These following excerpts are taken from Dr Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solution - Your Complete Guide To Health. I cannot take responsibility for whether the doses he recommended are wise or not but the level of information is detailed and very useful. As a friend recently asked me about Carnitine, I dedicate this to her.Sadly, Dr Atkins died last winter, I believe it was, when he slipped on ice going to work. Readers know I rate Dr D'Adamo's Eat Right For Your Type health plan above all others, and certainly an A blood type person would become ill if they ate the Atkins diet as they are not genetically suited to eating meat, however, he talked a lot of sense in this book and helped many.
DR ATKINS' VITA-NUTRIENT SOLUTION – YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO NATURAL HEALTH
TRYPTOPHAN: The best sleeping pill not on the market
Tryptophan was nutrition's superstar, the dietary David that single-handedly took on the lucrative Goliath-like market of sedatives, tranquillizers and antidepressants. More and more doctors felt it was a hands-down winner. It relieved depression, induced sleep and soothed anxieties with the best of them.
But to the pharmaceutical industry, this marvellously effective, remarkably safe and freely available nutrient threatened to be a billion-dollar pain in the balance sheet. Industry moguls must have privately wished for tryptophan to be discredited. So, after an improbable event, it was: scandalized, tried, convicted and banished by the very people entrusted to police - not to enrich - the pharmaceutical business.
DANGERS: REAL AND CONTRIVED
Investigators first traced the illnesses to the use of tryptophan supplements, then to a single contaminated batch of the supplement made by one Japanese company that had inexplicably changed their manufacturing procedure. In November of that year the American FDA recalled tryptophan from all over-thecounter shelves. Since then the agency has refused to lift the ban, even though several additional probes of EMS outbreaks in both the United States and Germany later reaffirmed that all of the illnesses and deaths stemmed from that one contaminated batch. Tryptophan itself poses no inherent danger, the research concluded,' and its prior and subsequent use by tens of millions of people for decades has harmed no one.
Prohibiting the use of tryptophan, in fact, presents a more dangerous scenario for people who take pure crystalline amino acid formulas. These forms upset the body's amino acid balance by forcing a drop in blood levels of tryptophan, which can exacerbate symptoms of premenstrual tension in women.' In men, according to another study, the imbalance created by taking tryptophan-free supplements increased anger, annoyance and other indicators of aggression and hostility by as much as 30 per cent.
SEROTONIN BUILDING BLOCK
The key to tryptophan's success is its ability to influence brain chemistry. In our bodies' own chemical factory, it is the biochemical that is converted directly into serotonin, a neurotransmitter that relaxes the mind and instills a sense of emotional wellbeing. The same qualities account for its therapeutic effect on depression. People who are depressed have low blood levels of both serotonin and tryptophan. Prozac, Zoloft, and other members of this family of mood-elevating drugs work by extending the life of serotonin (whatever little of it there may be) in the brain. Tryptophan attacks depression more safely, allowing the body to increase its production of serotonin in the brain.
Tryptophan is also useful against other emotional disorders, such as premenstrual anxiety and depressions and seasonal affective disorder. It also could play a role in treating eating disorders,' alcohol addiction, Down's syndrome, aggressive behaviour, attention deficit/ hyperactivity syndrome, schizophrenia, sleep paralysis and pain syndrome. I find it useful in obsessive-compulsive disorder, and it is perhaps the treatment of choice in Tourette's syndrome.
Tryptophan may have other uses. It and its 5-hydroxy variant have been helpful in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome." [Editor SBW’s note: 5HTP is also highly recommended to deal with sweet cravings - or carbohydrate cravings when on the O type diet; also, 5HTP is an excellent remedy to keep away depression and stay happy. I take it periodically, Higher Nature’s brand being the best, available in Fresh and Wild, Soho, London or try www.dadamo.com]
SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS
There are abundant sources of tryptophan in all meats, especially duck and wild game. However, supplements are far more effective than food. A 2 gram dose taken right before bed will safely and effectively overcome insomnia.
Heart Disease After a heart attack, several complications are likely, including chest pains (angina), heart rhythm disturbances and heart failure. Taking 2 grams of carnitine per day for four weeks, hospital-based studies show, can cut the number of those complications in half.' That's a better performance than standard drug therapy.
I remain ever optimistic that the over-the-counter prohibition will be lifted. Until it does, find an alternatively oriented doctor who prescribes it, or present your own doctor with the exonerating evidence (compounding pharmacies will fill a doctor's prescription). People with asthma should probably avoid it, because any serotonin precursor could make their breathing worse, and high doses may lead to a noticeable sense of fatigue following exercise." Otherwise it's entirely safe.
Two prescription types are available - L-tryptophan, the natural amino acid, and 5-hydroxy-tryptophan, which is the immediate biochemical precursor of serotonin. I generally prescribe 2-4 grams of L-tryptophan daily, more in severe cases. For the 5-hydroxy version, only a 300-400 mg dose is needed. For either kind, take most of the daily dosage before going to bed, but if daytime anxiety or depression is the problem, it should be taken throughout the day. Always take it before meals, because to be effective the tryptophan or 5-hydroxy must be connected with an amino acid transport system that delivers it to the brain, and the protein in your food will compete with it. Accompany the amino acid with some niacinamide to extend its action. We need tryptophan to manufacture our own niacinamide, and supplements of the B-complex nutrient spare tryptophan for other important tasks, like keeping you happy and relaxed.
CARNITINE: The fat burner
Do you want to know which vita-nutrient I personally take in greatest quantity every day? It's carnitine. For a substance that is supposedly nonessential, carnitine is as necessary a nutrient as you'll ever find. While it's quite true that our bodies make this amino acid, rarely do we have enough to keep us at our healthiest.
