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Phenylalanine
Phenylalanine
is, or rather was, a hot topic. Some people seem to react rather badly to it,
and a lot of heck was raised about it being used in products. Things have
calmed down and studies have shown that there is no harm in it for healthy
people.
It
elevates the mood by stimulating the nerve system, and may be important to
staying motivated for whatever reason. It aids memory and together with its
derivative, glutamine, is considered a smart-vitamin (though they aren't
vitamins).
It increases levels of epinephrine,
nor-epinephrine, and dopamine in the anterior pituitary. All three are
important neurotransmitters needed for optimum operation of the nerve system.
It also helps the absorption of UV rays in sunlight, which in turn gives a
higher rate of Vitamin D, a strong body hormone.
Its
main metabolite is tyrosine which increases levels of dopamine and
nor-epinephrine, as stated above. It's also one of the manufacturers of
glutamine, the amino acid that makes up the largest part of the amino acid
pool.
Phenylalanine
often gets a bad wrap in the press. It is used as a non-carbohydrate sweetener
in many soft drinks (combined with aspartic acid, as aspartame and made
headlines recently when some claimed it was hazardous to the brain, and then
later it was linked to carcinogenic risk.
Toxic
levels of phenylalanine can indeed be lethal, but trust me, so can anything
else. If I put a gun to your head and made you drink twenty gallons of
purified water, you'd be dead too. And that's water. Imagine what vitamins or
minerals could do?
Yet
somehow I doubt anyone feels vitamins are an evil poison, put on earth to kill
you. Well, neither is phenylalanine. It's an essential amino acid, and most
nutritionists will tell you that you are more likely to be deficient than run
the risk of overdosing.
Toxic
doses exceed 3 to 4 times the amount you would get on average from a diet
containing 250-300 grams of protein daily. So that extra diet Coke won't kill
you.
Use
To Bodybuilders Apart
from motivation and extra Vitamin D, Phenylalanine is of the use because of
the nerve upgrading which will allow for maximal contraction and relaxation of
the muscles. The DL-form is often supplemented as an endurance enhancer.
Because of the toxicity level, this is never done long-term.
Dosage
Recommendation is 14 mg
per kilo of bodyweight. You'll be getting more than that no doubt, and I see
no need to increase that. Especially with the potential side-effects.
Overdosing
This is not a wise
supplement to be taking by pregnant women and diabetics. It results in higher
blood pressure, headaches, nausea, heart trouble and nerve damage.
Medical
Uses For
treatment of arthritis and depression.
Sources
All dairy products,
almonds, avocados, nuts, and seeds.
Deficiency Its rare, but if it occurs it leads to weakness,
lethargy, liver damage and stunted growth.
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