Cheryl's Book Nook

Reversing Antidepressant Weight Gain By Judith J. Wurtman, PhD, Co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain Antidepressants have been associated with weight gain since they were first used about 50 years ago. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) relieved depression but left patients considerably heavier as a consequence of treatment. One in particular, amitryptyline, was associated with uncontrollable sugar cravings. When Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Blockers (SSRIs) were introduced as the new generation of antidepressants, it was hoped that weight gain would not be a problem. Unfortunately this expectation has not been realized. Clinician were optimistic about Prozac, the first of the SSRIs, as patients lost weight during the early months of treatment. Prozac was viewed not only as an effective mood regulator but a potential weight-loss drug as well. It was tested i...

The Serotonin Power Diet by Judith J. Wurtman, PhD. and Nina T. Frusztajer, MD. is a very insightful and useful book. It explains what serototnin is and why it can help you with your food cravings. Serotonin is the switch that turns off your appetite. Serotonin is also the control that restores your good mood after minor and major stresses erode it. When produced consistently and regularly, serotonin prevents the tendency to eat impulsively when stresses occur. So now you ask, serotonin sounds like a very useful thing but how do you produce it regularly? The answer is by eating ….carbohydrates! Hey, Dr. Atkins would dispute that carbohydrates are bad and now you are telling me that they are good? That’s correct. Think about a time when you gave up eating carbohydrates like candy, French fries, ice cream to name a few. What did you reach for when you encountered a really stressful situation…all of the above foods…but did you eat just one piece or one scoop…no you pigged out and then fel...

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year. I haven't made any resolutions yet other than to be healthy and that is why I wanted to share this article by Judith J. Wurtman, PhD and Nina T. Frusztajer, MD, Serotonin: What It is and Why It's Important for Weight Loss By Judith J. Wurtman, PhD and Nina T. Frusztajer, MD, Authors of The Serotonin Power Diet: Eat Carbs -- Nature's Own Appetite Suppressant -- to Stop Emotional Overeating and Halt Antidepressant-Associated Weight Gain Serotonin is nature's own appetite suppressant. This powerful brain chemical curbs cravings and shuts off appetite. It makes you feel satisfied even if your stomach is not full. The result is eating less and losing weight. A natural mood regulator, serotonin makes you feel emotionally stable, less anxious, more tranquil and even more focused and energetic. Serotonin can be made only after sweet or starchy carbohydrates are eaten. More than 30 years ago, extensive studies at MIT carried out by Richard W...