We have a lot of neurotransmitters in our heads that shape our personality. Serotonin is one of the important ones that is of great importance for our well-being. Serotonin is also called our feel-good hormone and it is secreted in the brain as a mental reward when we do something that is good for us promoting survival.
If we get too little/rarely rewarded through serotonin, we get depressed and maybe even get anxiety attacks. Below I try with a simple illustration to show how the reward through serotonin secretion travels in the brain.
For good production and utilization of your feel-good hormone Serotonin, there are many factors that come into play – and everything is connected.
90% of your Serotonin is built in the gut by your gut bacteria.
How’s your stomach? How’s your microbiome? Do you have the right gut bacteria so you build serotonin in your gut?
Do you eat building blocks so your body/bacteria can produce serotonin?
For example, do you get amino acid Tryptophan a building block serotonin? Do you also get the right (amount) of building materials such as needed vitamins and minerals?
Then there’s the Progesterone, not only a hormone connected to female mentruation but also a receptor for serotonin in the brain.
This is a sex hormone built from cholesterol. Cholesterol we can build ourselves – but only if we get the building blocks for it. Low-fat diets provide poor building blocks for the progesterone (and other cholesterol-dependent hormones/proteins like cortisol and many more)
As example, cortisol is a stress protection and the body always focuses on stress management before other things, i.e. during stress the body will focus on building cortisol in and only secondly other things like e.g progesterone in the body
Artificial sex hormones such as progestogen/gestagen also affect the body’s own construction of progesterone. The progestogen/gestagen is said to only work for the uterus and should not have efficacy/use outside of this… But what if this possibly reduces progesterone production for other parts of the body ? – such as your receptor for serotonin…
Do you have good omega3/6 balance? Omega3 is like glue on your receptors, helping your neurotransmittors getting the signals trough.
There are many factors that can come into play if you feel depressed. So – If you feel down and low – Start by considering if you have eaten poorly with vegetables, poultry and/or fish ? Has it been low in fat (possibly with a lot of fatreduced products). Are you stressed? Are you taking contraceptives with the yellow-body hormone progestogen? And how’s your stomach? Does it work properly or do you have problems with bloated stomach and a lot of gases ?
Maybe that’s an explanation!! and to do something about that might also be part of the solution!!