Posted by Larry Hoover on May 21, 2003, at 10:21:14
In reply to Foods Serotonin, posted by McPac on May 18, 2003, at 15:44:57
> Which foods increase serotonin?
> Can foods ALONE increase the levels as much as meds? Thanks!The link between food and mood is well established, and I see it as one of the factors within one's control. You will not get a response analogous to antidepressant meds, but every little bit helps, IMHO.
Tryptophan, the twice-removed precursor to serotonin, is one of the amino acids in lower concentration in most protein-containing foods, seldom approaching even two percent of the aminos present.
For tryptophan to enter the brain, it must be taken up by active transporter molecules, as it otherwise cannot pass the so-called blood-brain barrier. The transporter in question, the LNAAT (Large Neutral Amino Acid Transporter) also is responsible for the uptake of four other aminos, and every one of them has a higher affinity for the transporter than has tryptophan.
There is a way to fudge the process a bit, and give tryptophan a better opportunity for uptake into the brain. What you do is eat a high protein meal, and about 45 minutes later, eat something which will promote a burst of insulin (something sweet). The insulin causes muscle fibers to take up many aminos from the blood, except for tryptophan. That gives the circulating tryptophan a much better opportunity for brain uptake.
This mechanism has been suggested as a possible reason for the contented doziness that follows a holiday feast where turkey is the main course. You get a good dose of tryptophan from the turkey, and in the typical scheme of things, you later follow up with a rich dessert course. It has also been suggested as a possible reason for carb-craving in some depressive phases, particularly seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
That said, there are other factors which may make this protein-followed-by-sweets process fail, such as low stomach acidity (inhibiting protein breakdown). I'm just suggesting here that there are always other factors influencing outcomes, so that a negative response to an attempt to regulate mood with food may be a failure for reasons quite apart from the factors you think you're manipulating.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:227441
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030520/msgs/228056.html