Cranky Carbs
May. 17th, 2007 11:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tikistitchActually, it's more like "cranky protein." But, that doesn't make a snappy title. Anyways, read on, 'cause this one really got our "We hate Dr. Atkins" mojo working....
We've definitely gotta check out their paper. But a little background: if you're depressed, in all probability, those little pills you take (e.g., Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa) are something called SSRIs, which stands for "Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors."
What does this mean, other than being a tongue twister?
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter. That is, it's a little chemical that helps your neurons talk to each other. It's been long theorized that there's something funny going on with serotonin in depressed people. To oversimplify, we probably don't have enough of it. (It's actually probably more complicated--a lot more complicated.)
What SSRIs do is basically make sure your body doesn't get rid of serotonin that's just kind of lying around. So, each little serotonin molecule gets to do more work. And, you get all happy.
What Wurtzman and her colleagues found is that if you sit around and eat a loaf of bread, that also gives your brain a nice blast o' refreshing Serotonin.
Mr. Tiki would agree with that last.
Er, eating fat...is like a beer? Well, that's a bit weird.
But, we'd always wondered why the bread bowl has been so damn deadly to us, always, and during this diet in particular. Seemed like it was just the nicest thing in the world to sit and pop some Oreo O's, without milk.
By the way, there are probably some other things you can do that will also naturally make your body produce more serotonin. Unfortunately, these activities probably do not include sitting on the couch watching American Idol.
Carbs are essential for effective dieting and good mood, Wurtman says
During the current low-carb/pro-protein diet craze, carbohydrates have been demonized -- accused of causing weight gain and blamed as the reason people can't lose weight. Do they deserve this stigma? Not according to MIT researcher Judith Wurtman.
Wurtman, director of the Program in Women's Health at the MIT Clinical Research Center, and colleagues have found that when you stop eating carbohydrates, your brain stops regulating serotonin, a chemical that elevates mood and suppresses appetite. And only carbohydrate consumption naturally stimulates production of serotonin.
We've definitely gotta check out their paper. But a little background: if you're depressed, in all probability, those little pills you take (e.g., Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa) are something called SSRIs, which stands for "Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors."
What does this mean, other than being a tongue twister?
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter. That is, it's a little chemical that helps your neurons talk to each other. It's been long theorized that there's something funny going on with serotonin in depressed people. To oversimplify, we probably don't have enough of it. (It's actually probably more complicated--a lot more complicated.)
What SSRIs do is basically make sure your body doesn't get rid of serotonin that's just kind of lying around. So, each little serotonin molecule gets to do more work. And, you get all happy.
Wurtman's husband, Richard Wurtman....discovered that the brain makes serotonin only after a person consumes sweet or starchy carbohydrates. But the kicker is that these carbohydrates must be eaten in combination with very little or no protein, the Wurtmans' combined research determined.
What Wurtzman and her colleagues found is that if you sit around and eat a loaf of bread, that also gives your brain a nice blast o' refreshing Serotonin.
So a meal like pasta or a snack of graham crackers will allow the brain to make serotonin, but eating chicken and potatoes or snacking on beef jerky will actually prevent serotonin from being made. This can explain why people may still feel hungry even after they have eaten a 20-ounce steak. Their stomachs are full but their brains may not be making enough serotonin to shut off their appetites.
And what do protein dieters (especially women) miss most after the second week? Carbohydrates. Women have much less serotonin in their brains than men, so a serotonin-depleting diet will make women feel irritable.
Mr. Tiki would agree with that last.
"When you take away the carbohydrates, it's like taking away water from someone hiking in the desert," Wurtman said. "If fat is the only alternative for a no- or low-carb dieter to consume to satiate the cravings, it's like giving a beer to the parched hiker to relieve the thirst -- temporary relief, but ultimately not effective."
Er, eating fat...is like a beer? Well, that's a bit weird.
But, we'd always wondered why the bread bowl has been so damn deadly to us, always, and during this diet in particular. Seemed like it was just the nicest thing in the world to sit and pop some Oreo O's, without milk.
By the way, there are probably some other things you can do that will also naturally make your body produce more serotonin. Unfortunately, these activities probably do not include sitting on the couch watching American Idol.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-05-17 09:15 pm (UTC)WTF?!??? *blink*blink*
Carbs are essential for effective dieting...
Oh...
Time for a nap...
no subject
Date: 2007-05-17 10:19 pm (UTC)Who are these "people"?!?!?!?
I can't say I've felt hungry after eating that much meat.
When I cut out processed starches, I was not a happy camper but only for the first week or so.
But carbs schmarbs... There's a huge difference between a cup of white sugar and a cup of steamed (and lemon-peppered) broccoli. Mmmmm.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-17 10:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-17 10:55 pm (UTC)lol.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-17 10:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-18 03:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-18 06:06 am (UTC)"New research suggests that low-carb dieting may starve the brain of carbohydrates."
Well duh!