The Contribution of cocoa additive to cigarette smoking addiction

Page 102 of 207 RIVM report 650270002
Tryptophan
withdrawal period. Tryptophan-treated subjects who could not fully abstain were able
to smoke fewer daily cigarettes. Reported anxiety and other withdrawal symptoms
were lower in the tryptophan group compared with control subjects. These data
suggest that serotonin-enhancing substances show promise for use as an adjunct to
existing smoking cessation programs (43).
Critical assessment
The tryptophan level in the plasma or the brain affects also the brain serotonin level
and showed promising results in a smoking cessation study. That means that
tryptophan in cigarettes may potentially decrease the addiction potential of cigarette.
However, due to the small cigarette tryptophan dose and the large tryptophan pool in
the body, it is unlikely that cigarette tryptophan will affect smokking cessation.
Conclusion
Tryptophan doses in cigarette are too small to play a role in smoking cessation.
COMMERCIAL USE
Tryptophan is used medically in parental nutrition, as antidepressant, against pain and
myoclonus, as sleep inducer or as dietary. In the treatment of depression the usual
dose of tryptophan is 1 g given three times daily, but some patients may require up to
6 g daily in divided doses. Lower doses may be required in the elderly especially
those with renal or hepatic impairment (15). When tryptophan is concomitantly
administered with monoamine oxidase inhibitor, the initial dose of tryptophan should
be 500 mg daily and increased gradually after one week (35).
BENEFICIAL EFFECTS
Mostly therapeutic beneficial effects of tryptophan are observed in man. Tryptophan
can be used against several disorders, such as myoclonus, depression, pellagra and
insomnia (35).
Critical assessment
Commercially, tryptophan is used as medicine and in diets. Large amount of
tryptophan is used as therapeutics, which could be indicated as beneficial effect of
tryptophan. Therefore, it is unlikely that tryptophan dose in cigarette will be sufficient
to be beneficial.
Conclusion
The tryptophan doses in cigarette are considered to be insufficient to have any
beneficial effects in the body.
SUMMARY AND FINAL CONCLUSION
Tryptophan is an endogenous compound of tobacco and is also added exogenously as
cocoa powder, which is used as a flavouring agent. The daily intake of tryptophan
from cocoa added to cigarettes is marginal compared (estimated 0.75 mg/day) with
that of oral tryptophan intake from other sources, like chocolate or milk (estimated
900 mg/day) or to that from tryptophan pool in the body. The plasma concentration
reached after ingestion of tryptophan from chocolate sources or food is expected to be