Threonine

• What other names is Threonine known by?
• What is Threonine?
• How does Threonine work?
• Are there safety concerns?
• Are there any interactions with medications?
• Dosing considerations for Threonine.

What other names is Threonine known by?

L-threonine, L-thréonine, Thréonine, Treonina.

What is Threonine?

Threonine is an amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks the body uses to make proteins.

Threonine is used to treat various nervous system disorders including spinal spasticity, multiple sclerosis, familial spastic paraparesis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease).

Possibly Ineffective for...

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). Taking 2 grams to 4 grams of threonine daily for up to 12 months does not seem to slow the progression of ALS or reduce symptoms. There is also some evidence that threonine might actually worsen lung function in people with ALS.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• Familial spastic paraparesis, a hereditary disorder. Early research suggests that taking 1.5 grams to 2 grams of threonine by mouth three times daily might improve some symptoms in people with familial spastic paraparesis. But the improvement does not seem to be very significant.
• Multiple sclerosis. Early research suggests that taking 2.5 grams of threonine by mouth three times daily for 8 weeks does not reduce muscle stiffness (spasticity) in people with MS.
• Spinal spasticity, a movement disorder caused by spinal cord damage. Early research suggests that taking 2 grams of threonine by mouth three times daily modestly decreases muscle contractions in people with spinal spasticity caused by spinal cord injury.
• Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of threonine for these uses.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).