Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2011 8:22:00 GMT -5
I just stumbled over information that there is a connection between lactose and fructose with tryptophan. This can result in a lowered level of tryptophan, which is the first step for the production of serotonin and may play through this mechanism a role in depression. Below you will find more detailed informations. The first article is easy to read. I only post a few snippets:
Emily Deans, M.D.
Could Soda and Sugar Be Causing Your Depression?
Evolutionary Psychiatry Published on May 24, 2011
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201105/could-soda-and-sugar-be-causing-your-depression
… In fructose malabsorption, the GLUT5 transporter in the small intestine doesn't take up fructose as efficiently as it could. That means lots of undigested fructose floats down to the colon, feeding the bacteria there and leading to bloating, cramping, and diarrhea - basically the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. It is diagnosed via testing for excess hydrogen in the exhaled breath after a fructose load of 50mg. A similar test can show if someone has lactose intolerance.
Estrogen activates an enzyme called hepatic tryptophan 2,3 dioxygenase that shifts the metabolism of tryptophan from making serotonin (happy) to making kynurenic (not happy). Women already have lower serum levels of tryptophan than men do (which may be part of the reason why we are more vulnerable to depression in the first place), so screwing up whatever available tryptophan in the diet with fructose may lead to even lower levels, and thus depression…
It's also important to note that wheat products contain fructans, which can also cause intestinal problems in fructose malabsorbers. Bread with high fructose corn syrup can be especially problematic.
One more snippet - it seems that fructose malabsorption can affect serum zinc in two ways. First, it seems to interfere with the ability of the intestine to take up zinc in the first place. Second, fructose malabsorption is associated with bacterial overgrowth in the large intestine, which is associated with chronic immune stimulation. As we know, inflammation likely causes us to sequester our zinc.
Now a few parts from wikipedia in regard to Fructose malabsorption en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose_malabsorption
Symptoms
• Bloating (from fermentation in the small and large intestine)
• Diarrhea and/or constipation
• Flatulence
• Stomach pain (as a result of muscle spasms, the intensity of which can vary from mild and chronic to acute but erratic)
• Vomiting (if great quantities are consumed)
• Early signs of mental depression[8]
Other symptoms include:[9]
• aching eyes
• fuzzy head
• fatigue
List of foods
Unfavorable foods (i.e. more fructose than glucose)
• Fruit — apple, pear, guava, honeydew melon, nashi fruit, pawpaw, papaya, quince, star fruit, watermelon;
• Dried fruit - apple, currant, date, fig, pear, raisin, sultana;
• Fortified wines
• Foods containing added sugars, such as agave nectar, some corn syrups, and fruit juice concentrates.
Favorable foods (i.e. fructose equal to or less than glucose)
• Stone fruit: apricot, nectarine, peach, plum (caution - these fruits contain sorbitol);
• Berry fruit: blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, loganberry;
• Citrus fruit: kumquat, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, tangelo;
• Other fruits: ripe banana, jackfruit, kiwi fruit, passion fruit, pineapple, rhubarb, tamarillo.
Emily Deans, M.D.
Could Soda and Sugar Be Causing Your Depression?
Evolutionary Psychiatry Published on May 24, 2011
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201105/could-soda-and-sugar-be-causing-your-depression
… In fructose malabsorption, the GLUT5 transporter in the small intestine doesn't take up fructose as efficiently as it could. That means lots of undigested fructose floats down to the colon, feeding the bacteria there and leading to bloating, cramping, and diarrhea - basically the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. It is diagnosed via testing for excess hydrogen in the exhaled breath after a fructose load of 50mg. A similar test can show if someone has lactose intolerance.
Estrogen activates an enzyme called hepatic tryptophan 2,3 dioxygenase that shifts the metabolism of tryptophan from making serotonin (happy) to making kynurenic (not happy). Women already have lower serum levels of tryptophan than men do (which may be part of the reason why we are more vulnerable to depression in the first place), so screwing up whatever available tryptophan in the diet with fructose may lead to even lower levels, and thus depression…
It's also important to note that wheat products contain fructans, which can also cause intestinal problems in fructose malabsorbers. Bread with high fructose corn syrup can be especially problematic.
One more snippet - it seems that fructose malabsorption can affect serum zinc in two ways. First, it seems to interfere with the ability of the intestine to take up zinc in the first place. Second, fructose malabsorption is associated with bacterial overgrowth in the large intestine, which is associated with chronic immune stimulation. As we know, inflammation likely causes us to sequester our zinc.
Now a few parts from wikipedia in regard to Fructose malabsorption en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose_malabsorption
Symptoms
• Bloating (from fermentation in the small and large intestine)
• Diarrhea and/or constipation
• Flatulence
• Stomach pain (as a result of muscle spasms, the intensity of which can vary from mild and chronic to acute but erratic)
• Vomiting (if great quantities are consumed)
• Early signs of mental depression[8]
Other symptoms include:[9]
• aching eyes
• fuzzy head
• fatigue
List of foods
Unfavorable foods (i.e. more fructose than glucose)
• Fruit — apple, pear, guava, honeydew melon, nashi fruit, pawpaw, papaya, quince, star fruit, watermelon;
• Dried fruit - apple, currant, date, fig, pear, raisin, sultana;
• Fortified wines
• Foods containing added sugars, such as agave nectar, some corn syrups, and fruit juice concentrates.
Favorable foods (i.e. fructose equal to or less than glucose)
• Stone fruit: apricot, nectarine, peach, plum (caution - these fruits contain sorbitol);
• Berry fruit: blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, loganberry;
• Citrus fruit: kumquat, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, tangelo;
• Other fruits: ripe banana, jackfruit, kiwi fruit, passion fruit, pineapple, rhubarb, tamarillo.