Tryptophan is a special kind of protein building block found in foods like meat and eggs. Scientists are looking into how it might affect a condition called spondyloarthritis. This is a form of arthritis that mainly hurts the spine but can also affect the arms, legs, skin, gut, and eyes.
Researchers think that how the body breaks down tryptophan could play a role in causing spondyloarthritis. There’s a specific process in the body, called the kynurenine pathway, that breaks down tryptophan. If something goes wrong with this process, it can lead to inflammation and diseases like spondyloarthritis. When the body is inflamed, it changes the way tryptophan is broken down, making some substances that can either help the immune system or suppress it.
Some studies have found that people with spondyloarthritis might break down tryptophan differently, which could mess with their immune system and contribute to the disease. Also, the microbes living in our guts can change tryptophan into other substances that affect our immune system and inflammation, possibly making spondyloarthritis worse or better.
In short, the way tryptophan is handled in our bodies might be linked to spondyloarthritis, but it’s a complicated relationship that scientists are still trying to figure out. Understanding this connection better could help in finding new ways to treat or manage spondyloarthritis. However, more research is needed to get a clearer picture and to see how these insights can be used in real life.