Is Serotonin The New Path To A Faster Weight Loss Diet?

Research done over thirty years ago has shed some light on how one of nature's brain chemical agents can help to reduce food cravings and suppress appetite, thereby producing the effect of satiation even when the stomach is not full and therefore result in eating less. As a neurotransmitter, serotonin is also responsible for boosting mood, reducing anxiety and producing a more energetic feeling.

The production of serotonin depends on a building block called tryptophan which is an amino acid found in protein-rich foods like eggs, meat, fish and even chocolate. However, when such foods are consumed other amino acids are also produced which generally outperform the absorption of tryptophan into the brain. For entry into the brain tryptophan needs to hide behind the presence of the right amount of carbohydrates in the blood in order to beat competition from the other amino acids for entry.

Serotonin deficiency has been implicated as a major cause of carbohydrate cravings, obesity, depression, anxiety, and mood disorders, among many other ailments. Perhaps it should not be surprising that one of the major reasons why Americans have such high weight problems than the rest of the world is the increased consumption of comfort and fast foods, sedentary life style and stress. It is no wonder that more than 80% of blacks in America are overweight, over 72% of Hispanics are overweight and more than 68% of non-Hispanic whites are overweight.

Some people may argue that eating the correct combinations of foods and the right foods can boost serotonin levels in the blood. Others insist that this very difficult to do and that people who are obese might want to verify their serotonin levels and, if need be, find a good source of serotonin supplementation. For proponents of serotonin supplementation, the issue of taking vitamins and other nutritional supplements to counter vitamin deficiency and other elemental deficiencies in the body is an argument that is advanced for the inability of the body to obtain optimum nutrients from food consumption alone.

Yet it is quite difficult to argue that embarking upon a faster weight loss diet regimen solely based on serotonin supplementation is an ideal course to take. Any proper weight loss journey should have various combined elements of nutrition, moderate exercise, supplementation and patience in order to achieve the desired weight outcomes. The argument seems to be in favor of a gradual attainment of optimum weight spread over a reasonable length of time than to pursue rapid weight loss within a very short period of time. It appears as if the high failure rates of such fast weight loss endeavors are attributable to sustainability, high upfront costs, stress and unrealistic faster weight loss diet expectations.

Obesity has now been recognized as becoming a major medical epidemic in the USA, costing local, state and federal governments and families billions of dollars annually due to other related and accompanying ailments like heart disease, stroke and diabetes, among others. It is therefore important to encourage weight management under almost any circumstance. The contention seems to be what the ideal way is to pursue weight loss, which has given rise to a global marketplace of profit in which there are so many players. Serotonin seems to be gaining rapid endorsement in some medical quarters, but like anything that involves the body and health a good discussion with and obtaining an opinion from a qualified physician still remains a very good advice.

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