Analogs of the drug gamma-aminobutyric acid are presented, in accordance with medical terminology, called “synonyms” - drugs that are interchangeable in their effects on the body, containing one or more identical active ingredients. When selecting synonyms, consider not only their cost, but also the country of production and the reputation of the manufacturer.

Description of the drug

Gamma-aminobutyric acid - Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid ) is a biogenic amine, restores metabolic processes in the brain, promotes the utilization of glucose by the brain and the removal of toxic metabolic products from it, and ensures the normalization of the dynamics of nervous processes in the brain. Increases thinking productivity, improves memory, has a mild psychostimulating effect, and has a beneficial effect on the restoration of movements and speech after cerebrovascular accident. Helps reduce and stabilize high blood pressure and reduce subjective symptoms of arterial hypertension (dizziness, sleep disturbance).
Has a moderate antihypoxic and anticonvulsant effect. In patients diabetes mellitus reduces glucose levels, and has a normal blood glucose level reverse effect(due to glycogenolysis).

List of analogues

Pay attention! The list contains synonyms for gamma-aminobutyric acid, which have a similar composition, so you can choose a replacement yourself, taking into account the form and dose of the medicine prescribed by your doctor. Give preference to manufacturers from the USA, Japan, Western Europe, and also well-known companies from Eastern Europe: KRKA, Gedeon Richter, Actavis, Aegis, Lek, Hexal, Teva, Zentiva.

Release form(by popularity)	Price, rub.
Aminalon
250 mg No. 50 tab p/o BZMP (Borisov ZMP OJSC (Belarus)	153.40
Tab 250 mg N100 Organika (Organika OJSC (Russia)	315
Aminalon film-coated tablets, 0.25 g
Gamma-aminobutyric acid
Gamma-aminobutyric acid
Gammalon

Reviews

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In most cases, survey participants felt an improvement in their condition after 3 days. But this may not correspond to the period after which you will begin to improve. Check with your doctor for how long you need to take this medicine. The table below shows the results of the survey on the initiation of effective action.

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Gamma-aminobutyric acid(eng. Gamma Aminobutyric Acid) is an amino acid that functions as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system of humans and mammals. Neurotransmitters in the broad sense of the word - chemicals, with the help of which an electrical impulse is transmitted from a nerve cell to a neuron. IN medical purposes GABA(or GABA) is used for various mental disorders (including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases), and also as a sedative and relaxant.

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA): Formula

GABA is an amino acid organic matter with a branched chemical formula. is synthesized in the body from the glutamic amino acid (part of proteins in the body and is not essential) with the assistance of a special enzyme - glutamate decarboxylase.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): receptors

Acts in the structures of the central nervous system via GABA receptors. Essentially, receptors are cells that perform the function of transmitting electrical impulses; they can either activate the transmission process or slow it down. In the case of GABA, receptors accept an amino acid, which, in turn, inhibits processes inside nerve cells. Receptors are located GABA in brain structures.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): properties

Properties gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) acids have been studied very well:

• Mediator - this amino acid is responsible for the speed of impulse transmission between nerve cells and neurons: GABA participates in braking processes.
• Sedative and mild hypnotics - GABA relieves irritation and calms.
• Metabolic - amino acid improves metabolic processes in the brain, improves its oxygen supply. Along with GABA, cerebral circulation can be improved by taking , or .
• GABA removes metabolic products from the body.

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA): Applications

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): at the pharmacy

You can buy it at the pharmacy, the choice of drugs is small, and in general the quality leaves much to be desired. Why take the risk when you can purchase an absolutely safe product at a good price, and the choice of drugs in the online store is varied.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): tablets

Pharmaceutical companies offer a wide selection of drugs containing. Very often, buyers choose the tablet form (such tablets can be bought at the pharmacy). The concentration of the substance in such drugs is small - 250 mg, but it is convenient; the doctor can prescribe any dosage. The tablets enter the body and begin to act no earlier than an hour later, so they are best taken before bed. If you want to speed up the effect of penetration of the active substance, then it is better to purchase the drug with capsules; there are most of them on the website, and they are quite relatively cheap.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): instructions

