Taking Psychology with You:
..Food for
Thought: Diet and Neurotransmitters
INTRODUCTION
Does diet affect the brain and therefore behavior? Could we benefit from nutritional treatments? Before you get too excited about this prospect, here is the moral to this section: "if you are looking for brain food, you are most likely to find it in a well-balanced diet."
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KEY CONCEPTS EXPLAINED
Role of nutrients in the synthesis of neurotransmitters:
- Tryptophan is a precursor of serotonin.
- Tyrosine is a precursor of
- Norepinephrine
- Epinephrine
- Dopamine
- Choline is a precursor of acetylcholine.
The path from food to neurotransmitter is complicated and paradoxical.
Review of how nutrition affects mental and physical functioning indicates there are
benefits.
Trying to rev yourself up on nutritional supplements can be dangerous -- the brain
food you are looking for is in a well balanced diet.
LINKS About Nutrition
- weblink: Caution about claims that nutritional therapies are wonderful.
- weblink: Another dose of skepticism.
- weblink: A Mayo Clinic review.
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