Happy Mood Hormone, Serotonin, And Gut Health

 Serotonin is one of four “happy hormones” your body produces, along with dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. Each of these hormones perform different functions and provide “happy” feelings. 

Serotonin, also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter. It also acts as a hormone. As a neurotransmitter, serotonin carries messages between nerve cells in your brain (your central nervous system) and throughout your body (your peripheral nervous system).

Serotonin can stave off depression and provide a feeling a euphoria. When you feel happy and all seems right with the world, you're feeling the effects of serotonin. This hormone is responsible for boosting mood, as well as a host of other functions.

Surprisingly, close to 90% of this neurotransmitter is made and stored in your gut - not your brain! No wonder the medical literature often refers to your gut as your “second brain”.

Your body communicates in ways you aren’t even aware of. In fact, your brain and your gut talk to each other all the time through hormones and neurotransmitters. This is known as the gut-brain axis. This communication system between your brain and your gut is a biochemical and physical network. That “gut feeling” you get or the butterflies in your stomach… that’s real! It’s actually your brain and gut talking to each other. 

Conventional medicine views the body in distinct systems and psychological stressors as independent from the rest of the body. In reality, our brains are inextricably tied to our gastrointestinal tract.

This is because over 90% of our serotonin, the key neurotransmitter responsible for regulating mood, is made in your gut. A deficiency in serotonin causes depression and, in some, anxiety.  In fact, the majority of antidepressants work by blocking the brain’s serotonin receptors. This frees up more serotonin to remain present in the brain.

Your gut is home to the bacteria that helps it produce serotonin. Studies have found that several species of gut bacteria are missing in people with depression, and that imbalances in gut flora can lead to mood imbalances.

Boosting serotonin levels with foods can be accomplished by eating foods high in tryptophan relative to other amino acids (turkey, canned tuna, apples, bananas, and oats), eating direct food sources of serotonin (kiwi, pineapple, potato, and tomato), and by upping your intake of foods with vitamin B6 (poultry, tuna, chickpeas, and lentils) and vitamin D (mushrooms, salmon, cheese, and sardines). 

Adding foods that boost serotonin levels to your meal plan may be helpful to a certain extent, but your dietary pattern on the whole is probably more important. Regularly eating foods that negatively impact your gut and/or promote inflammation will make boosting your serotonin levels with specific foods difficult. 

In addition, consider adding in probiotics. The limited research on probiotics and serotonin hints at a beneficial relationship. Probiotics are safe, have no side effects for most, and have a variety of health benefits, so they’re worth trying.