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L-dopa structurally is an amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. In other words, proteins are made up of amino acids which are joined together. When protein is taken into the body in a meal, the protein is broken down (digested) into its amino acids again. Some of these amino acids (those known as the large neutral amino acids) rely on a special transport system (the large neutral amino acid transport system) to get from the gut into the blood stream, and also to get into the brain. L-dopa resembles these large neutral amino acids and also relies on the large neutral amino acid transport system to move from the gut into the blood and the brain. If a patient eats a meal high in protein (any kind of protein), the amino acids released from the protein will compete with L-dopa for the transport system. Since there are more amino acids released from the high protein source than there are L-dopa molecules, the transport system favors the amino acids from the meal rather than L-dopa. The net result of this competition is a lowered therapeutic effectiveness of the L-dopa. Generally, a patient has to eat a protein-rich meal around the same time as they take their L-dopa in order to see the reduction in therapeutic effect. A carbohydrate snack generally won't cause a problem. Timing the dose of L-dopa so that at least 1 hour exists between the meal and the L-dopa can help if you think eatting is affecting your medication. One other point, iron can interfer with the absoption of L-dopa from the gut. If a patient takes iron supplementation, don't take L-dopa and the iron at the same time. And lastly, patients respond differently to the effects of a meal on L-dopa absorption. Each of us needs to work out what is best for "numero uno". A dish of "high test" fat - ladened ice cream can slow L-dopa absortion in one patient to the point it appears the medication is not working , and for another patient have no experienced effect. Experiment! Experiment! Experiment! And keep a diary containing your observations.