PCOS

Tryptophan calms comfort eating, eases self-doubt, reduces uncontrollable late night snacking and results in a lot more peace around food.

March 26, 2021 By Trudy Scott 26 Comments

Zoe shares her life long story about comfort eating, her insecurities and self-doubt in her teens, the comfort-foods that allowed her to “escape” and how addressing low serotonin at 41 years of age led to her feeling a lot more peace around food. The effects of one chewable tryptophan were instant! Here is her story in her own words, some insights from me and possible next steps for Zoe to consider.

Historically I had comfort eaten and felt insecure and had lots of self-doubt. This led to trying alcohol and cocaine in my early 20s, plus I’m a vegetarian so I think I blew through all my natural serotonin by the time I tried tryptophan at 41!

I think [low] serotonin was huge for me and tryptophan helped calm my comfort eating.

My comfort eating started at secondary school, around 14, an escape from my feelings when I got home from school. I would eat mashed potatoes with loads of butter or a Sara Lee Chocolate gateau.

Thinking about it now, I realize I was craving carbohydrates and I would eat till I felt sick. I craved feeling really full and sadly was bulimic for a few years there as a teenager. I think my feelings of not feeling good enough/unloved drove me to comfort eating and not feeling understood. I would eat, be sick then do an exercise video before my parents even got home! It may also have been hormonal as I get PMS. I also have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).

Good news is I tried tryptophan last summer and the effects were instant.

I hadn’t read the instructions properly so ate a Lidtke chewable tryptophan tablet with my meal and instantly felt the effect. I stopped eating and feeling hungry instantly. I took the chewables for a couple of months then went onto Lidtke 500mg for another few months.

I do still have a tendency to snack late at night but it’s gone from totally uncontrollable 8 or 9 out of 10 to a 3 or 4 out of 10. I don’t crave food anywhere near as much as I used to and I have a lot more peace around food now.

Thank you for being the one to introduce me to them, you are a super star.

A few thoughts from me

This is a wonderful outcome and I’m thrilled for her transformation! I also appreciate Zoe giving me permission to share here so you can be inspired and have hope!

A few thoughts from me:

PMS/dysphoria is common with low serotonin levels and research shows that tryptophan can help ease symptoms in a few cycles
Low levels of serotonin and endorphins can lead to alcohol consumption and experimenting with drugs as a means of self-medication. This can often be replaced with sugar addiction and cravings which are also a way to self-medicate.
Low serotonin is a factor with bulimia, although it’s typically an under-recognized factor when it comes to eating disorders.

I share where I’d start if we were working together and possible next steps below.

How did she use tryptophan and which products did she use?

Zoe initially used the Lidtke chewable (each one is 100mg) for a few months: ”I used the Lidtke chewable as I don’t need much to feel the effects of aminos!”

Then she switched to the Lidtke 500mg: “I was taking 500mg mixed with banana on an empty stomach every day for about 6 months.”

This amount of tryptophan would be considered low for most folks. 500mg is a typical starting dose often used 1-2 mid-afternoon and 1-2 in the evening.

You may see all her low serotonin symptoms and think she has a lot going on and will likely need large doses of tryptophan for serotonin support. But you never know how much tryptophan will work until you do a trial.

Low endorphins and DPA for eliminating comfort eating

Zoe actually posted much of the above in response to a question I posted on Facebook about eliminating comfort eating and the amino acid called DPA (d-phenylalanine). DPA typically helps the kind of eating where you feel “I deserve this or this is my reward or this is my treat.” Until you address low endorphins with DPA, you may also feel eating these foods are numbing – as in numbing or blocking emotional pain.

She shared “Yes I’ve tried DPLA and it had a very nice effect.” But as you’ve read above, low serotonin was a bigger issue for Zoe and it was the tryptophan that really helped calm her comfort eating.

DLPA or DPA?

