5-HTP for Weight Loss

5-HTP for Weight Loss, Appetite Suppression, Reduced Sugar Cravings

5-HTP (5-Hydroxy-Tryptophan) is a naturally occurring amino acid with a wide range of health benefits. Here we are going to look at the facts on using 5-HTP to lose weight.

5-HTP works on a different mechanism than do many of the natural weight loss supplements on the market.

What 5-HTP does is naturally suppress your appetite – especially for the unhealthy sugar and fat cravings we get. When we get cravings to “pig out”, we’re often doing it for emotional and hormonal reasons rather than any real need for food.

5-HTP increases serotonin in the brain, our natural “happy hormone”. When we crave sweet food, we are really craving the higher levels of serotonin. Eating junk food dramatically increases our serotonin, but it also adds a bunch of unnecessary calories and inches to our waistlines.

“5-HTP will increase our serotonin, but without any calories. And when our serotonin levels are higher, our moods are better, and our cravings are dramatically reduced.”

It’s a very simple and effective natural way to lose weight and reduce belly fat (because excess belly fat is largely from the unwanted insulin spikes we get when we overeat on sweets)

There have been many double blind studies showing that 5-HTP is effective in reducing body weight, reducing appetite, and lowering caloric intake.

Different studies use different doses of 5-HTP. One study had the participants take 300 mg of 5-HTP before meals. Another study had participants take 750 mg of 5-HTP per day. Both of those are relatively high doses of 5-HTP. A lot of people find 5-HTP to be quite powerful and really want to control their own dose. For that reason we use 100 mg per cap, so that individual people can take different amounts and control their intake. It’s best to start with a low dose and work up.

5-HTP Weight Loss Studies

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1384305
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2468734

Some people love to take 5-HTP during the day, and others use it as a sleep aid at night. Both are fine, so it’s up to you. If you find it makes you drowsy, then using it at night is great to help you fall into a peaceful sleep, rather than staying up with your head in the fridge. If you like the feeling during the day, it can put you in a better mood in addition to helping your waistline.

Our 5-HTP is a pure, naturally sourced, and pharmaceutical grade. We use vegetarian capsules and no magnesium stearate. The quality is excellent. You might consider trying our 5-HTP here

If you are stressed out in addition to having issues with weight, cravings, and overeating, you may also wish to try our organic ashwagandha It reduces the stress hormone cortisol, which will lower your cravings for fat and sugar even more. Read more about ashwagandha and weight loss here.

**Caution. Check with your health care practitioner if you are already taking SSRI’s or other antidepressant or serotonergic medications. People need to be careful to avoid having too much serotonin in the brain in order to avoid serotonin syndrome.**