Optimal dose gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) per day – 750-1500 mg, this amount of substance is contained in 2-3 capsules or tablets. In any case, in the instructions for a specific drug (dosage for different manufacturers May vary) Recommendations for use GABA registered.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): how to take

You need to take it daily, depending on the dosage of the chosen drug (100, 250, 500, 750), the dose can be divided into several times or taken 1 capsule once a day. For example, if the drug contains a dosage of 500 mg, then you can take a capsule three times a day; if it is 750, then you can take a capsule twice a day. Required condition: the drug should be taken with water or juice, and it is better to empty stomach or before bed.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): contraindications

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) can be taken only after prior consultation with a doctor, since there are a number of contraindications:

• Hypersensitivity and individual intolerance;
• Acute renal failure
• Children's age up to one year.
• 1st trimester of pregnancy.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): buy, price

Here is such a large assortment of forms, dosages and manufacturers gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA):

1. Buy gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) at a low price and guaranteed high quality You can visit the famous American online organic store.
2. How to place an order step by step: !
3. We recommend using in the first order

Gamma-aminobutyric acid – nutrient, an amino acid found in the human brain and responsible for metabolic and neurotransmitter processes in it. GABA or GABA is an important inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system, its useful action extends to the activation of energy processes in the brain, increasing respiratory functions tissue, improving blood supply and glucose utilization.

GABA allows you to relieve tension in nerve endings, has a calming and tonic effect, sometimes serving as a tranquilizer, anxiolytic effect, excluding the addiction stage.

In medicine, GABA amino acids are used to treat sexual dysfunction due to their relaxing effect.

Pharmaceuticals containing GABA

The most common drug containing GABA is Aminalon, intended to enhance metabolic processes in the brain. Given medicine has a high content of GABA, high speed digestibility and subsequent concentration in the blood, the organization of strong bonds with plasma.

The breakdown of the drug occurs in the kidneys and liver, after which it is excreted from the body with carbon dioxide in the urine, being a non-toxic drug.

Also quite in great demand Among athletes, they use the drugs Gamibetal and Gammalon, Picamilon, which are quite effective and high in active substance medicines.

How to take GABA

For the full effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid, it is necessary to set the dosage at 3.5 - 3.75 grams per day. GABA should be taken twice a day, at the request of the recipient, strict contraindications or there are no specific standards for taking the drug. Due to its high digestibility, it can be taken both after training and before, most importantly, before meals.

GABA in bodybuilding

For strength athletes, GABA is especially valuable due to its function of actively stimulating the anterior pituitary gland, resulting in the production of growth hormone.

Taking GABA allows you to achieve effective fat burning and anabolic action. In addition, it is worth noting a number of other significant achievements for the athlete’s body that are the result of taking this amino acid:

• improved sleep and concentration;
• body relief;
• muscle activity;
• sedative effect;
• no toxicity.

Side effects

Preparations with gamma-aminobutyric acid have practically no negative consequences after administration or overdose. As a rule, all negative action comes down to excessive sweating, increased anxiety, panic anxiety, nausea, and in exceptional cases vomiting. Sometimes from GABA possible side effects in the form of increased temperature and instability of blood pressure.

GABA is contraindicated in people suffering from renal failure And chronic disorder sleep, in other cases individual intolerance to the active substance may occur.

At possible overdoses the victim is washed out the stomach and given rest.

Assessing the effectiveness of GABA

Since 2003 medical institutions In different countries of the world, active research has begun aimed at confirming the effectiveness of the use of GABA. Long-term experiments have fully confirmed the ability of gamma-aminobutyric acid to increase the secretion of growth hormone under the influence of physical activity.

Since 2008, experiments with GABA began to be carried out exclusively with the involvement of bodybuilders, including once again proving the effectiveness of its use. On average, research results have shown that the concentration of growth hormone when using this amino acid increases up to six times.

It is well known that essential component our food is proteins. Although carbohydrates are very important for providing the body with energy, they can be obtained from both fats and amino acids. Fats aren't a problem either. But proteins - both muscle and proteins connective tissue, and, most importantly, enzymes are obtained only from amino acids. Of these, 14 can be synthesized in the body, and 8, like vitamins, must enter the human body from food. If during hunger the body, having depleted its reserves of fat and carbohydrates, turns to proteins to maintain energy processes - disaster. Children experience delays in physical and mental development, in adults - hungry edema, decreased temperature and weakening of all types of vital activity.

