pauljacob
Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2018
- Messages
- 435
I've learned from Dr. Peat and this forum that Serotonin is perhaps Enemy #1, but this guy from nootropicsexpert dot cum, says it's the fountain of health. Is he clueless? The following is from an email I got from him:
"From reading the comments and answering questions on Newtropics Expert and our eweTub channel, it’s clear there is much confusion about serotonin.
Most think of serotonin as “the happiness hormone” because low levels are typically associated with depression.
But this definition is one of those over-simplifications that just won’t go away. Kind of like the chicken and egg. Which came first?
Does low serotonin cause depression?
Or is it depression that leads to low levels of serotonin?
It’s this over-simplification that get some into trouble by using 5-HTP thinking it will improve their mood. And the opposite happens.
Let’s stop for a minute and review what serotonin does in our body and brain.
Serotonin plays a role in attention & concentration, learning & memory, and emotion.
This neurotransmitter is also involved in your fight-or-flight response. Optimal levels of serotonin prompt you to react quickly to emergency situations. But not enough serotonin and you are slow to respond.
Serotonin helps control digestion and bowel movement and function.
It increases when you become nauseous. Likely to help remove bad food from your body.
Serotonin is released when you’re wounded. It helps with blood clotting.
Low serotonin levels are associated with irritable bowel syndrome, heart disease, and osteoporosis (weak bones). It stimulates the production of cytokines to tame inflammation.
And we think that serotonin impacts mood. But so far, science can’t say for sure that low serotonin causes anxiety and depression.
One of the problems is while you can measure blood levels of serotonin, it’s not possible to measure it in your brain. Not while you’re alive.
But even though serotonin’s connection with mood is still “not clearly understood” (don’t you love that line?).
One thing that is clear from research - balanced serotonin levels is associated with calm, focused, happy, and stable moods.
And this is where it gets complicated.
Should you attempt to increase serotonin? And if so, how best to do that?
It is estimated that 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gut. Only 3% of dietary tryptophan is used for serotonin synthesis throughout your body.
And only about 1% of dietary tryptophan is used for serotonin synthesis in your brain.
The serotonin in your gut is released by enterochromaffin (EC) cells along with some immune cells and neurons.
Research shows that around 20 species of spore-forming bacteria activates EC cells to release serotonin.
So now we know a little more about that happiness hormone serotonin and how it’s made and used in our body and brain.
But how best to make sure we have adequate serotonin in our system so we’re happy, learning and memory are working like they should, we sleep like babies, and nothing bad happens?"
"From reading the comments and answering questions on Newtropics Expert and our eweTub channel, it’s clear there is much confusion about serotonin.
Most think of serotonin as “the happiness hormone” because low levels are typically associated with depression.
But this definition is one of those over-simplifications that just won’t go away. Kind of like the chicken and egg. Which came first?
Does low serotonin cause depression?
Or is it depression that leads to low levels of serotonin?
It’s this over-simplification that get some into trouble by using 5-HTP thinking it will improve their mood. And the opposite happens.
Let’s stop for a minute and review what serotonin does in our body and brain.
Serotonin plays a role in attention & concentration, learning & memory, and emotion.
This neurotransmitter is also involved in your fight-or-flight response. Optimal levels of serotonin prompt you to react quickly to emergency situations. But not enough serotonin and you are slow to respond.
Serotonin helps control digestion and bowel movement and function.
It increases when you become nauseous. Likely to help remove bad food from your body.
Serotonin is released when you’re wounded. It helps with blood clotting.
Low serotonin levels are associated with irritable bowel syndrome, heart disease, and osteoporosis (weak bones). It stimulates the production of cytokines to tame inflammation.
And we think that serotonin impacts mood. But so far, science can’t say for sure that low serotonin causes anxiety and depression.
One of the problems is while you can measure blood levels of serotonin, it’s not possible to measure it in your brain. Not while you’re alive.
But even though serotonin’s connection with mood is still “not clearly understood” (don’t you love that line?).
One thing that is clear from research - balanced serotonin levels is associated with calm, focused, happy, and stable moods.
And this is where it gets complicated.
Should you attempt to increase serotonin? And if so, how best to do that?
It is estimated that 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gut. Only 3% of dietary tryptophan is used for serotonin synthesis throughout your body.
And only about 1% of dietary tryptophan is used for serotonin synthesis in your brain.
The serotonin in your gut is released by enterochromaffin (EC) cells along with some immune cells and neurons.
Research shows that around 20 species of spore-forming bacteria activates EC cells to release serotonin.
So now we know a little more about that happiness hormone serotonin and how it’s made and used in our body and brain.
But how best to make sure we have adequate serotonin in our system so we’re happy, learning and memory are working like they should, we sleep like babies, and nothing bad happens?"
