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Serotonin affects numerous bodily systems. There are 17 known types of serotonin receptors, with the largest quantity of serotonin being produced in the intestines. Serotonin acts in a variety of ways and is involved in about one quarter of all the body's biological processes. Serotonin stimulates release of a hormone, melatonin within the pineal gland, which regulates the body clock and sleep. It has also been shown to play a role in the onset of migraine headaches by causing blood vessels to constrict, affects blood clotting, heartbeat, and mood (it can reduce depression). Alterations of serotonin activity is a common effect of psychedelic drugs, (e.g., LSD is structurally similar to serotonin).
Serotonin is synthesized directly from the essential amino acid tryptophan, which must come from the diet, with the assistance of Vitamin B6 and carbohydrates. Yet the amount of tryptophan that gets into the brain depends on the relative amounts of other amino acids in your blood. Because amino acids are the building blocks of protein, one might think that eating a high-protein meal would be a good way to get more tryptophan into the brain. But because protein foods typically contain much smaller amounts of tryptophan than other amino acids, this is not the best strategy. In contrast, a high-carbohydrate meal changes the odds in favor of tryptophan by increasing insulin, which pulls competing amino acids out of our blood and into our cells. Even though the actual amount of tryptophan in the blood hasnt changed, more passes into the brain. This helps to explain why people often feel comforted after eating carbohydrate-rich foods (e.g., cake) and depressed people tend to binge on more carbohydrates.
