Low carb diet and seratonin levels

[trying2tone]

Hi there all! I'm new to this board but my boyfriend has been a member for quite a while and he suggested I come on to post a question regarding low carb diets and seratonin levels. I just read an article yesterday that suggested that low carb diets may deplete seratonin levels and cause depression- has anyone heard of this? I am currently on this low carb-high protein diet, and supplementing with ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin but I am feeling lethargic and unusually down (almost like permanent PMS!!!). Just wondering if I am affecting the seratonin levels in my brain while I'm doing this. I haven't noticed much weight loss as far as the scale goes, but I have noticed a firmer, more toned body. HELP!!!

 

[keiko]

Persdonally, I 'm not much of a fan of very low-carb (say under 50 grams) unless you're a very sedentary person with a lot of weight to lose.

Whenever I've low-carb'ed, my workouts sucked. Sure you lose water weight, but if you feel lousy and have no glucose in your body, what's the point? I understand the principles behind the CKD, and I can see why that works for some people. But as a way of eating while really lifting, I don't think low carbing works very well.

YOu feel like shit because your body has no fuel. Yes, your serotonin levels are low. You have no energy because your body has no glucose in your muscles. You can run on ketones and that's fine, but if you don't have a lot of weight to lose, you will start burning muscle is you don't carb-up every once in a while.

You can up your carbs, while retaining a balance between fats, carbs and protein. YOu can still get toned (I hate that word) becasue you can build muscle.

 

[Fennec]

Oh, that's funny! I was just writing about this same thing in my carb rotation hell thread.

My friend suggested St John's Wort while you are carb rotating, to increase the seratonin levels. I was just getting ready to try it. She says the tea works better for her than the pills, and also warned that it takes a week or two of taking it to get the therapeutic effect.

Fennec

 

[trying2tone]

PS. I forgot to give you my stats!! I'm 30 years old, 5'4" tall and weigh 110 lbs. Last summer I was down to 103 but I wasn't really firm. I would like to see about 105-107 this year. I'm eating mainly salad, roast turkey breast, fat free yogourt and protein shakes. I rollerblade about 4 times a week, 45 minutes per run, and I work it HARD! Once a week in the gym for stairmaster and/or elliptical, usually about 45 min to an hour there. I don't do any free weights or aerobics, my goal is not to gain strength or build big muscle, just to slim down, tone and firm the butt! Speaking of firming butts, I can't seem to find an excercise that targets mainly my rear, I always feel it in my quads. Any suggestions there?

 

[MR. BMJ]

I gave a girl the addresses for here and AF yesterday in class....hey "girl" if you are reading this post some Q's or e-mail me!
[email protected]

Yeah, i'm talking to you M______

MR. BMJ

 

[cockdezl]

TRYING, first off, most articles concerning low carb diets tend to be alot of hypotheses, with very little supporting evidence, and often a large amount of misinformation..."high protein will DESTROY your kidneys!", "ketosis can be DEADLY!", "low carbs causes your genitals to FALL OFF!", etc.

Studies have shown altered tryptophan and serotonin levels during low carbohydrate diets, but there is no supporting evidence for depression associated with this type of diet. In fact, no one has yet elucidated the causation of depression, and it is most likely multi-factorial (as seen in the variety of anti-depressants, with various mechanisms, some act on seratonergic systems, while others work on adrenergic and others on dopaminergic systems).

 

[blueyedkowgrl]

warlobo, a smooch???? what are ya gettin' soft on me?? apparently the wife's hormones are rubbing off on ya! lol just kidding!! lol

 

[Magda]

Good luck all you other girls!

The one thing I am having trouble with now is finding a diet cycle/routine without steroids.

Also, I love fruit juice and I was wondering how many glasses a day I could drink if I cut it 1/2 and /12 with club soda. Would it okay if I got most of my carbs with this? Any suggestions would be great.

trying2tone, there is an herb company called www.allwellco.com that will send free samples if you wanted to try some St. John's Wort tea or something else. If you don't get your free samples with an order you pay shipping but that is okay. I tried some kava kava and didn't really see a benefit so I was glad I did not have to buy a whole bottle.

 

[cockdezl]

St. Johns Wort seems to be a non-selective neurotransmitter elevator. It does not seem to target only one system (serotonergic vs adrenergic vs dopaminergic), but elevates all. Since it is a phyto-chemical preparation, there is more than one active ingredient and the total is greater than certain single ingredients.

For those on low carb diets, the use of 5-HTP, with a small carb meal (high glucose preferably) and St. Johns Wort may be useful. The 5-HTP and carb meal would increase serotonin levels, and the St. Johns Wort may help maintain this level.

"Small carb meal" meaning 15-25g of carbs. Just enough to get an insulin rise and drive 5-HTP into the CNS.

 

[Magda]

What do you think about my fruit juice? Btw, I have a lot of weight to lose. Also, I have a few recipies in my protein power book if anyone wants something different to eat.