QUICKLINKS AND VIEW OPITONS
Follow @fatnews
5-HTP increases leptin, carbidopa decreases
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Thursday, April 01, 2004 5:08 am Email this article
5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) dose-dependently increases leptin in mice, however, pretreatment with carbidopa suppresses this increase according to a study from Kobe Pharmaceutical University in Kobe, Japan.
Carbidopa is a decarboxylase inhibitor used to increase the amount of 5-HTP reaching the brain by preventing the conversion of 5-HTP to serotonin before reaching the brain.
5-HTP is the immediate precursor to serotonin.
The authors noted that the appetite-reducing effects of leptin are associated with a reduction of the naturally-occurring appetite-stimulants neuropeptide-Y, melanin-concentrating hormone and galanin.
They also noted that leptin release is stimulated by glucocorticoids and insulin but inhibited by catecholamines.
The authors concluded that “Our results show that the [appetite-reducing] effects of 5-HTP may be related to the elevation of circulating leptin levels.”
Hopefully someone will follow-up with a study to determine which is better for appetite suppression—5-HTP alone or 5-HTP-plus-carbidopa—as well as verifying the results in humans.
Contact information for the lead author is as follows:
Jun Yamada
+81-78-441-7573 phone
+81-78-441-7574 fax
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
REFERENCE
Yamada J; Sugimoto Y; Ujikawa M. The serotonin precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan elevates serum leptin levels in mice. Eur J Pharmacol, 1999 Oct 21;383(1):49-51.
Articles on the same subject can be found here:
COMMENTS
Please feel free to share your comments about this article.
© Copyright 2003-2017 - Larry Hobbs - All Rights Reserved.