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180 Degree Health - Depression and other Mental Disorders

http://www.180degreehealth.com/inde...ental-disorders

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...fructose malabsorbers have low serum levels of zinc, folic acid, and the amino acid tryptophan.~
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This is key because zinc has many dynamic interrelationships with other minerals.~ Folic acid is of course one of the key nutrients that expecting mothers commonly take to avoid birth defects that stem from the neural tube.~ But as it pertains to mental disorders, the low level of tryptophan tells quite a story.~
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Tryptophan is the amino acid precursor to perhaps the most dominant of all neurotransmitters in the body – serotonin.~ Serotonin is a feel-good chemical that we can’t experience happiness without.~ Abnormalities with serotonin, or the neurotransmitter dopamine, which exists on somewhat of an axis with serotonin, are associated with virtually every known mental illness.~ Although the science is quite complex, Ledochowski has noted that the incidence of depression, specifically, is significantly higher amongst the fructose malabsorbers.
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Fascinatingly, pooperstar Mark Pimentel, the head of the gastroenterology department at Cedars-Sanai in Los Angeles, has noted that amongst fructose malabsorbers, there is bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine.~

Accompanying bacterial overgrowth are huge surges of serotonin production in the digestive tract.~ This serotonin formation depletes tryptophan levels while simultaneously shutting down receptor sites when large quantities are thrust into the system.~
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This has a very close link with depression, addiction, and the list goes on.~ The closure of serotonin receptor sites is hugely significant, as it will make a person feel neurotic, depressed, edgy, and any number of negative emotions even when serotonin levels are perfectly normal.~

After depletion of tryptophan, matters simply get worse.~ And because of the high that eating fructose gives to those who are fructose malabsorbers, many become addicted to sugar and sweets, foods that are causing them trouble in the first place.~ The process spirals down from there....

http://www.180degreehealth.com/inde...ental-disorders