Catecholamine and serotonin content of foods: effect on urinary excretion of homovanillic and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid
Feldman, J.M.; Lee, E.M.; Castleberry, C.A.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association 87(8): 1031-1035
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-8223 PMID: 2440934 Document Number: 302927
Using specific radioenzymatic assays, we determined the concentration of dopamine (DA), epinephrine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in 30 varieties of fruits and vegetables. The pulp of the following fruits had a high DA concentration (mean +/- SEM, microgram/gm [micromole/kg] wet weight): red bananas, 51.4 +/- 5.0 (336 +/- 33); yellow bananas, 42.0 +/- 4.1 (275 +/- 27); and plantain, 5.5 +/- 1.0 (36 +/- 7). Fuerte avocado, with a concentration of 4 micrograms/gm (26 micromole/kg) and Booth avocado, cocoa bean powder, broccoli, and Brussel sprouts, each with a concentration of 1 microgram/gm (7 micromoles/kg), contained a moderate concentration of DA. The remaining foods had a low DA (less than 1 microgram/gm [7 micromoles/kg]) concentration. Although the red bananas, yellow bananas, and plantain had a high serotonin concentration, other foods with a high serotonin concentration, such as pineapple, Kiwi fruit, tomatoes, black walnuts, and butternuts, had a low DA concentration. The edible portions of the foods we evaluated did not contain a high concentration of epinephrine or norepinephrine. The highest concentration of DA was in the skin of the yellow banana. In contrast, the highest concentration of serotonin was in the seed-bearing center of the banana pulp. When seven volunteers ingested the pulp of four bananas, there was a 46% increase in their urinary excretion of homovanillic acid (the principal metabolite of DA) and a 293% increase in their urinary excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (the principal metabolite of serotonin). When collecting a 24-hour urine for measurement of those substances for diagnostic purposes, patients should not eat foods rich in DA and serotonin.(author)