I reminded her that DPLA (dl-phenylalanine) is quite different from DPA (d-phenylalanine). DLPA works on boosting low catecholamines (improving low motivation, poor focus and fatigue and stay-in-bed kind of depression) and to a small extent also low endorphins. DPA works purely on boosting low endorphins.

But Zoe did see benefits from DLPA:

DPLA made me feel very content with my life. I felt very happy where I was all of a sudden, instead of feeling the need to chase something better all the time. I’ve never had just straight DPA, I’ve found it hard to find.

It’s not uncommon to see low serotonin and low endorphins in situations like this.

Tryptophan is no longer helping: my feedback and other ideas

Zoe did also share this about the 500mg tryptophan no longer helping like it used to:

The tryptophan doesn’t seem to have the same effect on me anymore sadly but that maybe because I’m ‘topped up’ but I did wonder if I had ruined the quality of my tryptophan by storing it on top of my microwave (so they were heating up).

I’ll try the [Lidtke] Tryptophan Complete this time and hope they work as I do still get a bit of PMS which seemed to go away for a while.

I did hear about mixing it with inositol being a possible solution too?

Here is my feedback on some of this, where I’d start if we were working together and possible next steps:

My favorite DPA product is also made by Lidtke and it’s called Endorphigen. It may help with the last remaining snacking
However, timing wise late-night snacks for carbs tends to be low serotonin. I would try again with Lidtke 500mg (the microwave heat may have been an issue), considering a trial of 1000mg, trialing the Lidtke Tryptophan Complete (as she may be missing the cofactors to make serotonin) and even consider going back to the chewable Lidtke tryptophan which worked so well initially.
I would also look at other factors that may be lowering serotonin levels: has gluten snuck back in or is there any accidental exposure? Has she started consuming collagen and/or gelatin which can lower serotonin in susceptible folks?
I would consider trialing inositol if there is an obsessive tendency to the snacking. It does help with PCOS too.
She had said “I thought GABA would be amazing for me but it wasn’t.” Since GABA helps with PCOS and PMS, I would revisit GABA trials using different forms, higher doses and making sure trials are sublingual. Progesterone or herbs that support progesterone is another option.
I agree with Zoe’s comments about being a vegetarian. Low levels of neurotransmitters are common and we cover the benefits of grass-fed red meat for women in my interview with Dr. Felice Jacka on the first Anxiety Summit. I’d encourage adding some quality animal protein if she’s open to it.
For vegetarians, we often also add a free form amino acid blend with tryptophan, especially if adding animal protein is a no-no.
I would also consider pyroluria (the social anxiety condition) too as PMS is common, pyrolurics are often vegetarians, and the pyroluria protocol provides necessary cofactors for making serotonin. Zinc is often low in vegetarians too.
I would also assess for low iron and low B12 (also often low in vegetarians) and needed for serotonin production; and look into the BCP (birth control pill) or other meds that may be lowering serotonin.
I would have her doctor check thyroid health as low thyroid can reduce the effectiveness of the amino acids

As with everyone, a full functional workup looking at diet, nutritional deficiencies, digestion, all hormones, toxins and infections (and so on) is key to address all possible root causes.

Have you found that tryptophan calmed your comfort eating, reduced your self-doubt and late night carb snacking and led to feelings of peace around food? Did it also reduce PMS and other low serotonin symptoms?

If you’re a practitioner working with women who comfort-eat and have typical low serotonin symptoms, have you found tryptophan to help?

Feel free to post your questions and feedback in the comments below.

GABA eases anxiety and is protective against metabolic and reproductive disturbances in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)?

January 8, 2021 By Trudy Scott 24 Comments

This question was recently asked in my online GABA Quickstart group program: What are your thoughts about using GABA with somebody who has polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)? Are there any contraindications? My approach is always the same regardless of your diagnosis – if you have the low GABA symptoms of physical anxiety then it’s worth doing a trial to determine if supplementing with the calming amino acid GABA will help.

