How Dietary Amino Acids Can Affect Your Health

D-Aspartic acid, a non-essential amino acid, and can be found in many different foods that you eat.

For example, D-aspartic acid can be found in foods such as luncheon meats, sausage, animal meats, certain vegetables, sprouted seeds, oat flakes, avocado’s, and many others.

It is an important amino acid that has been found in neuroendocrine tissue in invertebrates as well as in humans and rats.

D-Aspartic acid can be synthesized from metabolic pathway intermediates in your body and can be responsible for many different molecular processes.

In fact, it has been shown to potentially aid in the production of testosterone and Luteinizing hormone (LH).

A study published in Reproductive Biology Endocrinology, attempts to explain the role D-Aspartic has on testosterone and LH production and release in rats and humans.

Let me explain…

D-Aspartic Acid and Reproductive Health

Researchers wanted to investigate the effects that D-Aspartic acid could have on the release of LH and testosterone.

For the human study, they recruited 43 men and separated them into a placebo group and a treatment group.

The treatment group was administered 3.12 grams of a D-Aspartic acid in a solution containing different vitamins for 12 days, and the placebo group was administered a solution of sodium plus the same vitamins as the treatment group.

In the rat study, they used 30 rats who were separated into a treatment group (20 mM of D-aspartic acid), a group administered D
aspartic acid then allowed 3 days of tap water, or a placebo group, again for 12 days.

In both humans and rats, the researchers noted that D-aspartic acid enhanced LH and testosterone release. 

In humans, they noted that with D-aspartic acid administration showed a 33% increase in LH and a 42% increase in testosterone production compared to the control group.

Also, they noted that 87% of the treatment group showed increases in both LH and testosterone compared to the placebo group.

After stopping the treatment for three days, the researchers also showed that LH levels stayed elevated and there was a 1.14 fold increase from original baseline measurements.

Plus, the experimental group also showed a 1.28 fold increase in testosterone compared to baseline.

In the rat study, they showed that D-aspartic acid accumulated in the tissue of both the pituitary gland and the testes, which increased the release and synthesis of LH and testosterone through the activation of cGMP.

Also noted, in the rat’s Leydig cells, the treatment group showed increased synthesis and release of testosterone by activating the cAMP channel.

A potential explanation for their results, the researchers noted, was that D-aspartic acid could remain accumulated in the testes, which could continue the production and release of testosterone.

They also concluded that D-aspartic acid occurring in the pituitary and the testes could have a role in the regulation of the release and synthesis of LH and testosterone in both rats and humans.

D-Aspartic and Your Health

D-Aspartic acid, which is a non-essential amino acid, is found in many different food products and supplements and has been shown to aid in many different biological processes.

Now, according to this study, D-Aspartic acid has been shown to aid in the synthesis and release of LH and testosterone in both rats and humans.

Although this study shows a relationship between D-aspartic acid and increased testosterone levels, more research is needed to verify their results.  However, this could provide a new avenue for many men looking to naturally increase their testosterone levels.


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