Amino Acids

Researchers Tuesday presented the strongest evidence to date linking the dietary supplement L-tryptophan made by a Japanese manufacturer to an epidemic of the eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome in the United States in the fall of 1989. They also announced that specific impurities in the tryptophan produced in late 1988 and early 1989 by the chemical company, Showa Denko of Tokyo, is being investigated as a possible cause of the potentially fatal blood and muscle ailment.

If there is a golden rule of nutrition, it is a simple one: Too much of anything is bad for you. Yet, when it comes to amino-acid nutritional supplements, Americans seem to cling more to the creed that if a substance occurs naturally within the human body, one can never have too much of it. That philosophy resulted in the development of an estimated $150-million-a-year market for the amino acid tryptophan in the United States over the last few years.

The Food and Drug Administration called late Friday for a nationwide recall of L-tryptophan, an over-the-counter dietary supplement linked to a mysterious blood and muscle ailment. An FDA statement urged consumers to stop using dietary supplements containing L-tryptophan, an amino acid, which is widely available in health food stores, supermarkets and drugstores. The federal action was taken two days after California Health Director Kenneth W.

Consumers should stop taking the food supplement L-Tryptophan while authorities investigate at least 30 illnesses that may be associated with the product, the Food and Drug Administration said Saturday. The product, sold over the counter in tablet and capsule form, has been used by some people with sleeping problems or premenstrual syndrome, the FDA said.

Federal and state health officials on Friday worked to discover what caused an outbreak of a rare and sometimes fatal blood disorder. Thirty-one cases had been reported by Friday in six widely scattered states, including 21 in New Mexico, as health authorities sought to determine if the outbreak was linked to the use of L-Tryptophan, an amino acid dietary supplement. The disease, eosinophilia, is characterized by high counts of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell.

Pssst , wanna launch a multibillion-dollar industry and maybe win a Nobel Prize in the process? Then I have just two words for you: Protein engineering. You've all heard of genetic engineering and the biotechnology industry it spawned. Well, protein engineering takes it all down a level; it's the stuff that genes are made of. If you can play with proteins, you're playing with the molecules that matter. Proteins are the real building blocks of life.

Scientists examining ancient rocks have detected organic molecules that they believe could only have been deposited when an extraterrestrial object, probably a comet, crashed into the Earth 65 million years ago. Some researchers say the finding lends powerful support to the hotly debated theory that a cosmic collision threw up a worldwide dust cloud that hampered photosynthesis and set off a mass extinction of dinosaurs and many other animals and...

Scientists have announced "a major breakthrough" in the battle against bugs--an insecticide that turns sunlight into a death ray. The insecticide, developed by researchers at the University of Illinois, employs a simple amino acid that its designers hope will be harmless to man and animals, and be biodegradable as well. Its potential targets range from houseflies and cockroaches to agricultural pests.

Great Earth International, a nationwide chain of food supplement stores based in Tustin, has promised it will stop making claims that some of its products help users lose weight, build muscle and heal more easily, the Federal Trade Commission reported Monday. FTC lawyer Michael Sirota said Great Earth, which has 150 franchise outlets, including about 50 in Los Angeles and Orange counties, signed a consent decree in October to stop advertising GHR Formula P.M.

Most vegetarians can count on one question at this time of year: "What will you eat at a big holiday celebration?" When asked, I say that I used to settle for trimmings: salads, cranberry sauce, any vegetables, pumpkin pie, etc. I'd leave the table feeling full, but not well-fed. Since turkey and other meats contribute the protein to many holiday menus, I pass up a lot more than meat and poultry when I refuse a host's entree.