Serotonin Brain Food
Positives
- Very generous dose of Tryptophan
- Very large serving of Rhodiola rosea
Negatives
- Other stacks provide all of these benefits & MORE
- We don't need this much Rhodiola rosea
- Could use some Ashwagandha or Tyrosine
Summary
Serotonin Brain Food can definitely help with stress and anxiety. Natural Stacks have made a nice little anxiety stack here. Serotonin Brain Food should work well for improving sleep quality too, especially if you are kept awake at night by your worries. If you are looking for a general anti-anxiety stack, this is a good supplement, although there are some better options available. But if you specifically want to boost serotonin levels, Serotonin Brain Food is great. That said, it is pretty expensive for a serotonin and rhodiola rosea stack!
Serotonin Brain Food Review: What does this supplement do exactly?
Serotonin Brain Food is a natural mood-enhancing supplement from Natural Stacks. You’re probably already familiar with Natural Stacks. These guys produce one of the best-known nootropics in the world – CILTEP. They also produce a range of other popular performance enhancing and health promoting supplements. Serotonin Brain Food is part of their neurotransmitter-boosting range. This is an interesting group of products; as far as we know, it’s a unique angle.
So what does Serotonin Brain Food do exactly? Who is it supposed to help?
The main purpose of Serotonin Brain Food is to act as a fast-acting mood booster. The Natural Stacks website says that this product helps you “feel like your best self and get more done”.
More specifically, we’re told that Serotonin Brain Food delivers the following key benefits:
- Supports a positive mood
- Maintains healthy appetite and digestion
- Promotes calmness
- Promotes a sense of well-being
- Relieves stress
That is a pretty comprehensive list of benefits. If this stack can actually do all of this, then it is definitely a great supplement.
So, does Serotonin Brain Food really work? Does it do all of this naturally, without causing side effects? Are there better options out there for achieving the same goals? Read our full Serotonin Brain Food review below and find out!
Serotonin Brain Food ingredients
Here is the Serotonin Brain Food ingredients list as it is displayed on the bottle:
Here is a brief overview of what each ingredient does. We’ll explain why Natural Stacks have included it in Serotonin Brain Food, what we think of the scientific evidence, and what we make of the dose. Please post your questions in the comments section at the end.
Magnesium Glycinate – 50mg
Magnesium is a vital mineral for normal brain function. It is vital for the proper synthesis of hormones, the production of neurotransmitters, and the carrying out of various bodily processes. Magnesium supplementation has a number of physiological and mental effects; it reduces blood pressure, promotes deep sleep, raises testosterone levels, and enhances memory function.
We think Natural Stacks have added 50mg of highly bioavailable magnesium glycinate to Serotonin Brain Food because of its effect on blood pressure and sleep. If you’re trying to maximize serotonin levels, then reducing stress is a very good way to go about it! Serotonin and anxiety have a kind of bi-directional relationship – increasing serotonin reduces stress, and reducing stress allows serotonin release to increase.
Zinc Glycinate – 20mg
Like magnesium, zinc is extremely important for numerous different bodily functions. It is needed for the synthesis of various hormones (including testosterone), and it is needed for the carrying out of various reactions. More interestingly for us here is the fact that zinc might have a significant effect on depressive symptoms in humans through an interaction with serotonin.
In this study, zinc was found to improve the effectiveness of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (a class of antidepressants). More research is needed here obviously. But if you are building a stack to maximize serotonin levels and improve mood, zinc should definitely play a part!
L-Tryptophan – 1250mg
Tryptophan is one of the 9 essential amino acids; this means we cannot make tryptophan ourselves. We need to consume it from food. Tryptophan is a direct precursor to 5-HTP, which is the immediate precursor to and intermediary of serotonin. Without tryptophan, we simply cannot make any serotonin.
Many people take 5-HTP supplements to boost serotonin levels. However, we think it is actually far more efficient and effective to take Tryptophan supplements. 5-HTP is not well absorbed in the gut. When it is, a lot of it will be used by the enteric nervous system (the “second brain” in the gut). The body is much better at absorbing and utilizing tryptophan.
More importantly, tryptophan is better able to cross the blood-brain barrier than 5-HTP. This makes perfect sense; we wouldn’t want any 5-HTP leaving the brain!
Serotonin Brain Food provides a very generous serving of Tryptophan. Each daily dose gives us 1250mg. While it is possible to consume this much Tryptophan from food, it is difficult. You’d have to eat about 300g of tofu, lamb or cheese to get this much Tryptophan. Even then, it wouldn’t have the same impact as highly refined, pure Tryptophan powder.
Rhodiola rosea – 400mg
Rhodiola rosea is one of the most effective natural stress relievers in existence. There has been a lot of work done on rhodiola rosea, and the results have been nothing but positive. Multiple clinical trials have found that supplementing with rhodiola rosea reduces stress, alleviates symptoms of anxiety, and promotes a calm, clear mind. Some studies have specifically looked at rhodiola’s effect on cognitive function. These have almost all found that rhodiola rosea consumption improves cognitive performance in individuals under acute mental or physical stress.