What is very interesting is that this rat study, Protective effects of GABA against metabolic and reproductive disturbances in letrozole induced polycystic ovarian syndrome in rats, reports some very specific benefits of GABA being protective against metabolic and reproductive disturbances in PCOS.

Letrozole or Femara, a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor (i.e. it lowers estrogen production) is used to treat breast cancer in postmenopausal women and it induced PCOS in the rats.

The following benefits were found when GABA was used in the rats with PCOS:

reduced body weight
reduced body mass index
reduced testosterone
a favourable lipid profile
normal glucose tolerance
a decreased number of cystic follicles in the ovaries

These results are profound. But wait for it …”the effects observed with GABA were comparable to that with metformin” with none of the side-effects (which can actually include anxiety, a racing heart, shakiness and depression).

The authors conclude as follows:

The results suggest that GABA treatment has shown protective effects in PCOS and provides beneficial effects either by reducing insulin resistance or by inducing antioxidant defence mechanisms.

The above paper didn’t measure anxiety levels but it’s very common with PCOS. According to this paper, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Review of Treatment Options With a Focus on Pharmacological Approaches

after PCOS is diagnosed, studies show that more than 50% of patients develop prediabetes or diabetes, and there is an increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI), dyslipidemia, hypertension, anxiety, depression, endometrial cancer, and sleep apnea.

So it makes sense that using GABA will also help to ease any anxiety symptoms that are present. As always, look at the low GABA symptoms and if they exist rate them on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being most severe), do a trial with GABA, and rate your symptoms afterwards, adjusting up or down as needed based on symptom relief.

A quick recap if you are new to GABA, these are the symptoms of low GABA:

Unable to relax or loosen up
Stiff or tense muscles
Feeling stressed and burned-out
Feeling worried or fearful
Panic attacks
Craving carbs for relaxation and calming
Craving alcohol for relaxation and calming
Craving drugs for relaxation and calming
Insomnia *
Have intrusive thoughts, perseverate or have an overactive brain
Or have unwanted thoughts – thoughts about unpleasant memories, images or worries (Updated Nov 17, 2017: new GABA research on intrusive thoughts) *
Inability to prioritize planned actions *
Acrophobia (fear of heights) * – possibly other phobias too
Poor focus *
Rectal spasms *
Burning mouth *
Visceral pain/belly pain with IBS *

(* New additions that are not in my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution”)

Keep in mind that the above PCOS GABA paper was an animal study and GABA was not listed as a treatment option in the second paper above so my approach would be to use GABA for easing the physical anxiety symptoms. At the same time, share this blog and study with your prescribing physician and request if they will work with you to adjust your Metformin as they monitor your testosterone, lipids, glucose, insulin and cystic follicles in the ovaries, as well as weight and body mass index.

I look forward to human GABA PCOS studies in the near future. I also look forward to hearing back from you if you have PCOS and are using GABA for easing your anxiety symptoms AND are also seeing some of the above metabolic and reproductive improvements.

Given the prevalence of PCOS it’s important we use everything at our disposal to help:

Research suggests that 5% to 10% of females 18 to 44 years of age are affected by PCOS, making it the most common endocrine abnormality among women of reproductive age in the U.S. Women seeking help from health care professionals to resolve issues of obesity, acne, amenorrhea, excessive hair growth, and infertility often receive a diagnosis of PCOS.

We must always use a comprehensive approach and this book by my friend and colleague, Amy Medling is wonderful: Healing PCOS.

Do you have PCOS and anxiety and has GABA helped? Have you also observed some of the above metabolic and reproductive improvements?

If you’re a practitioner working with women with PCOS, have you made any of these observations?

I’d also be curious to hear if you see changes in acne severity, amenorrhea (missed periods), excessive hair growth or infertility?

Please do share in the comments below.

