Tryptophan Archives

07 Apr 2026

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Neuroendocrine Tumours – Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Diet and Nutrition, Patient AdvocacyCarcinoid syndrome, Niacin, Pellagra, Peripheral Serotonin, Small intestine NET (SI NET), Tryptophan, Vitamin B3

Before you read thisThis information is designed to help you understand how vitamins work in the body and how certain NET-related factors might affect them. It is not a substitute for personalised medical advice. Every NET patient is different — tumour type, treatments, surgery, symptoms, and nutritional needs can vary widely. If you have concerns about vitamin levels, supplements, or symptoms, please speak with your NET clinical team. They can assess your individual situation and guide you safely. What Vitamin B3 Is Vitamin B3 — also known as niacin, nicotinamide, or nicotinic acid — is an essential water‑soluble vitamin your…

28 Nov 2024

By Ronny Allan

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Happy Thanksgiving

Diet and Nutrition, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer5-HIAA, 5-Hydrotryptophan (5-HTP), B12, B3, Carcinoid syndrome, Carcinoid tumour, Hormones, Malabsorption, Melatonin, Metastatic Neuroendocrine Cancer, Neuroendocrine tumour (NET), Nutrition, Quality of LIfe (QoL), Serotonin, Tryptophan

I have been posting this every year on last Thursday in November and I kept forgetting that other countries other than USA (and Territories of the United States) also do Thanksgiving but mostly on different dates. This includes (but is probably not limited to): Canada, Brazil, Grenada, Liberia, Saint Lucia, Leiden (Netherlands), Norfolk Island (Australia). I hope you all had/have a great Thanksgiving Day! Turkey and Sleep Now ........ I hate to stereotype but I guess a lot of you might be eating turkey on Thanksgiving Day? No Thanksgiving is complete without a turkey at the table (... so I'm told!). …

29 Aug 2024

By Ronny Allan

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Serotonin – the NET effect

Diet and Nutrition, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, The NET Effect Series5-HIAA, 5-HT, 5-HTP, 5-Hydrotryptophan (5-HTP), 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid (5-HIAA), 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), Antidepressant, Anxiety, Blood brain barrier (BBB), Bradykinin, Brain serotonin, Cancer anger, Carcinoid heart disease, Carcinoid rage, Carcinoid syndrome, Depression, Desmoplasia, Diarrhea, Dopamine, Endocrine, Flushing, Foregut, Hindgut, Histamine, Hormones, Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), NET syndromes, Neuroendocrine, Neurotransmitter, Norepinephrine, Nutrition, Oxitriptan, Prostaglandin, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI), Serotonin, Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), Serotonin syndrome, Serum serotonin, St. John's wort, Thorson-Bioerck syndrome, TPH1, TPH2, Tricyclic antidepressant, Tryptophan, Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH)

Background I'd never heard of Serotonin until I was diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Cancer in 2010. It is frequently discussed, often with contrasting views from the respondents. One common assumption/question is that it is responsible for many things that can go wrong with Neuroendocrine Tumour (NET) patients who have serotonin-producing tumours. To a certain extent, that's true but statement such as "it's the hormones" is an easy assumption to make; or an easy answer to give in response to a complex set of circumstances. It's difficult to get a definitive answer and the science behind the behaviour of our hormones isn't…

12 Jun 2024

By Ronny Allan

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Neuroendocrine Cancer Nutrition Series Part 4 – Amines: Food for Thought?

Diet and Nutrition, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, SurvivorshipAdrenaline, Amines, Ascending colon, Biogenic amines, Carcinoid crisis, Carcinoid syndrome, Catecholamines, Diet, Dopamine, Histamine, Hormones, Malabsorption, Neuroendocrine cancer, Neuroendocrine tumour (NET), Nutrition, Pressor amines, Probiotic, Quality of LIfe (QoL), Right hemicolectomy, Serotonin, Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), Small intestine NET (SI NET), Somatostatin analogues, Surgery, Tryptophan, Tyramine, Vasoactive amines

Reviewed and updated 23rd January 2024 Neuroendocrine Cancer Nutrition Series Part 4 – Amines: Food for Thought? Background Nutrition is an important subject for many cancers, but it can be particularly important for many Neuroendocrine Cancer patients. When I started writing my nutrition series (listed below), I said that my intention is not to tell you what to eat, even though that might be a challenge for many, and this theme continues. The issue with Nutrition and Diet, in general, is that it's very individual and what works for one may not work for another. Often the the best diet…

22 Mar 2024

By Ronny Allan

15 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer – Horrible Hormones

Patient Advocacy24-hour urinary catacholamines and metanephrines, 5-HIAA, 5-Hydrotryptophan (5-HTP), Addison's disease, Adrenal insufficiency, Adrenaline, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH), Aldosterone, Anaphylactic shock, Androgrens, Antihistamines, Appendiceal NET, Bradykinin, Calcitonin, Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), Carcinoid crisis, Carcinoid heart disease, Carcinoid syndrome, Catecholamines, Chromogranin A (CgA), Corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), Cushing's disease, Cushing's syndrome, Diarrhea, Endocrine, Enterochromaffin cells, Epinephrine, Estrogen, Fight or flight, Flushing, Ga68 PET/CT, Gastric NET, Gastrin, Glucagon, Histamine, Hormones, HPA axis, Hyperparathyroidism, Hypocortisolism, Hypotension, Hypothalamus, Insulin, Intraoperative hypertensive crisis, Islet cell, Islet of Langerhams, Kallikrein, Lanreotide, Lung NETs, Malabsorption, Mast cell, Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), Metanephrines, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN), NET syndromes, Neuroendocrine, Neuroendocrine neoplasm (NEN), Neurokinin A (NKA), Neuropeptide K, Neurotensin, Neurotransmitter, Norepinephrine, Nutrition, Octreotide, Octreotide scan, Ovarian NEN, Pancreastatin, Pancreatic NET (PanNET), Pancreatic polypeptide (PP), Paraganglioma, Pellagra, Peptide, Pheochromocytoma, PPoma, Prostaglandin, Pruritus, Serotonin, Somatostatin, Somatostatinoma, Substance P, Tachycardia, Tachykinin, Telotristat ethyl (Xermelo), Testosterone, The 5 E's, Tryptophan, Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), Vasodilation, VIPoma, Xermelo (Telotristat ethyl)

Updated and reviewed 20th March 2024 Hormonal imbalances are quite common in many conditions including day to day stuff. With Neuroendocrine Cancer, it can be a real challenge both at diagnostic and maintenance phases. In addition to the cancer angle, there's some strange stuff going on, inexplicable, frightening for the patient, an unwanted ingredient causing chaos! Until I was diagnosed with metastatic Neuroendocrine Cancer, I didn't have a clue about hormones - it's one of those things you just take for granted. However, hormones are vital to human health (male and female) and it's only when things go wrong you…

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