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Researchers have discovered that a diet free of the amino acid tryptophan can effectively halt the growth of liver cancer in mice. Their findings offer new insights for dietary-based cancer treatments and highlight the critical role of the tryptophan metabolite indole 3-pyruvate (I3P) in liver tumor development. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third-leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with limited options for effective treatment and a five-year survival rate of about 30%. The study shows that growth of liver cancers driven by the MYC oncogene is particularly dependent on tryptophan, which is converted into I3P as well as other metabolites....

Gut bacteria and a diet rich in the amino acid tryptophan can play a protective role against pathogenic E. coli, which can cause severe stomach upset, cramps, fever, intestinal bleeding and renal failure, according to a study. The research reveals how dietary tryptophan—an amino acid found mostly in animal products, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes—can be broken down by gut bacteria into small molecules called metabolites. It turns out a few of these metabolites can bind to a receptor on gut epithelial (surface) cells, triggering a pathway that ultimately reduces the production of proteins that E. coli use to...

A faculty member and her colleagues have identified the means in which bacteria in the digestive system can break down tryptophan in the diet into an inflammatory chemical that primes the immune system towards arthritis. She says the research "builds upon some observations we had in patients with spondyloarthritis where changes in the microbiome were associated with increased production of indoles, which are what bacteria make from tryptophan." Similar changes were observed in arthritis studies involving mice, she says. "We found that when indole is present, the mice start to develop autoreactive T-cells that are more inflammatory. They have less...

The foods we eat can go a long way in boosting our moods. Here are our favorite snacks for happiness, according to science. Achieving happiness is top of mind for many people, and we'll try just about anything to get it. Whether it's therapy, exercise or meditation, we all want to bring more peace and joy into our lives. When we think about what makes us happy, our diet isn't usually at the top of the list (unless your favorite fast-food joint brings joy to mind). The foods we eat actually play a major role in how we feel. Studies...

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Tryptophan and methionine are essential amino acids -- the diet must provide them because cells cannot make them. Normally, the lack of an essential amino acid in the diet can lead to serious diseases and even death. Foods rich in tryptophan and methionine include cheese, lamb, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, nuts and soybeans.

'Brainy' chickpeas conquered the world 09 January 2007 NewScientist.com news service Could the humble chickpea have changed the course of history? As one of the founder crops cultivated in the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia, the chickpea's nutritional benefits have been cited as one of the reasons for the rise of civilisation there. Now Zohar Kerem from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, thinks he has evidence to support that view. Kerem and colleagues collected wild chickpeas (Cicer reticulatum) and compared their nutritional value with that of cultivated varieties. Wild chickpeas are rare and difficult to cultivate, so there must have...

Can drinking it slow the aging process? A new study in Austria says yes -- but that may not be enough to help large domestic brewers. With St. Patrick's Day and March Madness soon upon us, Americans probably don't need any more reasons to toss back a few beers. But we'll give you some anyway. Researchers in Austria and the Czech Republic -- two nations that drink more than their fair share of suds -- have just released studies that suggest that beer is an anti-inflammatory and can slow the aging process. In a study published in the March issue...

Increasing rates of anxiety, depression and irritability could be due to a poor diet that lacks the essential chemicals to keep the brain healthy, according to a leading mental health charity. A report out tomorrow describes the links between the less severe forms of mental disorder, such as anxiety, and the nation's increasing reliance on ready meals and processed food, which are heavy in pesticides, additives and harmful trans fats. Eating a diet without fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, pulses or nuts deprives the brain of the essential vitamins and nutrients needed to regulate it. ...SNIP... Nutritional deficiency could seriously...

In the 60's to 1989 research into tryptophan grew rapidly, millions used it for depression. In 1989, a contaminated batch forced the FDA to pull tryptophan off the US market, never to return. This destroyed all research into this critical amino acid and cleared the way for pharmaceutical drugs and billions of profits for them. I am asking the question, why do so many drugs work on the tryptophan oxygenase (pyrrolase) pathway? We have antidepressants (all classes). Related articles; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=7126996 And here; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=1826617 Then we have alcohol; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10721064&query_hl=9 Then we have asprin; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=7082905&query_hl=15 Nicotine, morphine, phenobarbitone http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=989&query_hl=17 then we have...

A substance found in many foods, including turkey, can suppress an overactive immune system, researchers are reporting. The substance, tryptophan, produces a breakdown product in the body that, in the study, reversed paralysis in mice with an experimental form of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the fatty cells that insulate neurons. "I have always been a skeptic regarding the interaction of diet and immunity," said Dr. Lawrence Steinman, the chairman of the immunology program at Stanford, who led the study, published in Science last week. "But now I'm getting smacked in the head by my own research." Dr....

Efficacy of antidepressants in adults BMJ  2005;331:155-157 (16 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7509.155Joanna Moncrieff, senior lecturer in social and community psychiatry1, Irving Kirsch, professor of psychology2  1 Department of Mental Health Sciences, University College London, London W1N 8AA, 2 School of Health and Social work, University of Plymouth, PlymouthCorrespondence to: J Moncrieff j.moncrieff@ucl.ac.uk Most people with depression are initially treated with antidepressants. But how well do the data support their use, and should we reconsider our strategy?     Introduction TopIntroductionEfficacySeverity of depressionMethodological issues in...Effect of antidepressantsConclusionsReferences   The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recently recommended that antidepressants, in particular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors,...

If the press had its way, the national dialogue would be over a constitutional ban on the controversial Atkins Diet, rather than on the sanctity of marriage. You know the culture war has reached a fevered pitch when you can decipher someone's politics by the diet they choose. It now seems there are few certainties in life, except death, taxes, and that vegans will cast their vote for Ralph Nader. Therefore, the politicizing of the Atkins Diet has come as no surprise. The diet has no shortage of enemies either. Its "reported" emphasis on meat drives vegetarians insane. "Big Sugar",...