Healing PCOS: a new book by Amy Medling

May 4, 2018 By Trudy Scott Leave a Comment

Big congrats to my friend and colleague Amy Medling on the launch of her book this week: “Healing PCOS: A 21-Day Plan for Reclaiming Your Health and Life with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.” This is a proven 21-day diet and lifestyle plan to help women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) take back control of their health and resolve their symptoms from a certified health coach and founder of the large PCOS Diva online community.

I’m excited to share this book as a PCOS resource for you because anxiety and depression are common symptoms with PCOS – as a result of insulin resistance, low blood sugar and high cortisol:

In the short term, insulin resistance is at the heart of most PCOS symptoms, including infertility, obesity, hirsutism [male-pattern hair growth in women], hyperandrogenism (elevated androgen levels), chronic fatigue syndrome, immune system defects, eating disorders, hypoglycemia [low blood sugar], gastrointestinal disorders, depression, and anxiety
many women with PCOS may naturally have higher cortisol levels. Being overweight also increases cortisol production. Raised levels of cortisol change the way your body manages other critical hormones, putting you at risk for insulin resistance, anxiety, depression, and thyroid dysfunction.

Anxiety symptoms can also be due to low progesterone, estrogen dominance, thyroid issues, and overall inflammation.

She shares so many gems: how it’s so important to begin your healing journey by establishing your PCOS Diva mindset and practicing mindfulness; that the best movement for women with PCOS is whatever you enjoy; that the best way to overcome gym anxiety is to think like a PCOS Diva i.e. don’t wait until you have lost weight and then go; the importance of the vagus nerve and improving vagal tone.

The sections on the difficulties of getting a diagnosis, testing and medications are invaluable.

The section describing the different types of inositol when it comes to PCOS is also excellent. She writes that research suggests that women with PCOS may not be able to efficiently convert other inositols to D-chiro-inositol (DCI).

When I shared the new book announcement on Facebook, Katie Moon Bodily posted this:

I love the opening paragraph that defines what a PCOS Diva is. She is full of hope, chooses to thrive, takes charge, advocates for herself, and looks beyond physical management and also cares for her mind and spirit. I love that Amy starts with retraining the mind before she dives in to making physical changes—unless you change the way you think, the changes won’t last. Her words are full of hope and encouragement. She holds your hand through the changes so that you do t get overwhelmed and start to feel like “hey, I CAN do this!” Everything she does impresses me, and it’s so exciting to see it all compiled into one book!

I have to agree! As well as being a fabulous practical PCOS resource, it is a wonderfully hopeful and encouraging book and you can feel her warm support with you throughout the book. I really love the opening pages where Amy says this:

I deserve to be a PCOS Diva. I need to be a PCOS Diva.

A PCOS Diva is a woman with hope. She has taken charge of her health and happiness and takes steps every day to enhance both. She chooses to thrive with PCOS and is empowered by the knowledge she gathers as she educates herself about PCOS.

Here is the official blurb:

“PCOS is one of the most common hormonal disorders, and the most common cause of female infertility, affecting roughly five million American women. Because it’s symptoms are widespread—including stubborn weight gain, acne, mood swings, abnormal hair loss or growth, and irregular menstrual cycles—women suffering from PCOS are often misdiagnosed and treated with “Band-Aid” pharmaceuticals with uncomfortable side effects that only mask PCOS’s root causes. While there is no cure for PCOS, women can learn to control their symptoms naturally. In this welcome guide, Amy Medling shows how to combine an anti-inflammatory and hormone-balancing diet, daily movement, and stress-reducing self-care to successfully treat their PCOS.

Grounded in the latest medical research and filled with the knowledge she’s acquired dealing with PCOS herself and working with thousands of women, Healing PCOS offers women small, manageable steps that help alleviate their symptoms and control the inflammation, hormonal imbalance, and insulin resistance that underlie the condition. Amy’s revolutionary program consists of:

A 21-day anti-inflammatory, hormone-balancing and gluten-free meal plan, including meal prep and plan-ahead tips to make eating this way simple and fast
85 delicious recipes—half fan favorites and half new dishes
Daily self-care exercises, including meditation and journaling prompts

Amy has helped tens of thousands of women with PCOS take back control of their health and their lives through lasting, healing, and sustainable lifestyle change. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or have struggled with PCOS, her revolutionary program can now work for you.”

