According to a study by Maastricht University in the Netherlands, the participants who upped their intake of the amino acid tryptophan felt more relaxed and upbeat.
The reason for this change in mood is the speed at which your body converts the amino acid into serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical messenger that’s thought to act as a mood stabilizer and produce healthy sleeping patterns. Often serotonin is referred to as the feel-good hormone.
In this double-blind, crossover study, Maastricht University gave participants a tryptophan-rich hydrolyzed protein (HP) or a standard casein protein (as a control) then exposed them to acute stress.
The university found that those subjects who received tryptophan-rich protein (HP) all had significantly more positive moods, and (HP) dampened the body’s response to acute stress. The subjects who received (HP) produced less cortisol.
Included in the study were people who had markers for vulnerability to depression and low serotonin, as well as those who did not tend to be depressed.
They concluded that dietary treatment using tryptophan-rich hydrolyzed protein (HP) can be beneficial to the mood and dampen psychological stress.
After reading this study on the University’s website, I decided to increase the intake of tryptophan for myself and my ADHD kids.
Tryptophan is found in bananas. I encourage my kids to eat a banana a day as well as an extra banana if they get stuck in a bad mood or a cycle of perseveration. So far, we’ve had good results.
If you found this helpful don’t miss other posts in the same category!
Copyright Annie Eklöv
Sources
https://www.understood.org/articles/en/perseveration-adhd-and-learning-differences
I am not giving medical advice. I am simply explaining what worked for us inorder to help others.