The Connection Between Mood and Food.

Researchers have observed a link between eating behavior and mood with neurotransmitters in the brain. Wurtman et al. observed obese people eating high carbohydrate foods to make themselves feel better. They traced a route from carbohydrates to serotonin: the carbohydrates (starches) convert to sugar and stimulate the pancreas to release insulin. This raises brain levels of 5-HTP, converting it to serotonin, making you feel happy. But this is a high-caloric way of getting your serotonin.

Many dieters are now trying the drug fenfluramine combined with an amphetamine phentermine in Fen/Phen. The action of fenfluramine is to increase levels of serotonin. Redux (dexfenfluramine), another popular weight loss drug, also acts by increasing serotonin levels in the central nervous system, thereby suppressing cravings and encouraging weight loss.

However, the way the drugs increase serotonin levels is different from griffonia. Fen/Phen and Redux are amphetamines and the way they increase serotonin levels in the brain isn't fully understood. Their side effects, however, are serious to fatal. With their addictive potential, thay should be used only in cases of extreme obesity and certainly under a doctor's supervision.

Anti-depressants such as Prozac also appear to lower appetite by blocking the flow of serotonin so it accumulates at the neuroreceptor sites leading to serotonin neurotoxicity. For people deficient in serotonin, this method improves the body's use of available serotonin. As this is done by chemical intervention, however, it is important to consider the side effects, metabolism and your body's tolerance.

Griffonia acts by providing your body with 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), an amino acid that easily crosses the blood-brain barrier where it converts to serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT) in a natural process.

Unlike the drugs listed above, serotonin from Griffonia is not chemically held at receptor sites where it can accumulate and cause side effects. The excess is broken down and eliminated.

According to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, a third of women and a quarter of men try to lose weight at any given time, and with good reason. Excessive weight impacts good health.

Thirty percent of Americans carry 20% more weight than they should. The manufacturers of Fen/Phen and Redux claim their drugs are intended for those who carry more than 30% of their ideal weight, believing the dangers of obesity outweigh the dangerous side effects of their drugs. These drugs should be used in conjunction with strict programs jof diet and exercise and they are not recommended for long term use.

Unfortunately, in this nation of desperate dieters, Fen/Phen and Redux are also used by casual dieters who are not medically at risk and who just want to lose a few pounds.

Griffonia's gentler approach may be more suited to that dieter and it can be used safely over a longer term when combined with a plan that includes sound nutritional changes and exercise. It is free from side effects and has no reported toxicity or containdications other than not using it with prescription MAO inhibitors.

It is important to keep dieting in perspective. No products, be it a drug or herb, will keep the weight off if it is not used in conjunction with exercise and a desire to alter how you eat and what you eat.