Effects of tryptophan intake and light exposure during the daytime on sleep factors

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23370106
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied anthropology
• Research Institution: Fukuoka Women's University
• Principal Investigator: MORITA Takeshi 福岡女子大学, 人間・環境学研究科(研究院), 教授 (20326474)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TSUMURA Yuki 純真短期大学, 食物栄養学科, 助教 (00457417) ; WAKAMURA Tomoko 京都大学, 医学研究科, 教授 (40240452) ; FUKUDA Yumi 福岡女子大学, 人間環境学部, 助手 (50551412)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2014-03-31
• Keywords: 環境適応能 / 生体リズム / 光環境 / 睡眠

Research Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate effects of tryptophan intake and light exposure on sleep and melatonin secretion, by modifying tryptophan ingestion at breakfast and light exposure during the daytime, and measuring sleep quality and melatonin secretion at night. Thirty three of male University students completed the experiments lasting 5 days and 4 nights. The subjects were randomly divided into 4 groups: tryptophan-poor breakfast (55mg/meal) in the morning and dim light environment (<50lx) during daytime, tryptophan-rich breakfast (476mg/meal) and dim light, tryptophan-poor breakfast and bright light (>5000lx), tryptophan-rich breakfast and bright light. Saliva melatonin concentrations on the fourth day was significantly lower than on the first day in Poor*Dim, whereas it was higher on the fourth day in Rich*Bright. The result indicates that the combination of a tryptophan-rich breakfast and bright light exposure during daytime could promote melatonin secretion at night.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Daily rhythm of the sleep-wake cycle (2012)
  • Author(s): Waterhouse.J, Fukuda.Y, Morita.T
  • Journal Title: Journal of Physiological Anthropology Volume: 31(5)
  • DOI: 10.1186/1880-6805-31-5
• [Presentation] Effects of tryptophan-rich breakfast intake and daytime light exposure on nocturnal saliva melatonin secretion and subjective sleep quality evaluation in healthy Japanese adults (2013)
  • Author(s): Fukushige.H, Inami.K, Tanaka.M, Wada.K, Kawasaki.K, Takenouchi.R, Saito.M, Yamashina.A, Tsumura.Y, Harada.T, Kondo.M, Wakamura.T, Morita.T
  • Organizer: European Biological Rhythm Society
  • Place of Presentation: Munich, Germany
  • Year and Date: 2013-08-18
• [Presentation] 日常生活における受光履歴とトリプトファンの食事摂取が睡眠に及ぼす影響 (2013)
  • Author(s): 福重春菜. 森田健. 津村有紀. 原田哲夫.近藤雅之. 若村智子
  • Organizer: 日本生理人類学会研究奨励発表会(九州地区)
  • Place of Presentation: 福岡
  • Year and Date: 2013-02-09
• [Presentation] 日常生活における受光履歴とトリプトファンの食事摂取がメラトニン分泌挙動に及ぼす影響 (2013)
  • Author(s): 稲見香, 若村智子, 津村有紀, 原田哲夫,近藤雅之, 森田健
  • Organizer: 日本生理人類学会研究奨励発表会(九州地区)
  • Place of Presentation: 福岡
  • Year and Date: 2013-02-09
• [Presentation] Chronotype and the relation between taste threshold for saltiness and salivary concentration of sodium ions (2012)
  • Author(s): Yamashina.A, Morita.T, Wakamura.T, Waterhouse.J
  • Organizer: 21st Congress of the European Sleep Research Sciety
  • Place of Presentation: Paris, France
  • Year and Date: 20120904-08
• [Presentation] Non-visual impact of new light sources (2011)
  • Author(s): Kyoto, Japan
  • Organizer: The 3 rd conference on energy efficient lighting
  • Place of Presentation: Katrineholm, Sweden
  • Year and Date: 2011-11-28
• [Presentation] Diurnal variation in responses of melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells in the human retina (2011)
  • Author(s): Fukuda.Y, Tsujimura. S, Higuchi.S, Y asukouchi.A, Morita.T
  • Organizer: World Sleep
  • Place of Presentation: Kyoto, Japan
  • Year and Date: 2011-10-15
• [Book] Melatonin in the Promotion of Health, Second Edition (2011)
  • Author(s): Choedhury, Morita.T, 他
  • Total Pages: 566
  • Publisher: Taylor & Francis Press