TREATMENT DATABASE

Inositol, like choline, is an important component of phospholipids, the fatty substances which surround all cells in the body. Also like choline, inositol helps with the transportation of fats, and prevents their accumulation in any one site (e.g., the liver). Because it is a key component of the myelin sheaths that surround nerves in the central nervous system, inositol performs a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the nervous system.

Inositol also plays an important role in energy metabolism; its metabolites regulate bone mass and mediate amino acid signaling, acting as a “second messenger” for cell receptors. Inositol phosphates are important for a number of cellular functions, including cell growth, apoptosis (programmed cell death), cell migration, and cell differentiation. Inositol is found in the brain and nerves, muscles, bones, reproductive organs, stomach, kidney, spleen, liver and heart.

Because inositol is a second messenger of serotonin, it has been successfully used to treat several psychiatric conditions. (Second messengers are molecules that relay signals from neurotransmitters into the cell.) Medical uses of inositol include treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, and depression. Inositol is also used for insomnia.

Inositol is produced in the gut in limited quantities by bacterial flora. Dietary sources include calf liver, cantaloupe, beans, dried beans, lentils, milk, nuts, oats, pork, rice, veal, wheat germ and whole-grain products.

Treatment rating for Inositol