5-HTP for SEROTONIN to treat  depression - To aid weight loss

Appetite Suppressant - Brain SEROTONIN levels control feelings of fullness after we eat. Weight gain has been linked to a SEROTONIN deficiency in the brain.

• A shortage of SEROTONIN, means the brain doesn't tell us to stop eating - ultimately leading to obesity.
• Weight loss products such as Redux and Fenfluramine (of the Phen-Fen diet) work similarly to anti-depressants such as Prozac and Zoloft, by increasing SEROTONIN levels - by using a SEROTONIN reuptake inhibiting mechanism.

SEROTONIN has also been found to effect the body's percentage of diet-induced heat production thermogenesis) -a certain amount of food consumed is immediately converted to heat. Evidence indicates that the level of diet-induced thermogenesis is what determines whether a person is likely to be overweight, since food energy not converted to heat is stored as fat.

A meal may stimulate an increase in heat production:

• Up to a 40% in lean people
• or 10% or less in obese people.

Studies using 5-HTP for Weight Loss

• 5-HTP supplementation enabled overweight individuals to adhere to dietary recommendations and achieved significant weight loss in a 12-week double-blind study - 20 overweight women were randomly assigned to receive either 5-HTP (300 mg three times/day) or a placebo.No diet was prescribed during the first 6 weeks; the women were placed on a 1200 calorie diet for the second 6 weeks. The women who took the placebo lost 2.28 lbs, while the women who took the 5-HTP lost 10.34 lbs.

5-HTP appeared to promote weight loss by promoting a feeling of satiety and a reduction in carbohydrate intake thus reducing calories consumed - it appeared that the women in the control group had difficulty adhering to the diet, whereas 90% of the 5-HTP group reported having no problem maintaining the diet.  Cangiano C et al, Eating behavior and adherence to dietary prescriptions in obese adult subjects treated with 5-hydroxytryptophan, 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy

• 5-HTP supplementation for 5 weeks reduced calorie intake and promoted weight loss in women who otherwise made no conscious effort to lose weight -The women achieved a weight-loss averaging 3lb during the five-week period. Cangiano C et al, University of Rome, Italy.
• A 1989 study showed 200 mg of 5-HTP increases the MELATONIN levels in the body nearly 200% - this is significant because in a 12-week rodent study, rats given MELATONIN experienced reductions in body weight, visceral fat, plasma leptin and plasma insulin levels.  Schwarz, Young, and Brown,Kyurenine and SEROTONIN Pathways Progress in Tryptophan Research. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 1989.
• In a 12-week study of 5-HTP supplementation, an average 6lbs was lost in the first 6 weeks and an additional average of about 8lbs was lost in the second 6 weeks - 300 mg of 5-HTP was given before each meal. It was realized that decrease in appetite was the most likely reason for the weight loss. The side effect to the 300 mg three times / day dosage was that 70% of the patients felt nauseous during the first six weeks, but none of the patients reported nausea by the second six weeks.
• Animal studies - have shown that administering 5-HTP literally turns off hunger and the craving for food.