Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, or a chemical produced by your body's nerve cells. Neurotransmitters are responsible for sending the brain regulatory messages about bodily functions, such as sleep or hunger. Serotonin sends the brain regulatory signals about mood, emotion, sleep and appetite. In 2010 researchers at the University of California San Francisco, UCSF, found a link between gestational diabetes, serotonin and dietary protein. Until recently doctors and scientists had very few clues about the causes of gestational diabetes. However, in 2010 scientists at UCSF determined that gestational diabetes is controlled by serotonin levels, which increase or decrease depending on how much protein pregnant mothers eat during the beginning of their pregnancies.
About Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a medical condition in which a pregnant woman's blood sugar level increases to an unhealthy and potentially life-threatening level during the pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes develop a resistance to insulin, a hormone produced in the islet cells of the pancreas, that regulates the amount of blood sugar in your body. About 4 percent of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes. Being diagnosed with gestational diabetes does not mean you had the condition prior to conception, nor does it mean that you will continue to have diabetes after giving birth. Gestational diabetes usually develops around the 24th week of pregnancy, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Tryptophan
Scientists at UCSF studied the pancreatic genes of both pregnant and non-pregnant mice to determine what genes were expressed in islet cells during pregnancy. The scientists found that the enzyme that produces serotonin, tryptophan hydroxylase, was much higher in pregnant mice than non-pregnant mice. Tryptophan hydroxylase is an amino acid that can only be produced from dietary protein sources. Because serotonin is created from tryptophan, the scientists were able to prove that there is a link between mothers' dietary protein early in pregnancy and the production of islet cells that produce insulin, which protect mothers from gestational diabetes.
Serotonin
Pregnant mice with high levels of serotonin were less likely to contract gestational diabetes. When the scientists inhibited serotonin production, the mice would contract gestational diabetes. However, in mice with high levels of serotonin, islet cells produced insulin regularly and the mice did not contract gestational diabetes. UCF scientists thus concluded that serotonin level is directly responsible for gestational diabetes.
Protein and Pregnancy
The type and amount of protein you eat early in pregnancy could prevent gestational diabetes late in pregnancy. Eating high amounts of protein could help your body generate tryptophan, which will produce serotonin in your pancreatic islet cells, thus decreasing your chances of gestational diabetes, according to the UCSF study. When eating protein sources during pregnancy to prevent gestational diabetes, remember to eat lean sources such as plant-based proteins, including beans and legumes, and non-fat dairy and lean meats to consume less cholesterol and saturated fat.
References
- Biopsychiatry; The Serotonin Transporter: A Primary Target for Antidepressant Drugs; Williams P Schloss, DC; 1998
- American Diabetes Association: What is Gestational Diabetes?
- American Diabetes Association: Gestational Diabetes
- University of California San Francisco; Gestational Diabetes Linked to Serotonin and Dietary Protein; Kristen Bole, June 2010
