Introduction
For the normal person, protein is good. But how many of us are normal in every way? There can be a situation in which all amino acids are good except for one. That one amino acid can be a killer. We see this in celiac disease and in PKU. There are other situations in which the patient is allergic to a number of amino acids as in liver disease and kidney disease.
The Brain
The brain itself is protein with some fat. People eat sweetbreads, which are animal brains. The American diet contains a great deal of protein, so protein deficiency is rare here. However, you will see it in Africa. Amino acids play very important roles in the brain. Some of them, including glutamate, are neurotransmitters. Others, including phenylalaine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, are precursors of neurotransmitters. In an emergency situation such as hypoglycemia or starvation, the brain can burn amino acids for fuel. This is not efficient, but it can keep the person alive. Burning amino acids does not produce as much ATP as burning glucose. More information on the brain is presented in the bibliography.
Protein
Good plant sources of protein are beans, peas, nuts, bread, and cereals.” orthomolecular.org
Good sources of protein include eggs, milk, collard greens, cauliflower and many legumes including lentils, split peas, kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and garbanzo beans.” WHFoods I have used the website World’s Healthiest Foods as one of my sources of information. I recommend this site highly as it contains a great deal of valid information about nutrition. There are some areas where the answers are not all yet known. I am trying to explore these areas. One example of this is the area of mental health and nutrition.
Individual Amino Acids
An entire book could be written on this subject. The food content of amino acids is known. What is not yet completely known is what role amino acids play in the various diseases. It is known that some people are allergic to some amino acids. One example of this is Chinese restaurant syndrome where the person is allergic to MSG (monosodium glutamate). The person becomes sick after eating Chinese food that contains MSG. The amino acid glutamate is involved. This amino acid is abundant in the brain.
Alanine
The amino acid alanine, a simple amino acid, is found in the following foods:Beans, brewer’s yeast, brown rice bran, caseinate, corn, dairy products, eggs, fish, gelatin, lactalbumin, legumes, meat, nuts, seafood, seeds, soy, whey, whole grains. Legumes include beans, peas, and lentils. Alanine can be converted to pyruvate and then can be used in energy metabolism. This is not as productive as burning glucose for energy.
Tryptophan
Tryptophan has been found to be abnormal in both schizophrenia and depression. It floods the brain cells. People with mental illness are allergic to it. Tryptophan is found in the following foods:
Bananas, beans, brewer’s yeast, brown rice bran, caseinate, cottage cheese, dairy products, dates, eggs, fish, lactalbumin, legumes, meat, milk, nuts, peanuts, protein (hydrolysis), seafood, seeds, soy, turkey, whey, whole grains.
Conclusions
There are 20 amino acids, but only 9 are essential. Tryptophan is essential, meaning that it cannot be made from any other amino acid. Alanine is not essential. Phenylalaine and methionine are other examples of essentail amino acids. Unfortunately mental illness and mental retardation is seen in PKU, a disease where phenylalanine accumulates. Phenylanine is found in the following foods:
Almonds, avocado, bananas, beans, brewer’s yeast, brown rice bran, caseinate, cheese, corn, cottage cheese, dairy products, eggs, fish, lactalbumin, legumes, lima beans, meat, nuts, ovalbumin, peanuts, pickled herring, pumpkin seeds, seafood, seeds, sesame seeds, soy, whey, whole grains.
The above foods must be strictly avoided in PKU. My own theory is that a low tryptophan diet should be used in mental illness. Such a diet would be similar to the PKU diet but not exactly the same. Tryptophan is unusual in that sugar ingestion causes it to be pumped into the brain by the action of insulin. Therefore sugar needs to be avoided.
Bibliography
1. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1005120/correcting_the_biochemical_errors_in.html
2. www.associatedcontent.com/article/991164/plants_the_healthiest_foods.html
3. www.associatedcontent.com/article/984672/neurochemistry_components_of_schizophrenia.html
4. www.associatedcontent.com/article/985592/the_relationship_between_hallucinogens.html
5. www.associatedcontent.com/article/975360/hispanic_research_on_neuropsychiatry.html