Serotonin Brain Food delivers a massive dose of Rhodiola rosea – 400mg per serving! This is way more than you get from even standalone, single-ingredient rhodiola rosea supplements. It is many times more than you’ll get from nootropic stack. Even the best nootropic stacks don’t deliver as much rhodiola rosea as Serotonin Brain Food.
Our thoughts on the Serotonin Brain Food formula
This is not a bad anti-anxiety stack at all. Natural Stacks Serotonin Brain Food is a very simple supplement, but it packs a real punch.
This is generally the kind of supplement that we prefer. When manufacturers try to be too clever, or they try to stuff their formulas full of as many ingredients as possible, the end result is usually pretty bad.
Serotonin Brain Food uses a handful of ingredients which are known to reduce stress and anxiety.
Tryptophan is the most efficient and effective way to naturally increase serotonin levels. Tryptophan is a precursor to 5-HTP, which is the immediate precursor to serotonin. Unlike 5-HTP, Tryptophan readily crosses the blood brain barrier.
Supplementing with Tryptophan allows your brain to synthesize as much serotonin as it needs. Unlike synthetic mood drugs, it does not force your serotonin levels higher; something which can actually lead to lower mood in the long-run.
Serotonin Brain Food also provides a massive serving of Rhodiola rosea. Consuming 400mg of Rhodiola will definitely reduce stress and alleviate the worst physical symptoms of anxiety.
Using this much rhodiola rosea on an even semi-regular basis will leave you feeling calm, collected, and clear-headed round-the-clock. It will also support good cognitive function during periods of intense stress. If you have a busy deadline schedule coming up, or a period of exams, Serotonin Brain Food might make all the difference in your performance.
Then to cap it all off, we have some nice servings of supporting minerals and vitamins.
Together, the zinc and magnesium will support healthy hormone levels, better sleep quality, and reduced blood pressure.
If you’re looking for a stack specifically to reduce stress, improve sleep, and boost serotonin levels, you will definitely be pleased with Serotonin Brain Food from Natural Stacks.
If you do want a product to specifically improve sleep, then there are better products (such as Performance Lab Sleep). There are also better products for improving cognitive function during times of acute mental strain (like Mind Lab Pro).
But if you think you could do with some nice, gentle, natural serotonin support – whether because you’re feeling a little down, you’re having trouble sleeping, or whatever – then Serotonin Brain Support is not a bad option at all.
Side Effects – Is Serotonin Brain Food safe for regular use?
The great thing about these natural mood supplements is that they are typically very safe and side effect-free.
Serotonin Brain Food looks perfectly safe to us.
Each ingredient in here is well understood and widely used today.
Most of them are found in foods in large amounts. For example, you could conceivably eat more Tryptophan than this in a single meal without realising it; people who binge-eat turkey or cheese regularly do!
Rhodiola rosea is rarely consumed in amounts this large. But rhodiola rosea has been extensively studied in clinical trials. It is deemed generally safe and unlikely to cause side effects in doses of up to 600mg per day.
Many studies have used 200-400mg daily, and they did not report any serious health issues or side effects popping up.
None of the ingredients are thought to pose any long-term health risks either.
So overall, Serotonin Brain Food looks like a safe supplement for regular, long-term use.
In conclusion – What is Serotonin Brain Food good for?
Serotonin Brain Food is not really a nootropic per se. It is more specifically a mood supplement, although it can definitely affect cognitive function and sleep quality too.
We think Serotonin Brain Food looks like a very good supplement for anybody wanting to naturally increase their serotonin levels.
If you’re experiencing higher stress levels, some social anxiety, or you’re having trouble sleeping because of your anxieties, this stack can definitely help!
Serotonin Brain Food will increase serotonin production in the brain, but without forcing your serotonin levels higher in an artificial, potentially damaging way.
It will reduce stress, promote clear, calm focus in stressful situations, and promote deep sleep.
Of course, there are supplements better suited to people wanting these specific benefits.
If you need help sleeping but you don’t want to use any nasty synthetic sleeping pills, check out our top rated sleep stack, Performance Lab Sleep.
If you want something to promote a sense of calm, clear-headed focus during stressful periods, then Mind Lab Pro might be a better option.
But if Serotonin, sleep, and anxiety are what you want help with, Serotonin Brain Food is not a bad option at all.
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Brian Johnson is a former academic researcher, psychologist, and tireless proponent of bio-hacking. Brian has dedicated all of his time since leaving academia and private practice to promoting the benefits to be obtained from the application of biotechnology and bio-hacking supplements. He has years of experience with nootropics, as well as prebiotics, probiotics, and other natural nutritional supplements.
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