Serotonin is the master of your neuron pathways; it regulates a variety of biological systems, including appetite, sleep patterns and emotional stability. It's also very sensitive in that its production fluctuates readily and rapidly. Changes in the levels of this all-important neurotransmitter in your brain depend on what and how much you eat.
Significance
As one of your body's best multi-taskers, serotonin is involved in many of your homeostasis-maintaining processes. According to researchers Benard Brodie and Parkhurst Shore, these include appetite, blood pressure, and sleep pattern regulation, gastrointestinal motility, and involuntary smooth muscle contractions. Without proper circulating levels of the chemical, these routine bodily proceedings will start to malfunction. You may develop insomnia or begin to wake frequently during the night, or possibly find that your appetite has disappeared or become insatiable. More seriously, it's common to develop symptoms of depression or even experience panic attacks while experiencing a deficiency.
Function
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter. This means that it acts as a chemical messenger by transferring bio-electrical signals between neurons. At the axon, the shipping end of the neuron, stored serotonin molecules wait for an electrical impulse to signal their release. These molecules then enter the synapse, the space between two neurons, and are detected by specific receptors on the dendrite, or the receiving end, of the next neuron. The occurrence of receptors specific to serotonin allow the brain to designate what processes happen when because they will reject other neurotransmitters that may be present in the synapse.
Components
Serotonin, like all molecules, is a product of reactants. This means that in order to produce serotonin, you must first provide yourself with the means to produce it. According to John Fernstrom PhD, your body uses tryptophan, an essential amino acid, and tryptophan hydroxylase, an enzyme, to make serotonin. Tryptophan, being essential, is not made naturally by your body, which means that you have to absorb it from your diet. Serotonin can only be synthesized from this particular amino acid, nothing else, so healthy intake of foods containing tryptophan is important.
Effects
There are other ways that your diet can affect serotonin production as well. Researchers Subir Ray and Mrinal Poddar found through clinical studies that pesticides that lace fruits and vegetables can impede your brain from converting tryptophan and can even damage serotonin receptors. In both cases, serotonin deficiencies become highly likely to occur. On the other end of the spectrum, there are substances that will boost your production. Carbohydrates are one of these. According to MIT researcher Judith Wurtman, consumption of carbohydrates not only temporarily stimulates your body to produce more serotonin, but absence of them in your diet causes your body to stop its serotonin regulation entirely.
Considerations
Diet not only affects the amount of serotonin you produce, it is a key factor. Without proper levels of tryptophan consumption, fair amounts of carbohydrates in your diet, and avoidance of toxins like pesticides, the amount of serotonin your body will be able to make will be severely impaired. However, when you watch all of these factors closely, you can maintain healthy levels of this crucial neurotransmitter.
References
- Annals New York Academy of Sciences: A Conept for the Role of Serotonin and Norepinephrine as Chemical Mediators in the Brain
- Annual Review of Medicine: Dietary Precursors and Brain Neurotransmitter Formation
- MITNews: Carbs are Essential for Effective Dieting and Good Mood, Wurtman Says
- SpringerLink: Pentylenetetrazol: Effect on Carbaryl-Induced Changes of Serotonin Metabolism in Pons-Medulla of Rat Brain
