Navigation
Correlation between breakfast tryptophan content and morning-evening in Japanese infants and students aged 0-15 yrs
Serotonin is a critical component of psychological homeostasis during the daytime. Conversely, melatonin is necessary for sleep cycle homeostasis. Tryptophan (found in dietary items such as dairy products) can be used by the body to produce serotonin and melatonin. In this study by Harada et al. (2007), the authors evaluated the daytime and nighttime homeostatic condition of a sample of children and adolescents concerning their tryptophan intake during breakfast (1055 infants aged 0-6 years, 751 elementary school students, and 473 junior high school students). The authors used the Morning-Evening (M-E) questionnaire to evaluate mental symptoms, sleep patterns, and to obtain details on consumed meals. Analysis of the results revealed a substantial relationship between being able to sleep easily at bedtime and waking up on time in the morning and the intake of tryptophan at breakfast in children aged 0-8 years and in older students aged 9-15 years. In addition, children who had lower M-E scores were more likely to report symptoms of depression and anger. The authors conclude that tryptophan intake during breakfast is paramount to maintaining a healthy sleep cycle, morning diurnal rhythm, and mental health in children. [NPID: Diet, breakfast, children, adolescents, tryptophan, sleep, serotonin, melatonin, mental health]
Year: 2007
