Good-Mood Foods: How Diet Plays a Crucial Role in Emotions and Mood Regulation
Part 1: The Secret of Serotonin
by Bahar Mohajerani
What is Serotonin?
Serotonin is produced in the body from tryptophan, an amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and there are 22 amino acids. Each of the 22 amino acids has its own name and unique duties to perform in the body, but only a few serve as ‘fuels’ for neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain which have many functions, including playing a role in emotions and the regulation of mood. There are four main neurotransmitters that have different effects on emotions and mood: endorphin, catecholamines, GABA, and serotonin.
How is Serotonin Produced?
Tryptophan first converts into a substance called 5-HTP, which then converts directly into serotonin. Serotonin is produced mainly in the gastrointestinal tract (90%), but also in the brain.
Why is Serotonin So Important?
Serotonin deficiency plays a role in a range of psychological and physical symptoms. It is believed to play an important role in the regulation of anger, aggression, and mood. Low levels of serotonin may be associated with several disorders namely increase in aggressive and angry behaviours, clinical depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders. Some antidepressants (eg. Prozac, Zoloft, Cipramil) and anxiolytics (Xanax, Valium) work by targeting specific stages of the serotonin producing process.
Serotonin can also play a role in panic, irritability, the regulation of appetite, sleep difficulties (eg. insomnia), PMS (Pre-menstrual Syndrome), migraine, TMJ (teeth grinding and painful tension in the jaw), fibromyalgia and other pain conditions, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), and tinnitus.
What Can Lead to Serotonin Deficiency?
This crucial three-step process can be affected by a number of factors:
1. If there isn’t enough tryptophan (protein) in your diet, a common problem, the body can’t produce adequate amounts of 5-HTP and therefore serotonin.
2. Low-calorie diets and skipping meals can quickly reduce serotonin-making supplies.
3. Serotonin production can be disrupted if you do not get enough sunlight or exercise. Sunlight is necessary for the production of serotonin. This precious neurotransmitter is one of the few chemicals in the body that is stimulated by sunlight. Afternoons, autumn, winter, twilight, and night are times when sunlight diminishes or is absent, and they are also times when people low in serotonin report a drop in their mood. Exercise temporarily raises serotonin levels (and increases mood as well).
4. Periods of high stress can drain supplies of serotonin.
5. Your natural production of serotonin may be inhibited by chemicals in your food such as caffeine, alcohol or the artificial sweetener aspartame (‘NutraSweet’).
6. You may have inherited a genetic tendency to under produce serotonin, which can be aggravated by any or all of the above.
What are the Emotional and Physical Signs of Serotonin Deficiency?
If you are deficient in serotonin, you may be more prone to feeling worried or anxious, depressed, irritable, angry, and obsessive. Generally you may feel negative and see the world through dark glasses. You may also feel very emotionally sensitive and be more affected by stressful situations.
The most common physical symptoms of serotonin deficiency are: sleep problems, gastrointestinal problems, fibromyalgia and other pain conditions, and cravings for carbohydrates, alcohol, and certain drugs.
Sleep Problems
Serotonin plays a very important role in sleep. Serotonin deficiency or disruption of the serotonin producing process can lead to sleep difficulties. Many people with mood or anxiety disorders suffer from sleep problems, whether it be falling to sleep, staying asleep (i.e. getting up in the middle of the night or early in the morning), or the quality of their sleep.
Gastrointestinal Problems
Have you ever felt a knot in you stomach, feel your stomach constricting when you feel anxious or worried? Since almost all of the serotonin produced in the body is in the gastrointestinal tract, if you are deficient in serotonin you may be more prone to digestive tension, constipation or IBS.
Fibromyalgia and Other Pain Conditions
Fibromyalgia is the name of a painful affliction that can cause mild to severe discomfort throughout muscles of the body. The upper and/or lower back tends to be the worse affected areas. As with many other conditions, it appears that mostly women suffer from this condition. Migraines, arthritic pain, and in particular TMJ are also associated with low serotonin levels.
Cravings
In addition, low serotonin levels can also affect your body. Have you ever craved for some chocolate or other sweets or carbohydrates in the afternoon (usually around 3 o’clock) or at night, especially in winter? The reason for this is that in the late afternoon and evenings when both sunlight and your serotonin production start to drop, your body craves for certain foods in order to increase its level of serotonin. Foods such as chocolate, ice-cream, cereal, cake, and hot chocolate are not only nutritionally void, but they are potent imitators of serotonin.
Alcohol is another carbohydrate commonly used as compensation for low serotonin levels. A lot of people enjoy a beer or glass of wine or cocktail before dinner, but if you find yourself craving for alcohol before dinner time it may be because this is when serotonin levels start to drop rapidly. Interestingly, alcohol actually reduces serotonin levels in the long run.
Marijuana can alter many brain functions, including serotonin levels, which may be a reason why some people smoke pot in the evenings to relax and get to sleep. But like alcohol, this drug, ends up inhibiting serotonin production and can become addictive.
