Tryptophan rich foods
Tryptophan (symbol Trp) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is essential in humans, meaning the body cannot synthesize it: it must be obtained from the diet.
Tryptophan is also a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin and the hormone melatonin.
Amino acids, including tryptophan, are used as building blocks in protein biosynthesis, and proteins are required to sustain life.
Tryptophan is among the less common amino acids found in proteins, but it plays important structural or functional roles whenever it occurs.
In addition, tryptophan functions as a biochemical precursor for the following compounds:
Serotonin (a neurotransmitter) is synthesized by tryptophan hydroxylase.
Melatonin (a neurohormone) is in turn synthesized from serotonin.
Niacin (vitamin B3) is synthesized from tryptophan.
The RDA of tryptophan is 5 mg/kg body weight/day for adults 19 years and over. More on tryptophan here.
Below is a list of foods having the highest content of tryptophan in grams (g) per 100 grams of the food. The list also includes the number of kilocalories (kcal) and the tryptophan content in grams (g) per kcal, and the list is sorted with respect to the latter with the highest values at the top.
As you can see there are many foods having a high tryptophan content per kcal. So if you are lacking in tryptophan, you could easily correct the deficiency by eating some of these foods.
The list is made using ECstep’s Personal Nutrition Data Program and includes more than 100 of the tryptophan richest foods. Commercial brand products are not included in this list.
