Effects of Five Amino Acids (Serine, Alanine, Glutamate, Aspartate, and Tyrosine) on Mental Health in Healthy Office Workers: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Exploratory Trial

Nutrients

Daichi Shindo¹  Shinobu Nishitani¹  Katsuya Suzuki¹  Shinji Somekawa¹  Kentaro Umeda¹  Tomoyuki Mine²  Wataru Sato³  Sachise Karakawa³  Mika Kawasaki³  Sakiko Toyoda³ 

[1] Institute of Food Sciences and Technologies, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki 210-8681, Japan;Research & Business Planning Department, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Tokyo 104-8315, Japan;Research Institute for Bioscience Products & Fine Chemicals, Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kawasaki 210-8681, Japan;

关键词: mental health;    amino acids;    motivation;    cognitive function;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nu14112357

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background: The importance of maintaining good mental health with overall well-being has recently drawn attention from various spheres of academics and the working population. Amino acid intake has been reported to reduce depression symptoms and other mental health problems. However, the effectiveness of amino acid intake (i.e., single or combined) remains unknown. In this study, we assessed a combination of five amino acids (serine, alanine, glutamate, aspartate, and tyrosine; SAGAT) reported to regulate mental health. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled exploratory trial was conducted. Participants, aged between 20 and 65 years with fatigue sensation, were randomized to receive either SAGAT or the placebo and ingested them for four weeks. A transient mental work was loaded at day 0 and after four weeks of intervention. As the primary outcomes, the fatigue sensation was assessed. The mood status, cognitive function, work efficiency, and blood marker were also measured as secondary outcomes. Results: The number of participants analyzed for the efficacy evaluation were 20 in SAGAT and 22 in the placebo. There were no significant differences in the primary outcomes. However, as the secondary outcomes, the SAGAT group showed a significant improvement in motivation and cognitive function in the recovery period after mental work loaded in a four-week intervention compared to the placebo. Conclusion: The current findings suggest that SAGAT contributes to maintaining proper motivation and cognitive function. Clinical Trial Registration: University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trial Registry (ID: UMIN 000041221).

【 授权许可】

Unknown