Manufactured in the body from the amino acid tryptophan, serotonin is a chemical neurotransmitter that is known for producing feelings of contentment and happiness. According to the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, serotonin was discovered in the 1940s and, just recently, knowledge was obtained of seven different types of serotonin receptors. These receptors are located in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Serotonin receptors are involved in a variety of physiological processes, including learning, memory, sleep, cognition, mood, thermoregulation, appetite, anxiety, depression, bowel movements and nausea.
Diet
Diets rich in carbohydrates, namely sugars, stimulate the release of serotonin thus increasing the activity of serotonin receptors through the mechanism of elevating tryptophan concentrations. According to an article published in "Science," when complex carbohydrates are ingested, insulin release is stimulated, which promotes sequential increases in the levels of tryptophan in the plasma and the brain. The tryptophan elevation in turn increases the production of serotonin.
Ginger
Zingiber officinale, better known as ginger, has been used for 2,500 years as an anti-inflammatory and for gastrointestinal upsets, according to "Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology." The active compounds in the ginger plant called galanolactones produce strong serotonin receptor activity. The galanolactone stimulation of the serotonin receptors results in the modulation of the intestinal system. "Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease" indicates that serotonin plays an important role in gastric and intestinal motility.
Antianxiety Drugs
Pharmaceutical agents such as buspirone and gepirone stimulate the serotonin receptors in the brain, promoting increased activity in postsynaptic serotonin receptors, according to "Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry." Buspirone is most commonly used as an antianxiety medication, while gepirone is used to treat both depression and anxiety.
References
- "Current Clinical Medicine," Second Edition; Cleveland Clinic; 2010
- "Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology," Eighth Edition; Gary Firestein, M.D., et al.; 2008
- "Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease," Ninth Edition; Mark Feldman, M.D., et al.; 2010
- "Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry," First Edition; Theodore Stern, M.D.; 2008
- "Science"; Brain Serotonin Content: Increase Following Ingestion of Carbohydrate Diet; J.D. Fernstrom and R.J. Wurtman; December 1971
- American College of Neuropsychopharmacology: Serotonin Receptors
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