Mood Swings

[Restraint]

Ok so I've been experiencing crazy mood swings as a male... Some days I feel normal, some days I'm extremely irritable and other days It seems like I'm high (so happy)...

I could easily go from extremely depressed (before a workout) to extremely happy (after a run) within a few hours... obviously there is something up with me

So I decided to do research:

The Low Mood Connection

Low-carb dieters are susceptible to mood swings, according to MIT researchers. The issue involves serotonin, the "feel good" brain chemical that elevates mood, suppresses appetite and acts as a natural tranquilizer.

In news released earlier this year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Clinical Research Center reported that a lack of dietary carbohydrates causes the brain to stop regulating serotonin. Researchers discovered that serotonin is naturally produced only after consumption of carbohydrates in the form of sweets and starches.

In the 1970's, MIT professor Richard Wurtman and colleagues first showed that eating carbohydrates raises brain serotonin levels. Since then, additional studies at MIT, including those by Dr. Judith J. Wurtman, have explored the relationship between carbohydrates in the brain and their connection to mood and weight loss. Dr. Wurtman states in a February MIT press release that "When serotonin is made and becomes active in your brain, its effect on your appetite is to make you feel full before your stomach is stuffed and stretched." The researchers explain that people may still feel hungry after eating a large steak-their stomachs may be full but their brains may not be producing enough serotonin to shut off their appetites.

It's not unusual for people who are changing their eating patterns or embarking on any kind of diet to experience episodes of irritability. However, according to Psychology Today, many who are trying testing low-carbohydrate regimens are reporting unusually high feelings of anger, tension and depression. Dr. Wurtman claims that that it's a very well documented response-she calls it the "Atkins attitude". Dieters who have eliminated or reduced dietary carbohydrates may find that their low mood is combined with irritability if the diet is heavy on protein, and/or combined with a lack of energy if the diet is heavy on saturated fats.

Are certain people more susceptible to low mood? According to Wurtman, some people are "carbohydrate cravers" -- they tend to experience a change in their mood, usually in the late afternoon or early evening -- and they need to eat a certain amount of carbohydrates to keep their moods steady. And although both men and women can experience low mood when cutting carbs, women are more likely to feel the effects because they are known to have typically lower levels of serotonin in their brains than men.

Because of her research, Wurtman believes that low-carb diets may be dangerous for individuals who are already struggling with depression or bipolar disorder. In an Oxford study involving women, researchers did find that those who had a predisposition to mood disorders exhibited a measurable drop in mood when following a low-carb regimen, but reported that other subjects on the diet did not seem to be impacted.

Of course, the pharmaceutical solution to depression and mood disorders is the use of antidepressant drugs. These are designed to help regulate mood by keeping serotonin production active in the brain for extended periods, accomplished via an unnatural mechanism that prevents the cellular reuptake of the brain chemical (which is why most of these medications are known as "SSRIs", for "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors"). St. Johns Wort is a popular herbal solution that also mimics the unnatural mechanism of SSRIs because the herb's active ingredient, hypericin, increases circulating levels of serotonin by also selectively preventing its cellular reuptake.

There are natural alternatives that can assist in regulating mood by playing a similar role as carbohydrates in serotonin production. Low-carb dieters who are experiencing low mood might consider taking specific vitamins that are known to help boost serotonin naturally. Important nutrients like selenium, several B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin, etc.), and vitamin D have been shown to help increase the enzyme supply that converts certain amino acids into serotonin.

Levity Mood Elevating Formula was designed to include the six most important vitamins and minerals that can play a role in boosting serotonin. It can be a very effective means of warding off the mood swings and irritability that can accompany a low carb diet -- safely and inexpensively!

from http://www.geneva-health.com/sciencehealth/lowcarb.html

Cliffs
Serotinin, the feel good chemical is released from Carbs. And restricting carbs can give you mood wings.
Also released during exercise, that's why you feel so good about life at running

What do you guys think?

[J_dazzle23]

Ok so I've been experiencing crazy mood swings as a male... Some days I feel normal, some days I'm extremely irritable and other days It seems like I'm high (so happy)...

I could easily go from extremely depressed (before a workout) to extremely happy (after a run) within a few hours... obviously there is something up with me

So I decided to do research:



Cliffs
Serotinin, the feel good chemical is released from Carbs. And restricting carbs can give you mood wings.
Also released during exercise, that's why you feel so good about life at running

What do you guys think?

I personally feel moody and depressed any time I completely cut out any macro nutrient group

[kfamily]

That is interesting information. I get very angry and irritable when I cut calories or go super low-carb. There are those who do lift who do not follow a low carb program. There is a many named Storm who is a raw vegan, he may not be huge but he is strong and fit.

[Lvisaa2]

Tryptophan is also a precursor to 5-HT. Eat more turkey/dairy/oats/meat/chocolate