How Do Lifestyle Choices Affect Serotonin Levels?
There are some factors that affect serotonin levels that we have no control over like hereditary factors and the fact that women have naturally lower levels of serotonin than men (and interestingly, women dieters have problems with lowered serotonin levels, but not men dieters! And of course, more women also have eating disorders than men.) Low serotonin levels are known to trigger food cravings and obsessive behaviours regarding eating. What a lot of people do not know is that our poor diets and unhealthy eating patterns, especially dieting, plays a critical role in lowering serotonin levels and triggering a vicious cycle of weight gain and yo-yo dieting. Eating highly processed foods upsets the delicate balance of insulin and glucagon and over time, insulin resistance will develop. When this happens, high levels of insulin and blood glucose will also interfere with the body’s ability to produce serotonin. (Another good reason to eliminate high GI carbohydrates from your diet and eat
