Triptophan

In Dark Angel, Max needs triptophan to prevent seizures,  following are some various articles on triptophan.

-is an essential amino acid that also helps to calm you down
-apples and bananas have triptophan
-turkey and milk contain triptophan

Turkey contains multiple complex vitamins and proteins. Also contains triptophan, which may induce a sleepy feeling.

Foods high in triptophan release the chemical seretonin in your brain and often help alleviate pain. Try pasta, cheese, breads, chocolate and, of course, my favorite, Ice Cream with lots of chocolate.

Serotonin stimulation initiates a neurotransmitter cascade involving the endogenous opioids (neurotransmitters involved in pain relief), GABA (the neurotransmitter associated with minor tranquilizers and the diazapine family) and dopamine (the neurotransmitter of euphoria). Serotonin stimulation quickly brings relief from pain, accompanied by feelings of relaxation euphoria. Sugar acts to begin this cascade by increasing serotonin in the synapse. It does this by elevating insulin. Insulin knocks other, competing amino acids (proteins) out of the blood stream and affords another amino acid -- triptophane -- immediate passage into the brain. There it combines with triptophanhydroxylace to synthesize serotonin. Serotonin production is rate-related to the amount of triptophan available to serotonin synthesizing neurons in the brain. The more triptophan is available, the more serotonin may be synthesized.

The triptopahn is an essential aminoacid and part of human and animal proteins. Its fluorescent properties provide informations about the molecules linked to triptophan and in its neighborhood. A.G. Szabo and D.M. Rayner[1] in their fluorescence experiments verified a biexponential decay of triptophan, leading to the supposition that it have two most stable structures. The possible rotameric model of triptophan permits six structures of minima energy, in contradiction to experimental results. In one of her papers, H.Gordon[2] reviews several published works on triptophan and verifies that the results experimental and theoretical do not agree with of each other. To study the behavior of zwiterionic triptophan we have had made a computational simulation using the package GEOMOP(3) for energy minimization, with rotations of two diedral angles of triptophan, c1 e c2, with 200 and 200. We have observed four energy minima for triptophan. One possible explanation is that of the four minimal geometries only two are distinct because two of the positions g- and g+ are the same is other two because the barriers of the two structures are very low; the same is true for the positions perp g+ and perp g-.

Concern about Tryptophan Supplement

In 1990 the dietary supplement L-tryptophan was pulled off the market after a contaminated form was associated with more than 1,500 cases, including 38 deaths, from an illness known as eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS). The dietary supplement was replaced by a version called 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5HTP) and is used as an aid for insomnia, depression, obesity, and in children with attention deficit disorder.
   Researchers at the Mayo Clinic recently published results showing an impurity known as "peak X" in the 5HTP. FDA's own analyses have confirmed the presence of impurities in 5HTP and the agency is working with CDC and NIH to monitor the situation. Impurities similar to "peak X" were also found in L-tryptophan associated with the 1989 epidemic of EMS. So far no illness has been associated with the 5HTP products being sold as dietary supplements, but FDA points out the widespread promotion and use of these products began only recently.

A complex usage of serotonin and histamine and their precursors L-triptophan and L-histidine as well has been shown to result in an increased resistance of mice and rats toward hypoxia of different types such as hypercapnic, hypoxic and tissue one. Medicines based on L-triptophan and L-histidine amino acids show promises as new antihypoxic drugs.

vitamins cannot be generally manufactured by the human body they must be obtained from either food or medications. (An exception is vitamin B1 or Niacin, which can be manufactured by bacteria found in the intestines from dietary Triptophan - an essential amino acid)
Vitamin B5 ( Niacin):
Niacin is somewhat different from other vitamins, because it can be synthesized from Tryptophan an amino acid. Rich sources of both Niacin and Triptophan includes meats, poultry, fish, liver, kidneys, eggs, nuts, brewer’s yeast and wheat germ. Symptoms of avitaminosis include tiredness, muscular weakness, lack of appetite, skin spots, bad breath, insomnia, irritability, nausea, depression and headache. Severe deficiency of Niacin can lead to Pellagra. Pellagra is a chronic disease that leads to diarrhea, weight loss, confusion as well as skin rashes. Generalized weakness as well as sleep disturbances also occur. The RDA for Niacin is between 15-20 mg. per day. Pellagra is usually treated with doses of 20 grams of Niacin per day along with other vitamins. Niacin deficiency may be associated with certain cancers of the intestines (Carcinoid) or with a congenital defect in the intestinal absorption of Tryptophan (Hartnup disease). Without tryptophan, Niacin cannot be produced, leading to deficiency. In these two conditions, Pellagra may be treated with up to 20-40 grams of Niacin per day. Niacin in large amounts is also used in the treatment of high blood cholesterol, although side effectssuch as rashes, nausea and dizziness often prevent its use.