The heart is completely dependent upon carnitine; two-thirds of its energy supply comes from the fats that carnitine allows the body to burn. The release of fat for use as fuel also makes this nutrient an important adjunct to any weight-loss or exercise efforts. That's why I never forget my carnitine.
Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, becomes a distinct possibility without carnitine. The amino acid protects the heart muscle from damage when a heart attack or a spasm cuts off the oxygen supply. It also helps correct that most devastating of blood lipid profiles, the combination of high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol. An irregular heart rhythm will also quickly deplete carnitine stores in the body, creating a deficiency precisely when an optimal amount is most needed. Congestive heart failure flaws our ability to make carnitine, too.' However, taking 900 mg per day improved the health of one group of congestive heart failure patients, significantly increasing both their energy and their ability to exercise.4
Energy and Endurance Anyone who uses carnitine will get an energy boost from the amino acid, which also helps convert body fat into readily available fuel and elevates levels of certain enzymes needed to metabolize sugars, starches and other carbohydrates. Whether you're a casual exerciser or a more dedicated athlete, compensating for the greater amount of carnitine lost through physical activity extends your stamina and reduces the accumulation of lactic acid, the by-product of heavy-duty exertion that's responsible for the `burn' felt inside the muscles. This may enable exercisers to get the `gain' without the `pain', as one study confirmed.
Carnitine also clears the bloodstream of ammonia and aids in creating glycogen, the form in which the body stores glucose. Even marathon athletes can improve their stamina. A daily intake of 2 grams of taurine increased their treadmill performance by nearly 6 per cent,' enough to turn an `also ran' into a gold medalist.
Muscle Loss Anyone with a severe degenerative disease, such as cancer or AIDS, stands to gain from carnitine supplementation. It's a key nutrient for helping to prevent muscle atrophy.' The AIDS drug AZT depletes carnitine, as does Valproate, an antiepileptic drug. Such drug-induced carnitine deficiency can be life-threatening.
Infant Health Although considered `nonessential' for adults, carnitine is officially classified as indispensable for infants. So critical is this early need that researchers once proposed naming the amino acid `vitamin Bb'. Babies usually get carnitine through breast milk or fortified formulas - but not always. Most infant formulas contain carnitine, but it's best to check the label. Breast-feeding mothers who follow a vegetarian diet almost certainly need to take supplements. Carnitine may also be a very important nutrient for protecting children against Reyes
syndrome.
Other Conditions People with low thyroid function need carnitine to help them overcome diminished energy levels and the tendency to gain weight." Kidney dialysis rinses away stockpiles of the amino acid, another reason people who undergo the procedure are often weak, tired and threatened by high triglycerides. Other published studies suggest that carnitine may be of some value in treating diabetes, hypertension, liver disease and immune problems. It may also protect the liver from alcohol and other challenges.
One reason Atkins Center doctors prescribe carnitine so frequently is that it seems, in our experience, to be the nutrient most likely to overcome that bane of many dieters' existence - metabolic resistance to weight loss. For fat to be used up as fuel, carnitine is essential.
SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS
Most of us consume about 30-50 mg of carnitine a day, hardly an optimum amount. While beef is the largest, best source (with chicken, fish, eggs and milk containing smaller amounts), we can't rely simply on eating more red meat. High-protein, highfat meals stimulate carnitine excretion. High-carbohydrate eating is even more futile, because grains and vegetables contain negligible amounts.
To make up for the carnitine gap, a supplement of between 500 mg and 1 gram is the minimum amount we need to take for preventive purposes. For a heart problem, I normally recommend 1-2 grams daily. If you are on heart drugs, you may need less medication, which calls for the supervision of a nutritionally aware cardiologist.
People who get stuck on truly effective diets, such as the Atkins diet, may need 1,500-2,500 mg to break the log jam. To support the body's own synthesis, make sure you take additional amounts of vitamin C, lysine, methionine, iron, vitamin B3 and vitamin B6. People who took 3 grams of ALC per day for a year, to cite one study, displayed far less mental deterioration than did a similar number of people who did not take the supplement.
ALC has performed well in controlled studies involving more than six hundred people afflicted with the disease, and at least one large study showed it to be effective in non-Alzheimer's mental decline in elderly people.
For many of my patients with senile dementia, ALC seems to slow the disease process significantly. Colleagues have also reported that some of their patients have regained some memory ability and kept themselves better grounded in reality. Though ALC is not a ‘cure’, it often does temporarily reverse the downhill course of the disease, especially when combined with high doses of vitamin C and vitamin E.
If ALC helps to fight Alzheimer's, what about Parkinson's disease? Primate studies from this field of research are showing promising results thus far.
Immune Disturbances Results are preliminary, but ALC could Contribute to strengthening the immune system or shielding it from viral attacks. People with chronic fatigue syndrome, whose Immune systems have clearly broken down, have lower than expected levels of ALC. Replenishing the supply alleviates symptoms, such as fatigue and brain fog.'
Establishing an optimal physiological amount of ALC stimulates the overall activity of immune cells in both younger and older adults. A dosage of 2 grams a day for thirty days, according h• one study, improved immune function in people with active pulmonary tuberculosis.'
SUPPLEMENT SUGGESTIONS
Vigorous exercise will aid the body's natural conversion of carnitine into ALC, but taking carnitine supplements is not an effective substitute. Only ALC increases the brain's energy and Protects nerve cells from the harm inflicted by stress and free radicals. For anyone older than forty, in fact, ALC is clearly the nutrient, that has both improved the symptoms of Alzheimer's and reversed the imbalances in brain chemistry that coexist with it.'
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