Aromatic amino acids in weight-recovered females with anorexia nervosa.
OBJECTIVE
Most previous studies investigating amino acid levels in anorexia nervosa (AN) have focused on acutely underweight patients. The present study assessed the availability of aromatic amino acids in the plasma of weight-recovered outpatients with AN (recAN) in comparison to acutely underweight AN patients (acAN) and healthy control woman (HCW).


METHODS
Plasma tryptophan (TRP), tyrosine (TYR), and phenylalanine (PHEN) as well as leptin concentration were determined in 32 recAN, 32 acAN, and 32 HCW.


RESULTS
Both recAN and acAN patients showed significantly lower levels of TRP and PHEN when compared to HCW. TYR was reduced in acAN patients only.


CONCLUSIONS
Normal weight and normal leptin levels but lower availability of TRP and PHEN in recAN patients might indicate that outside a tightly controlled setting these patients still engage in abnormal eating patterns. Reduced peripheral availability of these precursor amino acids could impact on 5-HT and catecholamine functioning in the brain.
Ehrlich
Stefan
S
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. stefan.ehrlich@charite.de
Franke
Leonora
L
Schneider
Nora
N
Salbach-Andrae
Harriet
H
Schott
Regina
R
Craciun
Eugenia M
EM
Pfeiffer
Ernst
E
Uebelhack
Ralf
R
Lehmkuhl
Ulrike
U
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D003289:Convalescence; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000097:blood*; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000097:blood*; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult
D020738:Leptin; D010649:Phenylalanine; D014364:Tryptophan