Eating Nuts May Boost Your Serotonin Levels, Study Finds

We’ve long known that nuts and seeds hold some pretty powerful health benefits. They’re high in protein and healthy fats, easy to digest, and contain important nutrients like selenium and magnesium.

Published in the journal Nutrients1, this study was a 24-week randomized controlled parallel trial on 131 participants, all of whom were either obese or overweight. For the study period, participants were put on a weight loss program that allowed for a daily 1.5-ounce snack.

Some of the participants were given pretzels and others were given a mix of tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts). At the end of the study period, the researchers analyzed fecal and blood plasma samples to better understand the effects of the different snacks. 

At the end of the study period, the researchers were able to draw a link between the consumption of tree nuts and a reduction in cardiovascular risk factors, including a reduction in blood pressure.

But wait, what does serotonin do again? As Aimee Harris-Newton, Psy.D., a double-board certified integrative and interventional psychologist previously told mbg, serotonin is a brain chemical messenger that relays messages between cells and receptors on other cells. Serotonin specifically is involved in feelings of happiness and contentment, and it plays a key role2 in sleep, mood, aggression, anxiety, pain, and sexual behavior.

Serotonin receptors are the main chemical targets of SSRIs, or select serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the most popular type of antidepressant. These drugs work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin in the brain, leaving more of this chemical available to your brain, though they can come with side effects.

There’s a good chance you’ve either heard of or experienced seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a condition known as the “winter blues.” And that’s because sunlight helps your brain release happy chemicals by stimulating the production of serotonin. Part of this is because sunlight stimulates vitamin D production, which plays a key role in serotonin production.