title: Aromatic amino acids in weight-recovered females with anorexia nervosa.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. stefan.ehrlich@charite.de
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ehrlich
authors.forename: Leonora
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Franke
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Harriet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salbach-Andrae
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schott
authors.forename: Eugenia M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Craciun
authors.forename: Ernst
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pfeiffer
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Uebelhack
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lehmkuhl
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D010649:Phenylalanine; D014364:Tryptophan