A person needs only 120 g of protein per day, but plant foods There are not enough of them, and plant proteins are poorly absorbed. In my opinion, meat, fish and dairy products should definitely be included in the diet. If the food lacks certain amino acids (even if they are not essential), then they can be taken in the form of medications, such as glutamic acid, histidine. Methionine is especially often used, which is absolutely necessary for dystrophic processes in the liver and heart, and glycine as a sedative. (But we'll talk about that later.)

Gamma-aminobutyric acid

For a long time it remained unclear how the reduction in overall brain activity is ensured - for example, during sleep. Scientists guessed that there must be a substance, perhaps a transmitter of nerve impulses - a mediator, which would ensure a decrease in activity nervous system not in individual cells or even in nerve nuclei, but in the brain in general. And such a universal inhibitory mediator was discovered. It turned out to be gamma-aminobutyric acid, which we will henceforth call for short - GABA.

GABA was first discovered in the brain by Yu. Roberts and his colleagues (and independently by Jörg Avapara) in 1950. Since the butyric acid molecule has a chain of three carbon atoms (and the fourth in the COO group), then according to systematic nomenclature the acid should be called aminobutanoic, but acetic acid no one calls it ethane (Fig. 1).

Construction material For proteins, alpha amino acids are used: those in which an amino group is attached to a carbon atom located next to the carboxy group. What can gamma amino acid be useful for?

It is known that when the skin (as well as any other sensory organs) is irritated, electrical potentials called primary responses arise in the corresponding areas of the cerebral cortex. In 1963, the English scientist K. Krnevich brought a pipette filled with a very weak GABA solution to one of the neurons reproducing primary responses. He was the first to establish that the amino acid flowing from the pipette was capable of completely suppressing the occurrence of impulses in the sensitive cells of the cerebral cortex. Japanese researchers made it even simpler: they brought a light electrode to the surface of the brain, and placed a filter paper moistened with a GABA solution “on top” of it. The advantage of such an experiment was not only its simplicity, but also the fact that the amplitude of the recorded potentials, formed not by one, but by several neurons at once, approximately reflects the strength of the impact. In this case, of course, a higher concentration of the substance was required, but the effect turned out to be the same - the potentials were suppressed. Later similar experiences were reproduced by the author of this article (Fig. 2).

It was further found that GABA can inhibit not only evoked, but also spontaneously occurring potentials, both in the cortex and in other areas of the brain. In this case, GABA is synthesized and released precisely in those brain nuclei that are responsible for its inhibition. It is believed that GABA mediates the transmission of inhibitory impulses in approximately 30–50% of nerve contacts. How does she do it?

Contacts of nerve fibers with cells - synapses functioning with the participation of GABA - are not fundamentally different from others. GABA is synthesized in the cytoplasm of the neuron and, with the arrival of an impulse, is released into the synaptic cleft between the endings of the nerves and the adjacent portion of the neuron sheath (Fig. 3). Specialized receptor proteins (from the Latin recipe - take) that interact with GABA have also been discovered. As a result of this interaction, channels open in the membrane of the receiving neuron, allowing negatively charged chloride ions, which are contained in excess in the intercellular fluid, to enter the cell. The penetration of chlorine causes a state of hyperpolarization in the cell, that is, inhibition (recall that the transfer of excitation occurs due to the opposite process: depolarization of the neuron membrane). It has now been established that GABA receptors are also found in blood vessels, especially in the brain.

Scientists have compiled maps that indicate exactly where GABA acts as an inhibitory transmitter and how great its significance is in each area. Although the concentration of this acid varies in different parts of the brain, it can be found almost everywhere. Calculated approximate total quantity its molecules - and were surprised. It turned out that the brain contains GABA in much larger quantities than required for mediator functions. Why, one might ask, so much?

