Serotonin is a hormone that also functions as a neurotransmitter. It is also known as the glϋck hormone, because a serotonin deficiency can cause depression and anxiety. Increasing serotonin in the body of the affected person through medication or diet usually leads to an improvement in mood.
What is serotonin deficiency?
Serotonin, or 5-hydroxytryptamine, acts and is found mainly in the nervous system, cardiovascular system, and intestines. In the brain, it is involved in the regulation of pain perception, sleep, and appetite. Furthermore, it plays a role in the regulation of body temperature, the formation of other hormones, migraine. The best known role of serotonin is the control of mood. The release of serotonin has a calming effect and promotes serenity. Therefore, serotonin deficiency has an opposite effect such as depressed moods, anxiety, and occasionally even aggression. Serotonin antagonists such as LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) have a euphoric effect. In addition, serotonin is involved in the contraction, or contracting, and relaxation, or relaxing, of the smooth muscle of blood vessels and thus has a function in the regulation of blood pressure.
Causes
Serotonin is produced from the amino acid L-tryptophan via several steps. Serotonin can be ingested directly ϋfrom food, or it can be made from L-tryptophan. However, serotonin cannot enter the brain. It must be produced by the brain itself. Serotonin is found mainly in walnuts, bananas, plums, tomatoes, kiwi or in cocoa beans. The gastrointestinal tract is mainly where serotonin is stored. About 90 percent of serotonin in the human body is stored in the enterochromaffin cells, specific cells in the epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract. The other ten percent is stored by surrounding neurons of the intestine. The brain can produce serotonin because serotonin cannot be absorbed from surrounding tissues across the blood-brain barrier. Once the epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract release the serotonin, it enters the blood and is taken up by platelets, or thrombocytes, and transported throughout the body. The causes fϋr serotonin deficiency often lie in diet. A deficiency of tryptophan is usually not the cause of serotonin deficiency. However, factors involved in the synthesis of serotonin may be impaired in their function. This may occur if the affected person suffers from long-term stress, insulin resistance, cancer, chronic infections, or vitamin B6 deficiency.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
Serotonin deficiency mainly leads to depressive mood. This is manifested by an anxious demeanor of the affected person. It may be accompanied in combination by unhappiness, stress, and irritability, as well as depression. Less expressive symptoms include an influence on appetite, constant fatigue, increased sensation of pain, and altered perception of temperature. Serotonin plays a role in the gastrointestinal tract. Doctors suspect that the so-called irritable bowel syndrome can be traced back to a disorder of serotonin. Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder without organic causes that can cause constipation, severe bloating, cramping pain in the abdomen, and/or diarrhea.
Complications
Serotonin deficiency can, in some cases, promote the development of irritable bowel syndrome. In addition, a deficiency of the neurotransmitter leads to fatigue, exhaustion, and listlessness, and as a result, can lower well-being. In the long term, a serotonin deficiency can also promote the development of mental illnesses. A deficiency initially leads to depressive moods, which can eventually develop into a full-blown depression. Further complications include increased anxiety and a heightened perception of pain. A lack of the messenger substance can also affect various endogenous processes and, in the worst case, upset the hormone balance. Complications can also arise during the treatment of serotonin deficiency. For example, the prescribed serotonin reuptake inhibitors can cause sexual dysfunction, but also gastrointestinal complaints, headaches, dry mouth and sleep disorders.Sometimes vision problems, increased sweating and dizziness also occur after taking the preparations. Rare side effects: Hand tremors and weight changes. Especially in patients with eating disorders, taking serotonin reuptake inhibitors can lead to further problems with daily eating. It is therefore recommended to discuss the medication with a physician in advance.
When should you see a doctor?
Serotonin deficiency should always be treated by a doctor. If left untreated, it can lead to serious complications that can significantly complicate the daily life of the affected person. To prevent further complaints, a doctor should therefore be consulted at the first signs of a serotonin deficiency. The doctor should be consulted if the patient suffers from a severe psychological upset. In this case, this upset occurs without any particular reason and significantly reduces the quality of life. Furthermore, patients suffer from severe depression or stress, these complaints occur without a particular reason. In many cases, permanent flatulence, diarrhea or severe pain in the abdomen also indicate the serotonin deficiency and should be examined by a doctor. Those affected appear slightly aggressive and are usually dissatisfied with their lives. If a serotonin deficiency is suspected, the general practitioner can be consulted in the first instance. Further treatment is then carried out by the respective specialist, although the disease can usually be treated well.
