
These supplements appear to help boost serotonin. As such, they may effectively improve the symptoms of depression. But you should avoid taking it with medications or other supplements that can increase serotonin, including certain antipsychotics and antidepressants. If you do, it can tip the balance to overproduction, which is also unsafe.
2. 5-HTP
These supplements can gain easy entrance into your brain, where they stimulate serotonin production. There is a small study suggesting that 5-HTP supplements are as effective as antidepressants in treating early depression symptoms.
3. Vitamin C
This vitamin is one of the cofactors of serotonin. It can, therefore, exert natural antidepressant functions in your brain. One study tells us that people who take vitamin-C supplements feel happier, usually within just about 1 week. This amazing Vitamin also participates in the production of dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. These are neurotransmitters that help boost both mental and physical energy, as well as the feelings of pleasure and reward.
4. B6 Vitamins
You need this B-complex vitamin for your body to effectively convert tryptophan to serotonin. Some tryptophan supplements even add B6 to their capsules because of this. Those who have major depressive disorders usually have low B6 blood levels.
5. B9 Vitamins (folic acid)
If you are deficient in this vitamin, you will have low levels of serotonin. It may also exert antidepressant effects on your brain. It primarily affects serotonin receptors. So you may have enough serotonin in your brain, but they will be useless if you don’t have enough folic acid. As such, you should also use B9 supplements if you are on antidepressants. It adds a boost to the benefits of antidepressant medications and serotonin-boosting supplements.
Finding Tryptophan from Food
There is no way to obtain serotonin directly from food. However, you can obtain tryptophan in abundant amounts from certain foods. You can find this amino in many high-protein foods. Such foods include salmon and turkey.
But getting tryptophan from food to fix your serotonin is not just that simple. There is a blood-brain barrier that forms a protective sheath to control the flow of substances into and outside your brain. So it is possible to eat foods rich in tryptophan but may contain higher amounts of other aminos that may cross this barrier more easily than tryptophan.
The way you can hack this system is to eat carbs alongside tryptophan-rich foods. They may help tryptophan cross your blood-brain barrier better. Try consuming tryptophan-rich food with 25 to 30 grams of carbohydrates.
Tryptophan amino acid can either come from your food or supplements. We have shown you the top supplements you can take if you want an extra boost for your tryptophan levels to boost your serotonin.