It was natural to assume that GABA performs some other functions in the brain. And in fact, she turned out to be an indispensable participant in many metabolic processes. It affects the transport and utilization of glucose, the respiration of cells, the formation of energy reserves in them, increases the resistance of cells and the brain as a whole to oxygen starvation, and activates protein synthesis. Variety of physiological and biochemical functions, performed by GABA, as well as data on the disruption of its formation in some psychopathological and neurological disorders- all this spoke about her of great importance. Pharmacologists could not pass by such an amazing molecule.

In the search for new drugs, scientists remembered that plants, millions of years ago, learned to synthesize compounds that successfully block the effects of mediators. In the case of GABA, these are picrotoxin alkaloids (found in the seeds of tree vines of the genus Anamirta, which grow in tropical Asian countries - Indonesia, India, New Guinea, the Moluccas Islands, as well as various types astragalus) and bicuculline (isolated from the leaves of Dicentre cucullaria of the smoke family). They tried to use both of these substances to activate the brain, but they turned out to be too dangerous, since even in negligible doses they caused severe convulsions. (The natives once prepared poison from anamyrta for “chemical” fishing and for arrows.) Now for excitement respiratory center used synthetic drug bimegride, which also blocks the effects of GABA, but more selectively and not as actively.

The first drug to activate GABA receptors was this acid itself. pure form. Her drug called “gammalon” was developed in Japan, and later exactly the same domestic product appeared, called “aminalon”. Despite the fact that both drugs have been used for quite some time, their therapeutic effects remain unclear. The fact is that due to low solubility in fats, GABA almost does not enter the brain tissue from the blood - however, it central effects are beyond doubt and well studied. The explanation of the valuable properties of gammalon-aminalone by the ability of GABA to dilate blood vessels seems unsatisfactory.

Pharmacologists know that to increase the permeability of substances into the brain through the blood-brain barrier that separates the blood (essentially, aqueous solution) from brain cells saturated with lipids, they need to “weight” a radical that is highly soluble in fats. Leningrad pharmacologists, including my friend Professor I.P. Lapin, proposed introducing a phenyl radical into the GABA molecule, which turned it into the drug phenibut, which easily overcomes the barrier - and has a pronounced inhibitory effect (Fig. 1)! Today, phenibut is a common daytime tranquilizer, and, what is especially valuable, it does not interfere with driving.

Over time, it was established that in brain tissue GABA loses its amino group, which is replaced by hydroxyl. This substance is called gamma-hydroxybutyric acid. If you inject it directly into the blood, it not only penetrates the blood-brain barrier, but also has such a strong inhibitory effect on the brain that it sodium salt, sodium hydroxybutyrate, can be used as a means for general anesthesia(more precisely, to turn off consciousness) during operations. Think about it: a person produces a substance in his brain that can cause a state of anesthesia! How can one not remember about operations under hypnosis?

The second way to improve the penetration of a drug molecule into brain tissue is to attach a substance to it natural origin, for example vitamin. In particular, the drug picamilon is obtained from the compound nicotinic acid aka PP, with GABA. As expected, picamilon dilates blood vessels in the brain and has a calming effect in cases of anxiety, fear, increased irritability, and also increases resistance to physical and mental stress.

The creation of GABA-like drugs and the study of their effects made it possible to talk about the existence of two main functions of GABA - mediator and metabolic. The participation of GABA in the regulation of the level of wakefulness is associated with the mediator function, motor activity, vascular tone, maintaining a high seizure threshold and partly improving memory and thinking. Metabolic function is the provision of energy to the brain, resistance to oxygen starvation and other harmful influences.

Nootropics

In 1963, the Belgian company UCB obtained a compound that was a gamma-aminobutyric acid coiled into a ring with some additional radicals. When studying this compound, Professor K. Giurji and his collaborators found that it actively improves memory and facilitates the learning process, that is, it affects the higher intellectual functions of the brain. Since in Greek thinking and reason are noos, and affinity is tropos, the new medicine was called “nootropil”. And in 1972 the term “nootropic drugs” appeared.

According to WHO experts definition nootropic drugs activate learning ability, improve memory and mental activity, and also increase the brain’s resistance to aggressive influences.