Treatment and therapy
Serotonin deficiency can be detected by a blood test performed by a physician. However, this test only detects the level of serotonin in the body, but not in the brain. Because of this, this test is not considered very accurate. In addition, a stool test can be done. The concentration of serotonin in a healthy person is about 50 to 100 ng/g. A level below these numbers is called serotonin deficiency and is treated by a doctor. Serotonin deficiency can be treated by changing the diet. Simply taking serotonin cannot counteract serotonin deficiency because serotonin does not reach the brain. The diet should be rich in protein and tryptophan. Foods high in tryptophan include peanuts, fish, cheese, and eggs. In addition, the doctor may prescribe tryptophan supplements. To treat depression, rather than administering serotonin directly, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are given to the affected person. These are inhibitors of the serotonin transporter. This results in an increased concentration of serotonin at the synaptic cleft, the connection between nerve cells, where serotonin can act for longer as a result. To treat the sleep disorders associated with serotonin deficiency, patients are usually treated with tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan, both of which are starting products in the production of serotonin. Or the patient undergoes hormone therapy. Serotonin levels can also be increased through exercise. Despite a popular belief that eating chocolate makes you glϋcky because of its serotonin content, this is not the case. To achieve a glϋcksgefϋhl from eating chocolate, a very large amount of chocolate would have to be consumed.
Prevention
To prevent serotonin deficiency, it is advisable to pay attention to diet and to get enough rest and exercise. The diet should be healthy and include tryptophan-containing foods. A balancing lifestyle is advisable, paying attention to sufficient rest, but also exercising regularly. In addition, it is important to have an intact social environment. These essential factors can counteract a serotonin deficiency and also dafϋr to ensure that it does not arise in the first place.
Follow-up
To maintain serotonin levels at a healthy level after the fact, appropriate medications can be prescribed by the treating physician. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as citalopram, paroxetine, or fluoxetine, for example, actively interfere with neurotransmitter metabolism by inhibiting the uptake of serotonins into the storage vesicles. This increases the amount of serotonin released and prolongs its action as a neurotransmitter. Drugs such as venlafaxine and duloxetine additionally inhibit the uptake of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. However, common side effects of these drugs are restlessness, headache and nausea.In the case of severe mental illness, medication by a specialist doctor is necessary in many cases. In order to compensate for the serotonin deficiency in a natural way, additional non-drug measures can be taken. For this purpose, it is recommended to do sports and to maintain a balanced diet. In the latter case, serotonin intake through the consumption of serotonin-containing foods is not sufficient, since the hormone is not transported directly from the blood to the brain. Instead, the body needs the essential amino acid L-tryptophan, which is present in all protein-containing foods, even if only in small amounts, as well as vitamins B3 and B6, magnesium and zinc. From these substances, the body can synthesize its own serotonin again.
This is what you can do yourself
The ways in which patients can address serotonin deficiency themselves vary depending on the cause. Conscious intake of the serotonin-producing amino acid tryptophan can help alleviate symptoms, if necessary. Wheat, peanuts, meat, fish, legumes and dairy products, for example, contain a high proportion of tryptophan. The diet should also be as alkaline as possible and rich in B vitamins, especially B6. An improvement in blood-brain uptake can be achieved by eating tryptophan together with carbohydrates. This is because the subsequent insulin surge transports the other amino acids waiting to be absorbed into the brain to the muscle tissue, so that the tryptophan can pass the barrier “without competition”. Overweight sufferers can make progress by losing weight. High blood sugar fluctuations also have negative effects. Foods with a high simple sugar content (lemonade, fruit juices, sweets) should only be consumed in moderation. The consumption of alcohol and other drugs that influence the serotonin balance should be avoided. It is also helpful to reduce everyday stress, which increases serotonin consumption. An often underestimated effect on the serotonin level is also the environment in which the affected person moves. Creating a “feel-good” environment at home and at work can bring improvement. Colorful, bright decor can stimulate the body’s production of serotonin.
