If we ask what serotonin is, most of us know its relationship with happiness, even if we do not know its definition. So what is serotonin? Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that gives a feeling of happiness. Therefore, it is also known as the happiness hormone. Do you think there may be a relationship between serotonin and our diet? I can indirectly answer yes to this question.
Tryptophan is an amino acid found in protein-rich foods. This amino acid is used as a building block in serotonin biosynthesis in our brain. In other words, we can say that it is possible to increase the amount of serotonin biosynthesis in the brain with foods rich in tryptophan. However, tryptophan competes with the neutral amino acids leucine, isoleucine, valine, alanine, serine, threonine and glycine, and as a result, the passage of tryptophan through the blood-brain barrier decreases. Neutral amino acids that compete with tryptophan are found in protein-rich animal foods. In this regard, although the tryptophan content is high, unfortunately foods rich in animal protein cannot contribute to the increase of serotonin biosynthesis, since the neutral amino acid rate is also high. However, since the neutral amino acid ratio is lower in foods rich in plant-derived tryptophan, the passage of tryptophan through the blood-brain barrier is higher. In other words, it is possible to say that its contribution to serotonin biosynthesis in the brain will be higher.
On the other hand, since antioxidants (mostly polyphenols and flavonoids) are effective in reducing tryptophan degradation, they indirectly contribute to the increase of serotonin biosynthesis. For this reason, foods rich in antioxidants rather than rich in protein increase the flow of tryptophan to the brain better.
In this context, we can say that foods with a high tryptophan/neutral amino acid ratio and also high antioxidant ratio have a positive effect on increasing the release of serotonin in the brain.
As a result, if we count the foods that positively affect serotonin biosynthesis:
*raw form of nuts such as cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts,
*sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds
We can list them as *soybeans.
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