To get an introduction to what serotonin is. Check out the link to my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/chriskthecoach/
The old story goes that the gut produces serotonin and we need to eat a wide variety of food to promote good gut bacteria health but is that really true? No. Definitely not.
Serotonin is made via;
- Enterochromaffin cells in the digestive system- 90%
- Platelets - 8%
- Raphe neucli in the brain stem- less than 1%
- Neuroendrocrine cells in the tongue - Less than 1%
- Merkel cells in the skin- Less than 1%
There are TWO main ways that gut produces serotonin from the enterochromaffin cells.
The first is with food irritants. The idea is that the body wants to eliminate foods that are problematic as quick as possible. Foods such as seeds and nuts they contain irritants such as… and these irritants cause the body to produce serotonin. The nuts and seeds have these irritants so that they can spread the seeds and help with plant surviving onto another generation. Coffee is one great example of being an irritant and is why individuals use coffee to keep the bowels moving. Using this method to keep the bowels regular can be problematic long term as the irritants can still be problematic to the body though as we only see the signs of regular bowel movement we may not see the other effects that plant and irritant is having on the body.
The second is pressure receptors in the digestive tract called the enterochromaffin. When the enterochromaffin cells sense pressure (also known as mechanosensation) which means there is pressure in the digestive system, this helps the contraction and activation of smooth muscles and glands. Pressure can come in many different ways- exercise, deep breathing, food in the gut or changes in osmotic concentration in the gut. One of its main roles includes being a modulator of sensory transduction and mucus secretion.
In summary if you want to increase serotonin quickly, move more, laugh more or consume large quantities of food as this exerts pressure effects on the enterochromaffin cells in the digestive system which releases serotonin.
When it comes to functioning optimally. There are 3 main areas that individuals need to look into:
The ability to produce energy.
The ability to protect the cells from damage.
A healthy environment for cells to function and communicate with each other.
If you want to test these three sections, I have a free nutrition questionnaire. Email me and I will send you over a copy.
*please consult your health practitioner before making any changes as your case is individual. This is for educational purposes only
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