Tryptophan Strikes Again!

PsychCentral recently released an article about a study conducted at Purdue University that found mice who were predisposed to trichtillomania (hair pulling) were *more* likely to engage in these behaviors when fed a diet high in tryptophan and sugar.  This study raises the question of whether a similar phenomenon may be occurring in humans -- are we more likely to manifest symptoms of mental health issues in part due to our dietary choices?

There is a tendency in the U.S. to use the term "drug" to refer to an illicit class of mood altering substances, when in reality there are a number of drugs that are naturally-occurring in the body, like tryptophan, and our nutritional choices can sometimes throw off our bodies' natural balance. Parents may caution their children not to eat "too much sugar," but then stop at the donut shop or coffee cart on the way to work, "because I'm in a hurry" or "I don't have time to eat at home," and these daily choices deeply affect our mental health.  We feel gluttonous, greedy, lethargic.  When the "crash" inevitably comes, as our bodies try to balance themselves after an intake of caffeine or suger (or both, simultaneously), we feel...worse.  Cognitively, we know this, but we have come to accept it as normal.

We tell ourselves we'll "be good" tomorrow and restrict, avoid, cut back...that we should go on a diet, lose that extra 10 pounds.  Sometimes we do, and then we tell ourselves we're good, virtuous, healthy; and when we don't, we feel worthless, like failures or weak-willed creatures at the mercy of our desires.  Furthermore, if we are like our rodential brethren, we may be making ourselves sicker, more frenzied, more symptomatic -- more anxious, more depressed.  Tourette's Syndrome, characterized by uncontrollable verbal outbursts and tics, is one mental health concern that the researchers at Purdue think may be affected by the average American diet and its high volume of processed sugars.

Particularly with a New Year right around the corner -- and, for many, its requisite resolutions -- what if we reassessed our appetites and our desires, let them in?  What if, instead of "I should lose 10 pounds," we said, "I want to lose 10 pounds," and made a plan to do so?  Desires are natural, positive elements of our lives as humans; it is when we try to restrict, repress and deny them that we give them undue weight in our psyches, and invest desire with attributes: out of control, can't help it, I had to... Then some of us binge, purge, exercise excessively, or use other mood altering substances to check out, to avoid feeling bad.
Stop at the donut shop because you want to, not because you think you have no choice.  Then, the next day, try a breakfast with fresh fruit, to give yourself the natural sugars your body craves, and see if you feel any different.

Here's a New Year's suggestion:  Let yourself be aware of your body's reactions to foods and beverages.  In particular, notice your moods.  Do you feel edgier, more irritable at a certain point in the day?  Are you drinking enough fluids, especially water?  Sometimes we translate thirst as hunger.  If we choose to ingest coffee or other caffeinated beverages, drinking even more water helps rehydrate the body and replenish its natural balance.  Try to be gentle with yourself, to appreciate your desires as natural, and indulge them in moderation.

Happy holidays, and happy desiring!

For the original post on PsychCentral, follow this link:   http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/12/14/animal-study-suggests-dietary-link-to-mental-illness/21786.html