Suppression
Inositol
Category: Natural chemicals
Type
Voluntary
Introduction and description
Inositol is a carbohydrate, though not a classical sugar. It has a taste which has been assayed at half the sweetness of table sugar (sucrose). myo-Inositol plays an important role as the structural basis for a number of secondary messengers in eukaryotic cells, the various inositol phosphates. Inositol and some of its mono and polyphosphates are involved in a number of biological processes, including:
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Insulin signal transduction
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Cytoskeleton assembly
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Nerve guidance (Epsin)
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Intracellular calcium (Ca2+) concentration control
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Gene expression
Inositol and health
Some preliminary results of studies on high-dose inositol supplementation show promising results for people suffering from problems such as bulimia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), agoraphobia, and unipolar and bipolar depression.[Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 1997 May;7(2):147-55.]
In a single double-blind study on 13 patients, myo-inositol (18 grams daily) was found to reduce the symptoms of OCD significantly, with effectiveness equal to SSRIs and virtually without side-effects. In a double-blind, controlled trial, myo-inositol (18 grams daily) was superior to fluvoxamine for decreasing the number of panic attacks and other side-effects.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of depressed patients showed that a high dose of inositol (12 grams daily) resulted in significant improvement of symptoms, with no changes noted in liver, kidney, or hematological function. A meta-analysis of randomized trials of inositol for depression was not able to determine if inositol is of benefit.
The implication here may thus be that these patients had a diet that was too low in myo-inositol. The next question is thus what are the natural sources of myo-inositol?
Food sources
Inositol or its phosphates and associated lipids are found in
- Fruit, especially cantaloupe and oranges.
- Nuts
- Wholegrains
- Beans
- Seeds [some] including sprouted seeds
Fresh vegetables and fruits were found to contain more myo-inositol than did frozen, canned, or salt-free products