In Russia, nootropil is produced under the name “piracetam”, and around the world under more than 30 names - further evidence of its extraordinary popularity. Indications for its use are memory impairment, decreased concentration, mood changes, behavioral and thinking disorders in vascular diseases, injuries and sclerosis of the brain, as well as mental disorders in chronic alcoholism. The drug is well tolerated, but in some people it causes unexpected reactions: excitement or, conversely, drowsiness, sometimes dizziness, and sometimes increased sexuality.

Today, the group of nootropic drugs does not have strictly defined boundaries. In addition to the already mentioned aminalon, phenibut and picamilon, it also includes deonol (nooclerin), idebenone, meclofenoxate, nicotinoyl-GABA and pantogam. All these drugs are metabolic and, to some extent, antioxidant. Conventionally, nootropic drugs include drugs that have a pronounced ability to cause dilation of cerebral blood vessels: vinpocetine (Cavinton), complamine, trental, cinnarizine, etc. Caffeine and some vitamins can also be considered nootropic: B6, B15, BC, and B12.

If we consider the nootropic effect as such, then we can indicate that it is based on three characteristic properties (which are expressed in different drugs to varying degrees): firstly, they restore the balance between excitatory and inhibitory processes in the brain, secondly, they activate metabolism and energy processes in nerve cells, thirdly, they increase the endurance of neurons during oxygen starvation and membrane toxic effects.

In recent years, the idea of ​​nootropic drugs has changed somewhat. It is expected that the next generation of drugs in this group will not only activate higher integrative functions of the brain, but also restore memory and thought processes, reduce those arising from various kinds lesions of the nervous system deficits and increase the body's resistance. These funds will transform the life of mankind, relieving them of the consequences of brain diseases and ensuring active aging. And perhaps they will allow us to treat congenital or acquired dementia.

GABA receptors have very interesting feature: they are covered with other receptors that also regulate the process of inhibition, both through GABA receptors and independently. Among these “companions,” the receptors for barbiturates, alcohol and, most importantly, benzodiazepines are today some of the most common and valuable drugs with tranquilizer, muscle relaxant, ataractic, anticonvulsant and hypnotic effects. They will have to devote a separate section.

Benzodiazepines are the main tranquilizers

The word "bedlam" meaning "total disorder" comes from the name of the largest psychiatric hospital XIV century in London. There really was something completely disorderly going on there: patients with in different forms psychoses were kept in common rooms. Some of them behaved so violently that they became dangerous to others. Then they were put in a special chair, like electric chair, to which not only the arms and legs, but also the head of the unfortunate person were tied. The patient, unsuccessfully trying to break free from his bonds, gradually became tired and calmed down, calmed down. Such chairs were called tranquilizers (from the Latin tranquillo - I calm). This is where this now widespread term comes from.

Currently, tranquilizers are used to treat neuroses rather than psychoses - these are drugs from the arsenal of neuropathologists rather than psychiatrists. The most common causes of neuroses are loss of a sense of security and confidence in the future. There is an opinion that neurosis is “no big deal”, that everyone has neuroses, but this “not terrible” disease is sometimes followed by depression and suicide.

Tranquilizers replaced sedatives, which were given to people who could not find a place for themselves from excitement, restlessness or anxiety. Unfortunately, they could not relieve anxiety and fear, but they allowed us to somehow calm down, sit down and relax (hence the name: sedere - in Latin “to sit down”). The favorite sedatives were bromine and barbiturates, which caused total inhibition in the brain, which, of course, did not restore health and were far from harmless. In a similar way, only weaker, they act medicinal herbs: valerian, peony and passionflower.

In the early 60s, the first benzodiazepine appeared - Librium (Elenium), which immediately interested doctors of all specialties. Particularly attractive were its central muscle relaxant (relaxing) skeletal muscles) and anticonvulsant activity. Currently, there are many benzodiazepines. Anti-anxiety tranquilizers include elenium (in the Russian version chlozepid), sibazon (diazepam, relanium, seduxen), nozepam (tazepam) and phenazepam, which have a pronounced anxiolytic (anti-anxiety, from anxius - anxious, fear-ridden) and sedative effect. Benzodiazepines without sedative-hypnotic effects are called daytime tranquilizers. These include mezapam (aka rudatel).

