Question: Five years ago I felt really bad and was always told that I was stressed and that I had to face my things differently. Luckily, a doctor told me that it was indeed stress but in an analysis he asked me to show that I had a very low a substance called serotonin.
Joaquín Cabrera. Mendoza.
It is increasingly being detected that a large part of the population has low levels of serotonin, a chemical in the nervous system that it is essential to have a good mood, avoid impulsivity, modulate pain, Control food intake, sustain a satisfying sexuality, enjoy everyday things, among many other functions.
The reasons why it is so common to find people with this decline point to two main factors.
One of them is stress (a concept so mentioned that it can sometimes lose its importance) and that in our environment takes on special validity not only as a result of the pandemic that is sweeping the world but also of the economic, labor, social uncertainty that has been experienced for some years now.
A drop in serotonin levels in the body causes stress. Photo Shutterstock.
Stress means overload and one of the reasons that triggers it – sometimes silently – is uncertainty and a future outlook that looks unpredictable or negative, Both essential to aspire to an emotional life that aims to be healthy.
Stress is a major consumer of serotonin so it is faster than what is spent than what is produced, which is why the body enters a quick and easy deficit.
In turn, decreased levels of serotonin in the nervous system, added to other hormonal changes that usually occur in parallel, decreases psychological and physical resources to successfully address appropriate responses to stressful situations.
This creates a vicious circle that often ends in depression, anxiety, moodiness, irritability, impulsivity, sexual dysfunction, persistent pain, panic attacks.
The current diet, with the high consumption of refined flours and sugars, greatly influences the decrease in serotonin.
Norberto Abdala, doctor
A second factor with influence on the decrease in serotonin is the current diet, Where the intake of foods with a higher proportion of refined flours and sugars usually prevails.
Such a diet is not only far removed from what a healthy diet should be but, due to the increase in glycemia it generates, it alters the absorption of tryptophan, an essential amino acid (so called because it is not manufactured by the body but taken from foods that contain it) which is the matter first essential for the body to make serotonin.
The envelope when a person is stressed, their body asks them to eat high-fat foods, carbohydrates and sugars, three of the main enemies of serotonin.}
What foods to consume
It suits then — and if the economy allows it eat tryptophan-rich foods: Fish, chickens, eggs, milk, pumpkin, legumes, vegetables, nuts, soy and wheat germ. These foods also contain omega 3, zinc and magnesium, also essential for the manufacture of serotonin (in addition to tryptophan).
Consuming tryptophan-rich foods, such as eggs, helps raise serotonin levels. / Clarín Archive.
Having serotonin levels below normal has been associated with other diseases, such as autism, schizophrenia, hyperactivity, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, in which there is often no explanation. of its genesis.
Currently, serotonin levels can be measured in the blood with a simple blood test.
EM