Supplementing with Amino Acids – Part II – 5/26/14 – Alicia CrossFit

So, this is just an extension of the post I made earlier about how I was planning on experimenting on myself with various amino acids. And not just all willy nilly, but after a crap ton (two evenings) of research and a ton of Amazon reviews later. I’m an expert now.

My new best friends.

The list that I have settled on trying are listed below, along with their supposed ‘benefits’ to taking them.

L-Tyrosine 500mg
GABA 500mg with B-6
L-Phenylalanine 500mg
L-Tryptophan 500mg

Benefits of L-Tyrosine:

Supposed to help with the production of dopamine as well as norepinephrine. Necessary for the synthesis of thyroid hormone and epinephrine.
Supposed to help relieve stress, depression, burnout, anxiety and mental fatigue.
Improves alertness and cognitive performance.
Improves workout intensity
Increases thermogenesis (the production of heat within a human or animal’s body.)
Increases lipolysis (the breakdown of fats and other lipids by hydrolysis to release fatty acids.)(those two things mean… heat rises, fat breaks down more. DONE. I’m sold.)
Useful for alleviating PMS. (I’d say I don’t suffer from the standard PMS symptoms, but my hormones definitely fluctuate, uncontrollably.
Helps to produce/synthesize melanin (so you can tan better!)

Benefits of GABA:

Referred to as the “brain’s natural calming agent”.
Supposed to relieve anxiety, improve mood, reduce symptoms of PMS (again), and treating ADHD
Promotes lean muscle growth, fat burning, stabilizing blood pressure, and relieving pain.
Its unintended uses/benefits include increasing the sense of well-being, relieving injuries, improving exercise tolerance, decreasing body fat and increasing lean body weight. (I’ll take it!)
Many people report that GABA has helped improve sleep and sleep quality immensely.
B-6 promotes better absorption of GABA.

Benefits of L-Phenylalanine:

Readily converts to Tyrosine, which is a precursor to thyroid hormones. Supposedly will stimulate thyroid activity.
Used to treat depression, ADHD
Helps to produce/synthesize melanin (so you can tan better!)
Basically, it converts into more Tyrosine.
Like Tyrosine, acts as a precursor to the neurotransmitter catecholamine, which promotes energy, alertness and a general sense of optimism. (I’m in.)

Benefits of L-Tryptophan:

Helps normalize serotonin levels, so you can sleep better!
When taken at bedtime, studies show that you wake up with increased alertness, have clearer thinking and perform better on attention-requiring tasks. Does not cause grogginess or impair performance.
Supposedly reverses behavioral symptoms of age; irritability, mood disorders, anxiety and stress.
Supplementation has been shown to improve exercise performance, strength, and endurance. Can help lead to longer workouts because the level of fatigue is perceived differently.

Dosage and Timing:

I am going to try and give everything a good solid 30 days. That should cover my hormonal cycle from start to finish, roughly. That will be the real test. 🙂

I plan on taking 1 capsule of all of my amino acids, and on an empty stomach;
*Tyrosine in the mornings
*Phenylalanine after coming home from work, before going to CrossFit
*I’ll continue to take my Taurine and Magnesium with my BCAAs, since that’s been working well, (usually ends up being later in the evening, after dinner. I crave sweets at night, and my BCAAs satisfy that because they taste soo gooood….!)
*Tryptophan and GABA at night.

One thing to note; I’ve seen several sources say to NOT take amino acids with ANY other kind of protein, as they will ‘fight’ for attention.
And, another common finding is to take your amino acids with B6, as it helps with the absorption of the aminos. More specifically, it “plays a role in the active process of cellular uptake of amino acids.”

The GABA that I bought has B6 in it, so that’s cool. I’m curious if I should now supplement B6 with my other aminos, or if they’ll still be effective without.

They will all be here tomorrow afternoon, so I will plan on starting Wednesday, May 28th! What will be interesting is, if my calendar is correct, I should be experiencing ‘crankier than usual’ moods in the next week or so because of my hormonal cycle. (I track it just for kicks.) If I don’t experience ‘crankier than usual’ moods through say, June 6th or so, I will be an amino acid taker for LIFE. My mood swings due to my menstrual cycle are something I’ve never been able to control, so I don’t think there will be placebo effect. The moods I experience can be pretty intense, and last upwards of 1-2 weeks. I’ve learned that nothing (in the past) really helps except exercise and time, and being left alone.

If you are interested in my sources of info, I can link. Most of my sources are from various places online, but nothing that seemed sketchy. A lot of webmd articles, some livestrong and bodybuilding forum threads (users’ personal experiences) and Amazon reviews. Factual evidence for everything? No, but I found enough repeat information for each ‘benefit’ before listing it.

And, last but not least, Happy Memorial Day! Be thankful for your Freedom. I am off to the gym to do Hero Murph; a CFTC Memorial Day tradition.

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