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The effects of a diet enriched with alpha-lactalbumin on mood and cortisol response in unmedicated recovered depressed subjects and controls.
- Source :
-
The British journal of nutrition [Br J Nutr] 2005 Sep; Vol. 94 (3), pp. 415-22. - Publication Year :
- 2005
-
Abstract
- Alpha-lactalbumin is a tryptophan-rich protein fraction. A diet enriched with alpha-lactalbumin increases the ratio of tryptophan to the other large neutral amino acids, which may in turn increase brain serotonin content. In stress-vulnerable individuals, alpha-lactalbumin improved mood and attenuated the cortisol response after experimental stress. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of an alpha-lactalbumin-enriched diet on mood and stress response in recovered depressed subjects and healthy controls. Forty-three subjects (twenty-three recovered depressed and twenty healthy subjects) received alpha-lactalbumin and casein (placebo) on separate days, in a double-blind randomised crossover design. On both occasions, subjects underwent a stress test (an unsolvable mental arithmetic task with loud noise). The stress test affected mood in both conditions. Although the alpha-lactalbumin diet led to the expected rises in tryptophan and tryptophan:large neutral amino acids ratio, only minimal effects were found on mood and cortisol response to experimental stress. The results were the same for recovered depressed patients and controls. A 1 d diet enriched with alpha-lactalbumin is not sufficient to prevent a stress-induced mood deterioration or a cortisol response in unmedicated, recovered depressed subjects. Future studies may investigate the effects of longer-term diets or may investigate different samples (e.g. medicated patients).
- Subjects :
- Adult
Amino Acids blood
Analysis of Variance
Case-Control Studies
Cross-Over Studies
Depression metabolism
Depression psychology
Dietary Supplements
Double-Blind Method
Female
Humans
Hydrocortisone analysis
Lactalbumin blood
Male
Saliva chemistry
Statistics, Nonparametric
Tryptophan blood
Affect
Depression diet therapy
Diet
Hydrocortisone blood
Lactalbumin administration & dosage
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0007-1145
- Volume :
- 94
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The British journal of nutrition
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 16176613
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1079/bjn20051492