Favaro A, Caregaro L, Burlina A B, Santonastaso P
Department of Neurologic and Psychiatric Sciences, University of Padua, Italy.
Psychosom Med. 2000 Jul-Aug;62(4):535-8. doi: 10.1097/00006842-200007000-00012.
It has been hypothesized that reduced dietary availability of tryptophan may be the cause of impaired serotonin activity in underweight anorexics. The study reported here evaluated the relationship between tryptophan availability in the blood and nutritional status in anorexia nervosa.
The total amount of tryptophan and the ratio between tryptophan and other large neutral amino acids (TRP/LNAA) were assessed in a sample of 16 starving anorexic patients. Body weight and composition and energy intake were evaluated in all patients. All subjects also completed self-reported questionnaires such as the Hopkins Symptom Checklist and Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI).
The TRP/LNAA ratio seems to be higher in patients with a more severe catabolic status. It is, in fact, significantly inversely correlated with body mass index, body fat, muscle mass, daily energy intake, and daily tryptophan intake. The TRP/LNAA ratio also correlates with growth hormone and the EDI drive for thinness. Patients who exercise excessively had significantly higher TRP/LNAA ratios.
In starving anorexic patients, the TRP/LNAA ratio does not seem to be determined by the content of tryptophan in the diet, but it correlates with measures of catabolism. The relationship of the TRP/LNAA ratio to excessive exercise and starvation indicates the importance of further investigations exploring the role of tryptophan availability in maintaining anorexia nervosa.
有人提出，饮食中色氨酸可利用量的减少可能是体重过轻的厌食症患者血清素活性受损的原因。本文报道的这项研究评估了血液中色氨酸可利用量与神经性厌食症营养状况之间的关系。
对16名饥饿型厌食症患者的样本进行了色氨酸总量以及色氨酸与其他大型中性氨基酸的比例（TRP/LNAA）的评估。对所有患者的体重、身体组成和能量摄入进行了评估。所有受试者还完成了自我报告问卷，如霍普金斯症状清单和饮食失调量表（EDI）。
分解代谢状态越严重的患者，TRP/LNAA比例似乎越高。事实上，它与体重指数、体脂、肌肉量、每日能量摄入和每日色氨酸摄入量显著负相关。TRP/LNAA比例还与生长激素以及EDI的瘦身驱动力相关。过度运动的患者TRP/LNAA比例明显更高。
在饥饿型厌食症患者中，TRP/LNAA比例似乎不是由饮食中色氨酸的含量决定的，而是与分解代谢指标相关。TRP/LNAA比例与过度运动和饥饿的关系表明，进一步研究色氨酸可利用量在维持神经性厌食症中的作用具有重要意义。
