A report that low levels of serotonin in the brain is directly responsible for the feeling of depression, as it is a hormone and a neurotransmitter involved in the function of many organs of the body, but the function that affects the mood is the most important.
Serotonin sends messages between neurons in the brain, making it an important part of influencing mental health and the brain. Sunlight is one of the factors that stimulate the release of serotonin.
Serotonin plays a role in other disorders of the brain and mental health including anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, traumatic stress, phobia, and even epilepsy, according to Al-Arabiya.
Serotonin also plays an important role in many other body functions. It helps control appetite, digestion, bone health, sex, and sleep.
Serotonin is linked to another chemical called melatonin, which helps regulate the cycle of sleep and awakening the body.
Carbohydrate intake also increases serotonin levels in the body, as research suggests that people resort to carbohydrates as a way to improve mood, especially in people with depression.
Scientists are advised to eat foods that contain a type of amino acids known as tryptophan tryptophan because of its close association with the secretion of serotonin in the body.
As for the foods rich in tryptophan, they are: eggs, nuts, cereals, turkey meat, poultry in general, cheeses and some marine algae.