Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers found throughout the central nervous and multiple organ systems. They help drive vital functions and one of their most important roles is in regulating mood. Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), is the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Its signals protect against overstimulation or excitement of the brain, creating a calming effect which is important for mood, sleep, chronic stress, and brain function. GABA is a natural remedy for improving and maintaining optimal mental health.

The neurotransmitter GABA has been studied for its effects in individuals experiencing chronic worry and insomnia as a result of not being able to “turn off” their thoughts at night (also known as “monkey mind.”) It is effective in reducing stress and anxiety, and has been shown to help with falling asleep faster. It affects the brain directly by increasing brain waves associated with relaxation (alpha -waves) and reducing brain waves associated with worry and stress (beta waves).

AOR Advantage

GABA is a natural neurotransmitter which is present in the body and which offers a safe alternative to anxiety disorder medications. Anti-anxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines can become addictive, a risk that is non-existent with GABA supplementation.  AOR’s GABA™ provides 600 mg pharmaceutical grade gamma aminobutyric acid, which has a purity of over 99%.

Research with GABA supplementation has focused on addressing conditions of anxiety, growth hormone deficiency, mood disorders, epilepsy, and various other disorders of the central nervous system. In the early 1980’s, researchers believed that manipulating GABA receptors could alleviate the symptoms of anxiety, and supplementation with GABA itself was one such form of manipulation. This conclusion has since been strengthened by numerous studies confirming a direct correlation between more serious mood disorders and significantly decreased GABA concentrations in the occipital cortex of MDD subjects. This well-established correlation has led to the use of supplemental GABA as a means of addressing not only the symptoms of anxiety, but also of poor mood, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and manic-depressive (bipolar affective) disorder. The strategy is relatively straightforward; GABA inhibits the production of excitatory impulses from reaching the brain, including those that enhance panic, alarm, and/or fear. Anti-anxiety drugs such as benzodiazepine that are normally prescribed for such conditions can become addictive, a risk that is non-existent with GABA supplementation. Indeed, some research even supports using GABA to facilitate withdrawal from benzodiazepine medications.

In addition to mood disorders, GABA research has also been applied to the study of epilepsy, particularly in regard to how GABA supplementation can reduce the frequency and intensity of seizures. GABA is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and anticonvulsant drugs for the treatment of epileptic seizures are designed to enhance endogenous GABA levels (i.e. Vigabatrin) or mimic its effects (i.e. Gabapentin). This emphasis on maintaining high levels of GABA has once again led to the formularized justification of GABA supplementation, this time to offset epileptic seizures. Finally, researchers have long believed that GABA can alleviate the symptoms of insomnia due to its ability to generate calm (via its inhibition of excitatory neural impulses) and thus induce sleep. The increase of plasma growth hormone (which also rises naturally during sleep) is yet another capability that has been attributed to exogenous GABA supplementation. This capability has made GABA a relative staple of the life-extensionist movement, which is always concerned with halting and/or reversing the inverse relationship between age and growth hormone levels. Research to support this exists in both human and animal studies, with one trial showing that a single 5-gram oral dose can raise growth hormone levels by as much as 550% within 90 minutes of ingestion. Elevated growth hormone levels play an important role in the prevention of a multitude of age-related conditions, including sarcopenia, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, and an overall impaired quality of life.