What Foods Contain Serotonin?
Few foods contain serotonin themselves. However, mushrooms and some fruits and vegetables do contain serotonin. The highest amounts of serotonin are found in walnuts of various kinds. Pineapples, kiwis, bananas, plums, and tomatoes also contain moderate to high levels of serotonin, in addition to a range of other vegetables.
The level of serotonin in your diet depends solely on you getting enough tryptophan from your diet. However, modern day diets are hardly pro-serotonin diets! Human beings have increased their consumption of low-tryptophan, grain-based carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, cookies, and cakes etc., which has diminished our access to tryptophan. In addition, many people consume excessive amounts of ‘junk’ foods and fast foods and their diets lack sufficient amounts of many of the vitamins and minerals that are necessary for the conversion of tryptophan to 5-HTP and then to serotonin. Without enough calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and B vitamins, serotonin cannot be made consistently.
Tryptophan is found in high-protein food such as dairy products, chicken and eggs, beef, turkey, and pork. In particular, cottage cheese, soy protein (eg. Tofu), and peanuts are good sources of tryptophan. Unfortunately, compared to the other 21 amino acids found in protein foods, there are relatively very little amounts of tryptophan. Furthermore, if you are a vegetarian, most vegetarian foods contain much less tryptophan than animal-derived foods and you’re at greater risk of developing tryptophan malnutrition. However, vegetarians can get some tryptophan from nuts, seeds, bananas, pumpkin, and milk products and yeast (which most vegetarians don’t eat anyway).
Unfortunately, though eating more protein will help, it is no guarantee you will get enough tryptophan into your brain. Only so many amino acids are allowed to make there way into the brain and because there is so much less tryptophan to begin with, it can easily get lost on its way into the brain. Also, believe it or not, not having enough ‘healthy fat’ (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats) in your diet can also be problematic. Many people, especially women, tend to minimise or even completely cut out these healthy fats from their diets. In fact, studies have shown that mood deteriorates with reduced-fat intake. Increasing polyunsaturated ( grain products, fish and sea food) and monounsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts, and avocadoes) increases availability of tryptophan in the brain.
How Much Protein is Enough?
It is recommended that you eat at least the equivalent of a chicken-breast-size portion of protein three times a day 1. For example, some ideas for breakfast can include: peanut butter, fruit yoghurt, cheese, tahini (sesame seed spread, goes nicely with honey), home-made milk shake, nuts, or baked beans on toast. Similarly, high protein foods you can have as part of your lunch could include: canned tuna, smoked salmon, foods containing various beans, lentils, and/or chick peas, peanut butter sandwich, felafel, cheese (especially cottage cheese), yoghurt, milk, or home-made hamburger.
Anti-Serotonin Foods
Stimulants like caffeine are the number one enemy of serotonin. Aspartame (aka NutraSweet) is enemy number two. NutraSweet, an artificial sweetener, is found in foods such as most chewing gums, foods that are labelled ‘diet’ or ‘no sugar’ (such as ‘diet’ soft drinks), and a range of sweets and confectionary. One of its primary ingredients (the amino acid phenylalanine) converts to the stimulating chemicals adrenaline and dopamine in the brain. Aspartame also contains a substance called aspartic acid which is one of the most ‘excitatory’ of substances. Both aspartic acid and phenylalanine ‘compete’ with and deplete tryptophan and serotonin in the body. If you are low in serotonin, you will need to exclude foods from your diet that will have an ‘excitatory’ effect, especially any time after lunch, the time when serotonin levels always begin to decrease for the day.
What Can You do?
Although it is very important to receive appropriate psychological treatment for psychological problems, the role of physical health, especially diet should not be underestimated. When receiving treatment for a psychological problem or disorder, you should attend not only to what is occurring in your mind, but also to what is occurring in your body. Furthermore, today it is well known that mind and body are connected. What you do to one will affect the other. If you choose to eat an unhealthy, nutritionally void diet, it will affect your mental health and well being, and more so than you think. The amount of protein you consume on a daily basis will affect the amount of tryptophan available in your diet, and ultimately the levels of serotonin in your body. If you consume a diet containing adequate protein, rich in fruits and vegetables, minimal or no caffeine and foods containing aspartame, in addition to receiving enough sunlight and regular exercise will not only provide your body with enough tryptophan, but will ensure that the serotonin-producing pathway is not disrupted.
…So next time you get three-thirty-itis, instead of munching on a chocolate bar and having a cup of coffee, consider having a delicious banana milkshake whilst soaking up the afternoon sun!
By Bahar Mohajerani – June 2007
1 This is based on Julia Ross’s recommendation. Other sources may provide differing amounts. Please note that like any other nutritional requirements, it depends on your age, gender, and weight.
References:
The Mood Cure, by Julia Ross; Thorsons, 2002.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin
