Amino Acids and Addiction Recovery
Introduction
Between 40 to 60% of people who are treated for an addiction or alcoholism relapse within a year. By choosing the right addiction therapy, you could reduce your chances of a relapse.
What is the connection between amino acids and addiction therapy? How can it benefit you on your road to recovery?
In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of the relationship between amino acids and addiction recovery so that you can make an informed decision before seeking addiction treatment. You might find the integration of amino acids in your addiction treatment is exactly what you’ve been searching for.
Read on to learn more!
What are Amino Acids?
The human body is made up of about 20% protein. The building blocks for these proteins are known as amino acids.
Amino acids provide the basic building blocks for all of your cells, hormones, and neurotransmitters. Ensuring that you get enough protein in your diet helps to improve your mood and athletic performance.
There are a total of twenty different amino acids that the human body needs to help us grow and function. Nine of those amino acids are essential, meaning that we must get them from our diet. The other eleven can be synthesized by the body.
The nine essential amino acids include:
- Tryptophan
- Valine
- Threonine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Lysine
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
- Histidine
Your body doesn’t create these amino acids on its own. Instead, your diet ensures you receive these amino acids. When you eat high-protein foods like poultry, eggs, meat, or legumes, your body breaks the protein down into the specific amino acids contained in those foods. Your body can then use these amino acids to create the structure of your cells and build important chemicals like neurotransmitters.
What is Amino Acid Therapy?
Amino acid therapy is the specialized supplementation of amino acids to support the body and brain in healing from addiction.
Nutritional imbalances and malnourishment are common side effects of substance abuse. When an individual is actively using drugs or alcohol they may not be eating enough calories or eating a balanced diet. For example, someone using stimulants may not have an appetite and could go days without eating. Or, a heavy drinker may be depleted in B vitamins which the body uses to metabolize alcohol.
In early recovery, it is important to nourish the body and replenish any specific nutritional deficiencies. Our doctor and nutrition coordinator work together to provide a balanced diet as well as supplementation to replenish depleted nutrients.
Amino acid therapy is specifically designed to boost the intake of specific nutrients that support the recovery of individuals struggling with addiction. Replenishing your body with the necessary amino acids can reduce cravings, mood swings, and the physical pain associated with withdrawal from addictive substances. Amino acids can ease an addict’s dependency on their substance of choice reducing rates of relapse.
Amino Acid Therapy for Recovery from Substance Abuse
At Bridging the Gaps, we focus on healing the whole person. Traditional treatment addresses the psychological aspect of addiction through counseling and the spiritual aspect of addiction through programs like AA or NA. We take it one step further and also address the physiological aspects of addiction.
Dependence on substances is driven by an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. A neurotransmitter is a chemical substance that transmits a signal from one neuron to the next. Research suggests that multiple neurotransmitter systems may play a key role in the development of addiction.
Remember, amino acids are precursors to neurotransmitters. At Bridging the Gaps, we identify and target the depleted neurotransmitters in the brain that drive substance abuse. Amino acid therapy is utilized to provide the specific nutrients the body needs to build its own neurotransmitters and rebalance the brain.
The Benefits of Amino Acid Therapy
Without amino acids and neurotransmitters, you could experience neurotransmitter depletion. Some symptoms of depleted neurotransmitters include:
- Anxiety
- Memory loss
- Insomnia
- Attention deficit disorder
- Addiction disorders
What’s the connection between amino acids and addiction therapy, then?
One example of a neurotransmitter is serotonin. Serotonin is well known for its antidepressant effects, but low levels of this neurotransmitter are also correlated to alcoholism.
When an individual is recovering from an addiction to alcohol, their serotonin levels may be depleted. Amino acid therapy provides the specific amino acids and vitamins that support the brain in making more serotonin.
Amino acid therapy focuses on rebuilding the body and mind on a cellular level. This process could restore normal chemical production in the brain. Stabilizing brain function can help reduce cravings. Improving your neurotransmitter levels could improve your chances of successful rehabilitation and recovery.
Why Use Supplementation?
In early recovery, it’s not enough to eat, and hope your body gets the amino acids it needs. Instead, you can use amino acid therapy to ensure your body receives the ideal levels of amino acids. It is important to talk to a healthcare provider who can formulate the correct dosage and blend of nutrients for your specific needs.
Timing your supplementation is important to this process. When you’re between meals, the circulating amino acids within your bloodstream become depleted. At Bridging the Gaps we provide additional protein supplementation between meals which ensures that amino acids are readily available. When your body consistently gets the nutrients it needs, your mood and energy levels will be more stable.
Amino acids can treat addiction by addressing withdrawal symptoms. You can ensure your body gets the specific amino acids it needs to minimize the symptoms of abstinence associated with withdrawing from drugs and alcohol.
More on the Science of Amino Acids and Addiction Recovery
Recent research has highlighted the role of amino acids in addiction and recovery processes. The metabolism and function of these amino acids appear to be altered in various substance use disorders, offering new insights into the mechanisms of addiction and potential therapeutic approaches and supplementation.
Tryptophan metabolism has been a focus of research in addiction studies. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that serves as a precursor to several important neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, including serotonin. A study by Araos et al. found that serotonin was the main tryptophan-related compound associated with psychiatric comorbidity in abstinent cocaine-addicted patients. This suggests that alterations in tryptophan metabolism may contribute to the psychiatric symptoms often seen in individuals recovering from cocaine addiction.
D-serine, a d-amino acid that acts as a co-agonist at NMDA receptors, has been implicated in addiction processes. NMDA receptors play a crucial role in synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory - processes that are often dysregulated in addiction. Research has shown that d-serine levels are altered in various addiction models. For example, studies have found decreased d-serine levels in the nucleus accumbens of cocaine-sensitized rats, suggesting a potential role for d-serine in the neuroadaptations underlying addiction.
Another d-amino acid, d-aspartate, has been linked to alcohol use disorder. D-aspartate is involved in the regulation of dopaminergic transmission and reward-related behaviors, both of which are central to addiction processes.
The effect of d-aspartate on alcohol consumption is thought to be mediated through its action on glutamatergic and dopaminergic systems. By influencing these neurotransmitter systems, d-aspartate may help normalize the reward circuitry that becomes dysregulated in addiction, thereby reducing the drive for alcohol consumption.
The metabolism of d-amino acids has also been associated with addiction vulnerability. D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) is an enzyme responsible for the degradation of several d-amino acids, including d-serine and qualities in the DAAO gene that were associated with alcohol dependence in humans. This highlights the potential importance of d-amino acid homeostasis in addiction susceptibility and recovery.
The association between DAAO gene variants and alcohol dependence suggests that individual differences in d-amino acid metabolism may influence vulnerability to addiction. These genetic variations could affect the availability of d-amino acids in the brain, potentially altering neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity in ways that increase susceptibility to addiction.
Further Implications for Addiction Treatment
The growing body of research on amino acids in addiction opens up new possibilities for understanding the neurobiological basis of addiction and developing novel treatment approaches. Targeting amino acid systems, particularly those involving d-amino acids, could provide new strategies for addiction treatment and relapse prevention.
For instance, modulating d-serine levels or NMDA receptor function could potentially help normalize glutamatergic transmission in addiction, addressing some of the neuroadaptations that underlie addictive behaviors. Similarly, interventions targeting d-aspartate levels or signaling might offer a new approach to reducing alcohol consumption in individuals with alcohol use disorder.
Moreover, the identification of genetic variants associated with addiction, such as those in the DAAO gene, points to the potential for personalized treatment approaches. In the future, genetic testing might help identify individuals who are more likely to benefit from specific amino acid-based interventions.
Conclusion
Set yourself up for success. With amino acid therapy, you can provide your body with the building blocks it needs for a successful recovery Learn more about amino acids and addiction therapy today! Want to learn more about your options? We’re here to help. We specialize in focusing on the roots of addiction to build a bridge to wellness.