Get access to chapter 1 of Healing PCOS here

Grab your copy of Healing PCOS on Amazon (my link)

Feel free to post questions below and do let us know which steps have helped you (or your patients/clients).

Sugar vs fat, BPA in cans, PCOS awareness month: in the news

September 16, 2016 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

sugar-vs-fat

Sugar vs fat, BPA in cans, and PCOS awareness month are all in the news this month so here are some links to more information on each of these topics.

This shocking NPR article covers this new paper about the sugar vs fat debate: 50 years ago, sugar industry quietly paid scientists to point blame at fat

In the 1960s, the sugar industry funded research that downplayed the risks of sugar and highlighted the hazards of fat, according to a newly published article in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The article draws on internal documents to show that an industry group called the Sugar Research Foundation wanted to “refute” concerns about sugar’s possible role in heart disease. The SRF then sponsored research by Harvard scientists that did just that. The result was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1967, with no disclosure of the sugar industry funding.

It’s hard to believe that researchers would do this! The worst part is that this type of thing is still happening. You can read some of Marion Nestle’s commentary at the end of the above article.

At least now research sponsors do have to be disclosed so we are hopefully getting better at preventing this type of thing. We must always look at who funds a paper.

canned-foods

A CNN article, Canned foods linked to BPA risk in new study reports:

A study published in the journal Environmental Research on Wednesday not only reveals that consuming canned foods can expose our bodies to BPA, it pinpoints the worst offenders.

The study suggests that canned soups and pasta can expose consumers to higher concentrations of BPA than canned vegetables and fruit – and although those foods are tied to BPA concentrations, canned beverages, meat and fish are not.

BPA stands for bisphenol A, it’s a chemical that is found in plastics and it behaves in a very similar way to estrogen in the body. Because of this it’s called an endocrine disrupter and has an impact on depression, ADHD and anxiety.

An animal study published in 2015, Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity accounts for anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in rats perinatally exposed to bisphenol A reports

hyperactivity of the HPA [hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis] is an important link between perinatal BPA exposure and persistent potentiation in anxiety and depression

It’s unfortunate they didn’t get a commentary from the Environmental Working Group which has a great short Guide to BPA.

pcos-yoga

September is PCOS awareness month and here is some wonderful information on yoga for anxiety and PCOS, from my friend and PCOS expert Amy Medling at PCOS Diva. I’m such a big fan of yoga for stress and anxiety but had no idea it could improve these PCOS symptoms:

Yoga can reduce anxiety symptoms, reduce mFG score for hirsutism, improve menstrual frequency, insulin values and more according to a 2012 study. For more about the benefits of yoga for women with PCOS check out this blog post: 5 Reasons Why Yoga is Beneficial for PCOS

In case you’re not familiar with PCOS, Amy shares this overview on her site

PCOS Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders found in women, affecting approximately 10% of women worldwide, with less than 50% of them diagnosed. The syndrome is present throughout a woman’s life from puberty through post-menopause and affects women of all races and ethnic groups. Women with PCOS wrestle with an array of possible symptoms including obesity, irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, depression [and anxiety], acne, and hair loss. Far reaching health implications such as increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes make these already stressful symptoms even more daunting.

What do you think? Are you shocked about the sugar study discovery? Do you already avoid BPA? Do you have PCOS or know someone who has PCOS?

Food to Rebalance Your Hormones & Super Sprout Smoothie recipe

March 9, 2016 By Trudy Scott 3 Comments

In case you missed the newsletter announcements, this is a quick reminder that this no-cost webinar is happening on Saturday morning!