All of these drugs are well tolerated, but many of them have side effects: headache, drowsiness, impaired potency, decreased reaction speed, the ability to enhance the effect of alcohol, causing pathological intoxication with loss of consciousness. Phenazepam is especially dangerous in this regard, the effect of which can last from one to four days. At long-term use addiction occurs, less often addiction, worsening mood, a person begins to take new drugs from this group... In short, it is better to start treating insomnia not with phenazepam, but to take a more difficult route - for example, reduce coffee consumption in the afternoon and brew it before bedtime herbal tea: What if you don’t need a pill?

Russia now purchases abroad relatively new drug gidazepam, the tranquilizer effect of which is combined with an activating effect. It is also effective in treating migraines. Alprozalam is interesting for its antidepressant effect. In my opinion, these drugs should be in special demand, but this is not the case. Probably because their names do not appear on colorful posters and are not repeated in advertising videos.

Glycine as a mild tranquilizer

The second nonessential inhibitory amino acid, glycine, has had a quiet but well-deserved success, even though it is only an aminoacetic acid. There is a little of it in brain tissue, but it is not large number absolutely necessary. Being an inhibitory transmitter, glycine prevents the propagation of an impulse arriving along the sensitive dorsal roots spinal cord, to its other half and other segments. Natural antagonists of glycine that are unsurpassed in activity and bind to its receptors are tetanus toxin and the alkaloid strychnine, contained in the emetic nuts Nux vomica, also known as the fruits of St. Ignace. (Strychnine is a well-known poison, and emetic nuts are one of the most favorite medicines among homeopaths.) If the action of glycine is blocked, then the slightest irritation causes a tonic contraction of the muscles of the entire body, which takes on the opisthotonus position typical of strychnine or tetanus poisoning: arching with support on back of the head and heels. In modern scientific medicine Strychnine is rarely used. But glycine is gaining more and more popularity

The clinic confirmed that he (with sublingual use) not only enhances the effect of anticonvulsants, but also accelerates sleep, has an antioxidant, anti-stress, tranquilizing and nootropic effect, blocking the pituitary-adrenal system.

According to clinical data, glycine suppresses irritability and makes behavior more reasonable. At the same time, it is similar to tranquilizers only in its sedative effect, and in all other respects it is the opposite of them. Thus, it does not have a muscle relaxant effect, weakens the effect of alcohol, does not cause addiction, increases the speed of reactions, enhances mental performance, with increasing dose its effect decreases. Glycine not only does not interfere with driving, but is recommended for drivers!

Let's face it, you can't always trust a clinic. But there is also very authoritative experimental data in favor of the fact that in a model of brain hypoxia with the occurrence of a heart attack, glycine prevents it more effectively than piracetam. At the same time, the turnover of GABA increases, the content of the main brain mediators increases or normalizes in many of its parts, especially in the area of ​​ischemia. The journal Human Physiology (2001) reports that after three weeks of taking glycine twice a day, an increase in the speed of thought processes was recorded.

Today, stress conditions are considered indications for the use of glycine. psycho-emotional stress, increased excitability, emotional lability, neuroses, vegetative-vascular dystonia, consequences of traumatic brain injury, encephalopathy, including alcoholic encephalopathy, sleep disorders... A real miracle is the effect of an ordinary amino acid that we consume with food and produce in our own body. Perhaps it is precisely such medicines that will open the path to health and longevity for people.

“Chemistry and life - XXI century”

Gamma-aminobutyric acid began to be considered as a potentially important substance for brain function more than 60 years ago, and only about 28 years ago scientists assigned it the status of a neurotransmitter.

We now know that approximately 40% of the nerve cells in the mammalian brain synthesize this acid.

It plays an important role in disorders such as depression, anxiety and stress. Studying the structure and functions of a substance helps solve health problems.

What is GABA

Gamma-aminobutyric acid is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps transmit signals between the brain and nervous system.

The main function is to control the level of glutamic acid (an excitatory neurotransmitter) and reduce the activity of nerve cells.

By suppressing nervous excitability, it naturally has a calming effect, suppresses feelings of anxiety and fear.

Sources of this acid

Gamma-aminobutyric acid is synthesized in brain cells from another, glutamic acid, in the presence of the enzyme glutamate decarboxylase and active form vitamin B6. A lack of vitamin B6 leads to decreased production of GABA, accumulation of glutamate and nervous tension.

