Can Chromium Help Increase Serotonin?

Did you know that serotonin is essential because it plays a crucial role in regulating mood, emotions, and overall mental health?

Often called the "feel-good" neurotransmitter, it helps promote feelings of happiness and well-being while reducing anxiety and depression. Beyond mood, serotonin also supports various bodily functions, including sleep, appetite, and digestion. It helps control the body’s internal clock, contributing to restful sleep patterns, and influences how the brain processes pain. 

In terms of what can affect our serotonin levels, there are varying factors that can deplete them or have us struggle in making adequate amounts of them. This can look like the following:

• Diet: Serotonin is made from tryptophan, an amino acid found in foods like turkey, eggs, cheese, nuts, and salmon. A diet low in tryptophan can limit serotonin production.

• Exercise: Physical activity boosts serotonin by promoting the release of tryptophan into the bloodstream and increasing the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports brain health.

• Sunlight: Exposure to sunlight helps regulate serotonin levels — that’s why people often feel more upbeat in summer and experience low moods during darker months (seasonal affective disorder).

• Stress: Chronic stress can deplete serotonin over time, contributing to mood disorders and fatigue.

• Gut health: Surprisingly, about 90% of the body's serotonin is produced in the gut. A healthy gut microbiome supports this process, while an unhealthy one can disrupt it.

• Hormones: Changes in estrogen levels, especially during menstrual cycles, pregnancy, or menopause, can affect serotonin levels, influencing mood and emotional stability.

• Medications: Certain antidepressants, like SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), increase serotonin availability by preventing its reabsorption. Other drugs, like some painkillers or recreational substances, can also impact serotonin — sometimes dangerously.

• Genetics: Some people may have genetic variations that affect how their body processes serotonin, making them more prone to mood disorders.

• Sleep: Poor sleep quality or sleep deprivation can lower serotonin production, creating a vicious cycle where low serotonin further disrupts sleep.

• Nutrient deficiencies: Some nutrients like B6, B9, B12, D3, and minerals like chromium, magnesium and zinc are all important for producing serotonin. 

Which brings us to what we wanted to discuss today, and that’s to highlight on a specific mineral: chromium. Can chromium actually help maintain and produce adequate serotonin levels? Read below!

Chromium plays a supportive role in serotonin production by helping regulate blood sugar levels and enhancing the brain's response to insulin — which, in turn, affects the transport of tryptophan (the amino acid precursor to serotonin) into the brain. Let’s break it down:

1. Improved insulin sensitivity: Chromium helps insulin work more effectively, keeping blood sugar levels stable. When blood sugar is balanced, the body can better transport tryptophan into the brain. Since tryptophan competes with other amino acids to cross the blood-brain barrier, balanced insulin levels give it a better chance of getting through. Once in the brain, tryptophan gets converted into serotonin.
   
   

2. Boosts serotonin production: Some research suggests chromium may directly increase serotonin synthesis. It’s believed to enhance the activity of certain neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine — all of which are linked to mood and emotional balance.
   
   

3. Supports mood regulation: Chromium supplementation has been studied for its potential to reduce symptoms of depression, especially atypical depression (characterized by fatigue, increased appetite, and mood reactivity). This might be due to chromium’s role in improving serotonin activity alongside other neurotransmitters that influence mood.

How can you know if you’re struggling with low serotonin then?

Mentally, it can cause persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or emptiness, often linked to depression. Anxiety is also common, with excessive worry, panic attacks, or a general sense of unease. People may experience irritability, low self-esteem, and mood swings, along with a loss of interest in activities that once brought joy. Concentration can become difficult, leading to brain fog and trouble focusing.

Physically, low serotonin can contribute to fatigue, even after a full night's rest, and disrupt sleep patterns, causing insomnia, restless sleep, or oversleeping. Appetite changes may occur, resulting in cravings — especially for carbohydrates — or a loss of appetite altogether. Since a large portion of the body's serotonin is produced in the gut, digestive issues like bloating, nausea, or IBS-like symptoms are also common. Additionally, low serotonin can increase sensitivity to physical pain and cause unexplained aches.

Other signs include a decreased interest in sex, social withdrawal, and impulsive behaviors, such as increased risk-taking or poor decision-making.

In terms of figuring out if you needed extra chromium, the best way to go about this is to run  a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) which you can do so with us here. However, if you’re ready to try out our Upgraded Chromium, you can check it out here and get started today on helping yourself out today!