How to Use Food to Rebalance Your Hormones – online March 12th (at 10am PST, 1pm EST).

Cooking for Balance will start with this no-cost live online workshop on March 12th (at 10am PST, 1pm EST). Seats are limited and they get snapped up quickly.

Cooking for Balance is an online cooking program created by my friend and colleague Magdalena Wszelaki, founder of Hormones Balance. You may remember our great interviews on last season of The Anxiety Summit! She was a hit, is a wealth of knowledge and very hands-on when it comes to food for hormone balancing! I really love what she offers (and her cute accent)!

Here is a sampling of what Magdalena is going to show you in the no-cost webinar:

Plus she has a bonus for you: Seeds for Hormonal Balance – learn how to use seeds to rebalance your progesterone and estrogen levels. I really love that Magdalena teaches this simple and yet powerful concept!

Here is a great example of Magdalena’s teachings on how to use food to balance your hormones: using broccoli sprouts for estrogen dominance. She shares this:

Most women have experienced some form of estrogen dominance without even realizing it. Symptoms include PMS, endometriosis, water retention, cellulite, weight gain, moodiness and infertility. Estrogen dominance can also be responsible for thyroid nodules and cancer as well as breast lumps and breast cancer. It is believed that 90% of breast cancers are of non-genetic origin and estrogen dominance can be the leading cause.

This hormonal imbalance can happen due to the dominance of the antagonistic estrogen called estradiol (or E2) as compared to progesterone or the protective estrogen called estriol (or E3). Estrogen dominance can also happen when there is an excess of metabolized estrogen called hydroxyestrones (a simple blood test called 2:16 hydroxyestrone can confirm that).

One of my favorite go-to foods to rebalance the estrogens and nudge them in the right direction are broccoli sprouts.

They contain di-indolyl-methane (short form: DIM, also found as a supplement) which detoxifies us of estradiol. Broccoli sprouts also contain the highest amounts of sulforaphane, which has been linked by numerous studies to not only prevent but also reverse breast cancer. Sulforaphane can also be found in smaller quantities in other cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli or cauliflower.

Depending on one’s health condition, studies have shown that ¼ cup to 1 cup of broccoli sprouts can create profound health improvement resulting from rebalancing estrogen dominance.

I recommend using them raw by adding to smoothies, wraps, salads or warm (not hot) soups. See recipes below for some cool ideas.

And here is Magdalena’s Super Sprout Smoothie recipe

This recipe is a little different as it takes you on an unusual taste adventure to the land of a green savory smoothie. It is an energizing way to start the day with no sugar that will sustain you until lunch with no energy crushes. This smoothie is packed with the hormone-balancing superfoods: broccoli sprouts, flax seed, maca, Brazil nuts and camu camu and can be consumed by women of any hormonal imbalances.

Serves: 1

Time to prepare: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1½ cups water
½ avocado
½ cup broccoli sprouts
½ cup freshly chopped cilantro
4 Brazil nuts
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons flax seed
1 teaspoon maca root powder
½ teaspoon camu camu powder (get it on Amazon)
½ teaspoon ground fennel seed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
a generous pinch of salt

Place all the ingredients in the blender and blend until silky smooth.

Impressed? Intrigued to learn more? Salivating?

Tune in to the no-cost webinar to learn a ton, have fun, get some great cooking ideas.

If you can’t make it live sign up anyway to get the recording.

At the end of the webinar she’ll be sharing more about her next upcoming Cooking for Balance online cooking program that helps women rebalance their hormones with food, offering tailor-made nutritional protocols for women with thyroid issues, Hashimoto’s, adrenal fatigue, estrogen dominance, menopause and PCOS. This online program features 4 live classes, over 20+ done-for-you guides, 80+ recipes and 20+ demo videos. They focus on quick, simple yet nutritionally-dense cooking techniques that will help you feel like yourself again.

Registration page for the no-cost webinar is here:
https://xa202.isrefer.com/go/cfb1/trudys/