L-Serine: A Healthy Brain's Best Friend
Why all the recent buzz concerning L-serine? Word is beginning to spread about the research surrounding L-serine and its many benefits. Originally discovered in 1865, emerging studies now show that L-serine may play a crucial role in supporting healthy neurological function over the long-term.1
What is L-Serine?
L-serine is an amino acid found in many proteins. Serine is considered non-essential because if adequate amounts are not achieved through the diet, L-serine can be made in the body from glycine.
What Are the Benefits of L-Serine?
Its benefits throughout the human body are many and wide-ranging, but it’s known to play an especially important role in helping promote and maintain neurological health as well as protein fatty acid synthesis, RNA and DNA methylation, nervous system function, muscle growth, healthy metabolism, cell proliferation and much more.1
What Do the Scientists Say About L-Serine?
Emerging research on L-serine suggests that there are potentially new and exciting applications for this powerful amino acid. Research by ethnobotanist Paul Cox, who studies the way indigenous peoples use plants in their customs and diet, along with his researchers at the nonprofit Brain Chemistry Labs, have studied how L-serine may be neuroprotective and play an important role in nervous system health.2 Research is ongoing, with recent findings showing a need for more studies on the effects L-serine in the diet may have for the body and nervous system function.
How to Get L-Serine in Your Diet
Many foods contain L-serine, with some foods having higher concentrations. High-protein foods, including eggs, milk, cheese, a wide variety of seeds, pork, beef, chicken, fish and some spices, provide the highest concentration of L-serine in foods.
L-Serine Content in Foods3
(per 100 grams)
| 1. Egg: white, dried, stabilized, glucose reduced |
6.16 |
| 2. Soy protein isolate |
4.59 |
| 3. Seaweed (spirulina), dried |
2.99 |
| 4. Gelatins, dry powder, unsweetened |
2.60 |
| 5. Fish: cod (Atlantic), dried and salted |
2.56 |
| 6. Parmesan cheese, shredded |
2.40 |
| 7. Soybeans, mature seeds, raw |
2.35 |
| 8. Tofu, dried-frozen (koyadofu) |
2.25 |
| 9. Milk: dry, (nonfat) regular, no added vitamin A/D |
1.96 |
| 10. Hemp seeds, hulled |
1.71 |
| 11. Pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried |
1.67 |
| 12. Beef: top round roast, boneless, cooked, roasted |
1.52 |
| 13. Peanut butter (smooth style), with salt |
1.48 |
| 14. Chicken: broilers or fryers, giblets, cooked, fried |
1.43 |
| 15. Lima beans: large, mature seeds, raw |
1.42 |
| 16. Mozzarella cheese, part skim milk |
1.41 |
| 17. Cheddar cheese, (sharp) sliced |
1.39 |
| 18. Cereals (ready-to-eat): wheat germ, toasted, plain |
1.38 |
| 19. Pork: cured, bacon, cooked, baked |
1.35 |
| 20. Mozzarella cheese (low moisture), part-skim |
1.35 |
| 21. Pistachio nuts, dry roasted |
1.3 |
| 22. Egg: yolk, raw, fresh |
1.32 |
| 23. Lamb: cooked, braised |
1.31 |
| 24. Pistachio nuts, raw |
1.28 |
| 25. Kidney beans: all types, mature seeds, raw |
1.28 |
| 26. Chicken: drumstick, rotisserie, cooked |
1.2 |
| 27. Peanuts: all types, raw |
1.27 |
| 28. Turkey: breast, meat only, cooked, roasted |
1.24 |
L-Serine Supplements
L-serine supplements can provide high concentrations of L-serine to help increase daily intake levels. Swanson AjiPure® L-Serine contains 500 mg of high-purity, USP-grade AjiPure® L-Serine per veggie capsule serving. This pharmaceutical-grade L-serine is produced in a fermentation process by the amino experts at Japan's Ajinomoto, Amino Science LLC, the world leader in pharmaceutical-grade amino acids.
Here's to your healthy brain!
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
About Lindsey Toth, MS, RD
Registered Dietitian, Swanson Health Products
Lindsey is a nationally recognized registered dietitian and nutritionist with a soft spot for pie. She empowers people to take charge of their health by finding the balance between the pleasure and nourishment in food.
Her philosophy is that you should take care of your body because it’s the only permanent home you have. It’s what inspired her to pursue a career in nutrition and, ultimately, led her to Swanson Health.
Sources
1. L-Serine. National Library of Medicine. Read source
2. "Could This Radical New Approach to Alzheimer’s Lead to a Breakthrough?" Fortune. Read source
3. Food Data Center. United States Department of Agriculture. Read source