Besides, immune system can attack and destroy glutamate decarboxylase. Observed with such autoimmune diseases, like Hashimoto's disease, celiac disease, type 1 diabetes and other neurological disorders.

Since the substance in question is produced during fermentation under the influence of lactobacilli, it cannot be found in fresh products. This makes fermented foods its only source. These products include:

• kimchi (traditional Korean cabbage dish);
• kefir;
• sauerkraut;
• yogurt;
• miso;
• puer tea;
• fermented rice and beans.

Functions of gamma-aminobutyric acid

Reduced anxiety and improved mood

One of the main tasks of GABA is to reduce the excitability of nerve cells, resulting in a reduction in the frequency of feelings of fear and anxiety.

There is clinical evidence indicating a connection between a lack of gamma-aminobutyric acid in the body and the occurrence of anxiety disorders.

It enhances the alpha rhythm of the brain, promoting relaxation, improving mood, and smoothing out the effects of stress.

Improves sleep quality

With insomnia, there is a decreased level of GABA. It is noteworthy that in a region of the brain called the thalamus, which is involved in regulating sleep, a large number of receptors for this acid are concentrated. This is explained by the sedative effect it has on the body. When the level is normalized, the speed of falling asleep increases, as does the time deep phase sleep.

Preventing depression

As with insomnia, people experiencing depression are deficient in GABA. After successful treatment its level increases. Thus, it is used as an alternative to traditional drugs in the treatment of depression and related disorders.

Relieves symptoms of premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome (or PMS) is a collection of symptoms that appear before the onset of menstrual bleeding. Typical symptoms: anxiety, insomnia, mood swings, fatigue, abnormal feeling of hunger. There is an imbalance in acid levels, which can help alleviate some symptoms.

Relieves pain and reduces inflammation

GABA plays an important role in the transmission of pain impulses and the development of inflammatory processes. Studies note that a reduced concentration of this substance is accompanied by such physiological disorders as other pain syndromes. This substance suppresses the transmission of pain impulses and reduces inflammation that accompanies pain of different origins. This improves the effectiveness of treatment.

Symptoms and consequences of insufficient production

When the substances necessary for normal brain function are in balance, a person feels energetic and motivated enough to perform tasks productively. Or, depending on the circumstances, calm and relaxed.

When gamma-aminobutyric acid levels decrease, the brain is constantly in a tense state. As a result, the person is unable to relax.

The most common symptoms of GABA deficiency are:

• feeling of fear for no apparent reason;
• the person is constantly distracted and disorganized;
• a person does several things at the same time, but does not succeed due to low productivity;
• feeling of anxiety even in cases when everything is going well;
• inability to relax, the flow of thoughts does not allow you to sleep;
• unreasonable rapid heartbeat or uneven rhythm;
• addiction to high-carbohydrate foods, alcohol and substances that help achieve relaxation.

Low acid levels are associated with a number of disorders: increased anxiety, depression, insomnia, and fibromyalgia. Its deficiency is not the cause, but is noted in autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and epilepsy.

How to normalize acid levels

B vitamins are vital important substances, involved in the synthesis of many neurotransmitters, including GABA. Accordingly, with a deficiency of vitamin B6 (to a lesser extent, vitamin B12), a decrease in the level of gamma-aminobutyric acid is also observed.

To normalize production, products containing glutamine, glutamic acid and glutamate (not to be confused with monosodium glutamate, a food additive) are useful. This includes bananas, beef liver and other organs, broccoli, citrus fruits, halibut fish, lentils, molasses, nuts.

A healthy lifestyle also helps restore amino acid balance, as common culprits low level GABA are stress, lack of sleep, excess caffeine, poor nutrition, gluten sensitivity.

Given that full-scale research on GABA has only recently begun, many aspects of its effects on the brain and body remain unexplored. IN at the moment we can talk with confidence about positive impact gamma-aminobutyric acid for anxiety and related disorders, while research in other areas is still ongoing. For example, there is encouraging data on promoting recruitment muscle mass and fat burning, which in the future may significantly expand the scope of GABA.