Expert Interview: Kyra Kauffmann on GABA & Stress – Its Role in Naturopathy

Ms. Kauffmann, you studied economics and had a successful career in the banking industry from a young age. Today, you are a certified naturopath, run your own practice, write books, and give lectures in this field. Could you explain to us how this shift in your professional career came about?

And on top of that, now that I’m over 50, I’m fulfilling my childhood dream of studying medicine, because I’ve been fascinated by it since I was a child. Since my high school GPA wasn’t high enough to get into medical school back then, I decided to pursue a different degree program first. In hindsight, I don’t regret that either, because in economics I discovered a love for large data sets and statistics—and above all, how not to lose sight of the forest for the trees: skills that still help me today as I work my way through many pages of medical studies.

After a few years in banking, I decided I wanted to pursue my true interest after all, but back then—20 years ago—it wasn’t possible to pursue a second degree in medicine in Germany. So I initially decided to train as a naturopath. On top of that, I fell seriously ill in my early 30s: another motivation for switching to medicine.

In the past, you sought help from doctors practicing conventional medicine, but ultimately you found what you were looking for in FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE. Can you explain to us how these two fields differ?

Naturopathy sounds like it’s all about plants and homeopathy: but that’s not my specialty at all. Conventional medicine is excellent in all areas of infectious diseases, surgery, anesthesia, cardiology, and also in obstetrics. Incredible progress has been made in these fields over the past few decades.

No sane person today would voluntarily forego antibiotics for severe bacterial infections, to give just one example. But for many chronic conditions, which typically have multifactorial causes, the therapeutic approach, in my view, doesn’t focus enough on the root causes. These two fields should collaborate more closely here.

Based on your experience, you’ve dealt extensively with the topics of stress and burnout. In your opinion, what are the best methods for managing stress and preventing burnout? Are there any dietary supplements you recommend for support during these times?

Burnout is always the result of a long-term imbalance between tension and relaxation. We all live according to daily rhythms of stress and relaxation. Too much relaxation is just as unhealthy as too much stress.

The problem for many people today is that they break out of the daily, so-called circadian rhythm. To put it simply: Our day has 24 hours; during each time period, there are hormones and neurotransmitters that dictate our phases of tension and relaxation, respectively, or support us in our activities. For example, cortisol and thyroid hormones are released in the early morning hours. They give us the drive and motivation to start the day. Most people with healthy adrenal and thyroid function therefore feel active and energetic in the morning hours.

At night, we do not need these two hormones: we want to and should sleep, thereby enabling the body’s regeneration on all levels. Here, the neurotransmitters melatonin and GABA take over: together, they ensure a good, restful sleep with all the sleep cycles—light sleep, REM, and deep sleep, that the body needs to start the day feeling refreshed.

In people with burnout, these circadian rhythms have long been disrupted. As a result, many also suffer from sleep disorders. Accordingly, I always recommend normalizing sleep first. In my experience, GABA and melatonin can be helpful as dietary supplements in this regard.

GABA holds a special place among neurotransmitters: Evolution has equipped us with a natural sedative: “a kind of natural Valium.” No other neurotransmitter is found as frequently in our nervous system—about 1,000 times more often than norepinephrine and dopamine. When we have sufficient GABA, all stimuli in the brain are transmitted in a well-regulated and gradual manner; when GABA is lacking, we quickly suffer from sensory overload.

People with burnout know this: everything feels like too much, too loud, and too intense. The nervous system’s defenses are down. A GABA deficiency also makes itself felt at night, when sleeping through the night suddenly becomes impossible.

To what extent does diet influence GABA levels in the body, and which foods do you recommend to promote a healthy GABA balance?

To synthesize GABA, the body requires sufficient amounts of glutamine, some NAD+ (which it can produce itself from tryptophan), as well as large amounts of zinc, vitamin B6, and manganese. The best sources of zinc are seafood, fish, and meat. In today’s vegan-trendy era, I often measure alarmingly low zinc levels in my patients’ blood. This affects not only GABA synthesis but also approximately 500 other important bodily processes—including, above all, the skin, hair, and the immune system.

Vitamin B6 is actually well-represented in all food groups; however, certain medications—such as the birth control pill, deplete vitamin B6, so a vitamin B6 deficiency can certainly occur. Glutamine, in turn, is an important amino acid that is often neglected, as the gut first diverts large amounts of it for its own use. In my experience, the intestinal mucosa cannot regenerate without glutamine. Additionally, GABA is also very important for the gut: it needs GABA for its own nervous system, which regulates peristalsis, among other things.

I recommend that people suffering from intestinal disorders such as leaky gut syndrome ensure they have an adequate intake of glutamine. This is because only what the gut does not need actually enters the bloodstream and is used, among other things, for GABA synthesis. Glutamine is found primarily in dairy products and legumes.

The trace element manganese is also found in grain products such as bread, wheat germ, oatmeal, millet, and rice, as well as in legumes, flaxseed, cocoa, and nuts. Additionally, green leafy vegetables and dark berries such as blueberries or aronia berries provide manganese.

What naturopathic approaches do you use in your practice to support GABA production?

First of all, I measure GABA levels, and generally, in my practice, I use laboratory analyses to get an overview of my patients’ micronutrient status. By supplementing missing building blocks, my goal is to restore the body’s own GABA synthesis in the long term. However, this often takes a long time, especially if other issues such as leaky gut syndrome are present.

In my view, there are good GABA supplements that provide quick relief for GABA deficiency and can thus bridge the gap until the body’s own synthesis is restored. After all, someone suffering from burnout cannot wait months for a healthy sleep-wake cycle to return. This must happen as quickly as possible.

What advice would you give to people interested in GABA supplementation?

Ideally, the appropriate GABA supplement, as well as the individual dosage form and amount, should be selected with a qualified functional medicine practitioner.

If other medications are being taken, such as psychotropic drugs, sleep aids, blood pressure medications, or antiepileptics, a thorough evaluation of GABA use must be conducted to rule out potential side effects or interactions. GABA should also not be taken during pregnancy or while breastfeeding without consulting a doctor.

Otherwise, my personal experience with GABA has been very positive. I always recommend starting with a low dose and gradually working your way up to the optimal amount for you.