having obscene amounts of sugar and carbohydrate over long periods of time can max out our serotonin machinery, leaving us unhappy, carb-craving, and depressed. Anti-low carb diet folks will claim that without carbohydrates, we will not get tryptophan into the brain and we will be depressed. Data has been mixed, with some studies showing high amounts of long term sugar consumption having no effect on mood, whereas others show sugar and carbohydrate consumption having quite a robust effect on aggression and mood (3). There is also a rather infamous study of people on very low carb diets having more depression after a year than people on low fat diets - but the low carb diet group started off with twice as many people who were on antidepressant medication. Seasonal variation, sunlight, sugar, and suicide - all linked somehow to serotonin. It seems to me that humans have thrived on all sorts of diets - from the high-fat Inuit (lots of periods of low light there!) to the high carbohydrate Kitavans. What those diets have in common is lots of real, nutrient-rich food, no processed food, no vegetable oils, and lots of fish. And while the Kitavans eat a lot of carbohydrate in the form of starchy vegetables, they dont eat much sugar. As far as Im concerned, the jury is still out as to what macronutrient composition is absolutely optimal - it could be different season by season or person by person, if it matters at all. The most important thing is to get enough of all the raw building blocks. That is much easier to do if you avoid eating the junk. Heres to health, sunlight, and serotonin. A special thanks to paleo blogger Jamie Scott for links to many of the sources in this article.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Apr 2014 19:31:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015