We
have all been there, we have a hard day and we go to chipotle to get a huge
delicious burrito to cheer us up: good mood food. But is this smart to eat 2200
calories in one sitting and does it actually cheer us up? We learned in Dr.
Campisi’s class that the average 70kg male needs 2100 calories per day to
sustain his weight and metabolic activity, you can get this in one meal at
chipotle! So what actually cheers you up? Surprisingly, this is actually a
highly studied branch of science.
When
we eat a delicious burrito from chipotle, we are eating a large amount of an
essential amino acid called tryptophan. Tryptophan is important to our mood
because it is a precursor of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that transmits the
signal of “wellbeing” and “happiness (Hulsken et al 2013).” Sounds easy right? Eat a meal and be happy, to bad
it’s not that easy. The more saturated fat, sodium, and carbohydrates that are
in a meal the happier we may be for the next couple hours, but studies have
shown that your mood will be significantly dampened for two whole days after (Hendy
2012). Another review article looked at the most common good mood food, chocolate. The researchers looked at six studies
that included chocolate and found that in all but one, chocolate
was able to improve mood significantly (Scholey and Owen 2013). The article failed
to research what happens one and two days after administration but there are
many factors that lead me to believe no negative mood affect would arise
from eating chocolate.
When
you eat a chipotle burrito you consume on average 28 grams of total fat, 1420mg
of sodium, and 76 grams of carbohydrates. Your body has to work hard to digest
all of this and dilute that massive amount of sodium. When one eats a Hershey’s
candy bar you are only eating 13 grams of fat and 35 mg of sodium, you get a
lot more “pick me up” for a lot less work in digestion and absorption.
Hendy H. Apr 2012. Which comes first in food-mood
relationships, foods or moods? Appetite. 58(2): 771-775
Hulsken S, Martin A, Mohajeri MH and Homberg JR. Dec 2013.
Food-derived serotonergic modulators: effects on mood and cognition. 26(2):
223-234
Scholey A and Owen L. Oct 2013. Effects of chocolate on
cognitive function and mood: a systematic review. Nutrition Reviews. 71(10):
665-681
http://www.hersheys.com/pure-products/details.aspx?id=3480&name=HERSHEYS+Milk+Chocolate+Bar
I knew I was on to something when go for a run and eat a few pieces of dark chocolate after. Ok, more than a few pieces...shut up!
ReplyDeleteAnyways. Are there other precursors for serotonin? Since serotonin is important to mental wellness would people who are vegetarians, and don't consume meat or dairy products, foods high in tryptophan, be less happy? Tryptophan is an essential amino acid and must be consumed, so I am wondering if there are any effects on their mood?
Radwanski ER, Last RL. Jul 1995. Tryptophan biosynthesis and metabolism: biochemical and molecular genetics. Plant Cell. 1995 Jul;7(7):921-34.
Billy - It's interesting you bring up tryptophan and serotonin because I looked into tryptophan's effects on mood in my Biology Literature Review. In my research, I came across one study that found that administering a special tryptophan-deficient diet led to a clinical relapse in remitted depressed patients within hours after ingesting such a diet. However, those given tryptophan supplementation following the tryptophan-deficient diet promptly felt much less depressed. So, there clearly seems to be some sort of a relationship between tryptophan ingestion and mood.
ReplyDeleteAlso, on the topic of chocolate, there has been recent research into its health benefits in addition to its ability to elevate mood. A study in European teens found that those who consumed chocolate regularly had lower levels of total and central fatness. Other studies have found that the antioxidants in dark chocolate can potentially protect endothelial cells in the blood vessels by improving the availability of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide increases insulin sensitivity, which is a good thing, especially for those with cardiovascular problems. Researchers found that dark chocolate was able to significantly reduce blood pressure in those that consumed it daily for 15 days. Plus, consuming, and even just smelling dark chocolate, can decrease levels of ghrelin, the appetite-stimulating hormones. Another study found that those who eat dark chocolate have fewer stress hormones in their blood and higher levels of good bacteria in their stomachs.
Sounds to me like we should all be consuming more chocolate, but in moderation of course!
Cuenca-Garcia M, Ruiz JR, Ortega FB, Castillo MJ. 2013 Oct. Association between chocolate consumption and fatness in European adolescents. Nutrition. 13:346-348.
Delgado PL, Charney DS, Price LH, Aghajanian GK, Landis H, Heninger GR. 1990. Serotonin function and the mechanism of anti-depressant action: reversal of antidepressant-induced remission by rapid depletion of plasma tryptophan. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 47: 411-8.
Mellier A. 2013. Chocolate is good for you, but…News Fix. http://www.newsfix.ca/2013/11/23/chocolate-is-good-for-you-but/
Pincott J. What chocolate can do for you. 2013 Nov. Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/chocolate-health-benefits_n_4214777.html
Cara, thanks for backing up my dark chocolate consumption with scientific research!
ReplyDeleteSo if chocolate increases availability of nitric oxide, would protein and/or creatine supplement also help with cardiovascular health and insulin sensitivity? Supplementation with L-arginine was shown to increase nitric oxide pathways in mice. L-arginine in generally included in pre-workout and other athletic protein/creatine supplements that are available on the market. So could this be another advantage to taking protein supplement, in addition to having an active lifestyle?
Shan L, Wang B, Gao G, Cao W, Zhang Y. Aug 2013. L-Arginine supplementation improves antioxidant defenses through L-arginine/nitric oxide pathways in exercised rats. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2013 Oct 15;115(8):1146-55.