When we talk about the brain, numerous medical-sounding words come into play. One of the most common words is a neurotransmitter. A neurotransmitter is a substance that carries signals from one cell to the next. A neurotransmitter carries chemical messages from cell to cell and balances the signals between neurons and nerve cells. And you may find it interesting that not all neurotransmitters are even located in the brain.

One important neurotransmitter for the brain is "Serotonin," which, oddly enough, is predominantly located in your intestines! It is also found in smaller amounts around your central nervous system and brain but mostly your GUT!

A unique attribute of Serotonin is that it functions as a transmitter in the brain and behaves as a hormone throughout the rest of the body

Here is how it works.

Did you know that Serotonin is the target of medications that are used to treat depression and other mood disorders? Serotonin is a chemical that makes you feel good about yourself, stirs up self confidence and self-esteem. As a neurotransmitter, Serotonin helps regulate mood and emotion and stabilize feelings of happiness and well-being. 

Serotonin plays a significant role in your digestive tract, sending signals to the brain to tell your system how to digest food. It even decides on your bowel movements. Serotonin is very protective for your colon. If you eat something that irritates your digestive system. Your gut cells communicate with your brain cells to increase serotonin production and speed up the movement of the invading food substance by initiating the signals for nausea, diarrhea or peristalsis ( movement of feces) that are causing the imbalance and bring your colon back to calmer more normal state

Serotonin is required to produce melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleep-wake patterns and helps your blood clotting system. If you have tissue damage and require your blood to clot, your blood platelets will send a request for more Serotonin. The additional Serotonin causes the small arteries in your circulatory system to narrow and slow the blood flow, assisting with the blood clotting process. Once the bleeding has stopped, and the situation is calm, serotonin production returns to normal.

Serotonin is often referred to as nature's appetite suppressant by activating neurons that decrease appetite and block others that increase appetite. It also positively affects the signals that cause food cravings. Low levels of Serotonin may also cause your body to store more fat and increase the triggers that cause emotional eating. Have you ever wondered where the signal that you are full and cannot eat another bite comes from? That's Serotonin!

Making Sense of Serotonin

The feel-good (happy sensation)  only occurs with your serotonin levels are normal. When Serotonin is low, symptoms of depression, nervousness, stress and several anxiety disorders may emerge

Since Serotonin helps control the receptors that initiate sleep or waking, decreased levels can cause sleep disorders. Low Serotonin may cause irritability, lack of concentration, reduced sex drive and low energy. It may also disrupt your eating patterns by reducing your appetite or causing increased cravings for sweets or carbohydrate-rich foods.

Research is continuing to explore the relationship between unbalanced Serotonin and other health issues such as IBS, where low levels may lead to constipation, chronic diarrhea or other disruptions within the gut

There is no single cause of low levels of Serotonin, but it more commonly occurs when your body is not producing enough to maintain normal levels, which can result from nutritional deficiencies or some vitamin deficiencies. (such as Vitamin B6  & Vitamin D) .  The other more common cause of lower levels is that while your body is producing Serotonin, it is not using it effectively, which can be a result of insufficient brain receptors or the gut microbiome is not balanced, creating an unhospitable environment for healthy hormone storage and causing signals from the brain to gut to misfire

How Can you Get More of this Good Stuff?

Your body produces Serotonin naturally but requires a chemical conversion to take place in your body. The chemical conversion requires the amino acid tryptophan and  5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). Through an internal metabolic process, the two work together to help the cells produce  Serotonin

Your body does not make Tryptophan, requiring you to acquire this amino acid from your diet, and there are no such things as serotonin supplements or even prescribed medication. Serotonin itself cannot cross the blood-brain barrier (get right to the brain )  and relies on Tryptophan and 5-HTP to get the job done

You can support the process by consuming a diet rich in Tryptophan which helps produce 5HTP, which then works together to make Serotonin.

• Bananas
• Beans (such as chickpeas, kidney, pinto, and black beans)
• Eggs
• Leafy greens (such as spinach and kale)
• Nuts and seeds (such as walnuts and flaxseed)
• Oily, fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel)
• Probiotic/fermented foods (such as kefir, yogurt, and tofu)
• Turkey
• Soy foods
• Cheese
• Seaweed

Given that our gut is the primary site of serotonin production, you can also support serotonin production and keep levels functionally optimally by supporting your gut. If you are providing an inhospitable environment in your gut, not good can develop and flourish

Probiotics are an excellent choice for good gut health. Most probiotics supplements come in a multi-strain but make sure that at least one of the strains is  Lactobacillus casei which is most associated with serotonin production.

Deficiencies in Vitamin B6 and D may disrupt the normal synthesis of Tryptophan & 5HTP into Serotonin which may also explain why winter months increase mental health disorders. Consider taking a higher dose of vitamin D during the winter months, 2500iu and lower it to 1000 iu when you can get more natural sunshine. 

Taking a B complex that contains at least 50 mg of Vitamin B6 can also help to facilitate any deficiencies you may have. Your body cannot produce vitamin B6 and must obtain it through diet or supplements. Individuals with nutritional deficiencies are found to be at a greater risk of mood disorders due to low levels of vitamin B.

For your body to manufacture Serotonin, it requires a sufficient supply of  Tryptophan, an essential amino acid you must obtain from the foods you consume. Since you cannot supplement with Serotonin, tryptophan supplements are readily available and can help normalize levels of Serotonin and other neurotransmitters. The suggested dosage is 1000 mg three times a day to produce significant results

Subsequently, you can try the supplement 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan). 5HTP  is a derivative of Tryptophan, which appears to be better absorbed and able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Did you know that in Europe, 5HTP, a natural health product, is sold as a prescription drug for depression and anxiety? The recommended dosage for therapeutic results is 100mg twice a day.

SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) helps increase Serotonin and reduce depression because it helps the body make Serotonin.

Supplements such as St John's Wort are used as a natural anti-depressant. St John's Wort supports anti-depressant actions by inhibiting the reuptake of Serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, making more of these neurotransmitters available to the brain.

Do not take any natural supplement that will increase Serotonin in combination with other medications that produce the same effects, including certain anti-depressants and antipsychotics. Check with your healthcare provider for any contradictions or health concerns.