Serotonin plays important roles in the resolution of mood, sleep, and appetite.
Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter synthesized by enzymes that act on tryptophan and/or 5-HTP.
Neurotransmitters are divided into two basic categories:
– Excitatory neurotransmitters stimulate the brain and body.
– Inhibitory neurotransmitters calm the brain and body.
Just as levels of individual neurotransmitters are important in maintaining optimum health, so is the proper balance between your excitatory and inhibitory systems.
Serotonin, generally regarded as the “happiness molecule,” contributes to the feelings of calm and well-being that eases depression and anxiety, supports sleep, and decreases appetite.
Serotonin is stored in presynaptic vesicles and released to transmit electrochemical signals across the synapse. Extensive research has been conducted surrounding serotonin and acts as a target for symptoms like low mood, compulsions, anxiousness, and headaches.
Serotonin acts, in most cases, as an inhibitory neurotransmitter and, like GABA, modulates neuron voltage potentials to inhibit glutamate activity and neurotransmitter firing. Serotonin neurons have large numbers of axons and are important in integrating neural circuits. This also provides an explanation for serotonin’s role in so many health concerns.
References:
– How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs [L]
– Carcinoid Syndrome [L]
Kamoun P, Douay O. Sérotonine et autisme [Serotonin and autism]. Ann Biol Clin (Paris). 1980;38(4):201-5. French. PMID: 6160783.
Leibowitz SF. The role of serotonin in eating disorders. Drugs. 1990;39 Suppl 3:33-48. doi: 10.2165/00003495-199000393-00005. PMID: 2197074.
Stasi C, Sadalla S, Milani S. The Relationship Between the Serotonin Metabolism, Gut-Microbiota and the Gut-Brain Axis. Curr Drug Metab. 2019;20(8):646-655. doi: 10.2174/1389200220666190725115503. PMID: 31345143.
Moroianu LA, Cecilia C, Ardeleanu V, Pantea Stoian A, Cristescu V, Barbu RE, Moroianu M. Clinical Study of Serum Serotonin as a Screening Marker for Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Medicina (Kaunas). 2022 May 11;58(5):652. doi: 10.3390/medicina58050652. PMID: 35630069; PMCID: PMC9146121.
Elevated serotonin may be associated with symptoms of:
- increased anxiety,
- agitation
- and diarrhea (IBS- like symptoms).
Serotonin levels may be increased by low protein or high-carbohydrate meals, insulin, and tryptophan or 5-HTP supplementation. Many mood altering medications, including SSRIs and SNRIs, may influence serotonin levels. L-theanine may affect serotonin function.
Note: Significantly elevated serotonin levels may be associated with additional pathology (i.e. carcinoid tumor). Suggest further work up depending on the clinical picture.
Serotonin signaling in the central nervous system (CNS) may influence mood, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, homeostasis, and sexual behaviors. Altered levels of urinary or plasma serotonin are thought to play a role in many disorders including anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and phobias.
Elevated plasma serotonin and platelet serotonin levels are a common finding in autistic patients, and may contribute to psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.
There are a great many serotonin receptors with different affinities, expression and function.
The main diseases that may be associated with elevated levels of serotonin are neuroectodermal tumors, in particular carcinoid tumors arising from gastrointestinal (GI) enterochromaffin cells.
Only about 10% of midgut carcinoids produce enough serotonin to cause symptoms.
Symptoms of serotonin excess (Serotonin Syndrome), are wide-ranging. A triad of symptoms including altered mental status (usually anxiety), neuromuscular hyperactivity or hyperreflexia, and autonomic instability, is suspicious for serotonin excess.
Exogenous estrogens have been shown to raise both serotonin and 5-HIAA levels in postmenopausal women.
Serotonin levels may be increased by exercise, increased daylight (or daylight equivalent) exposure, low-protein or high-carbohydrate meals, insulin, or by Tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) supplements.
Some studies indicate that therapeutic massage may also elevate serotonin levels.
The herbs St. John’s wort and ginseng may elevate serotonin levels.
Medications that may increase serotonin include:
- serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
- antidepressants: bupropion, trazodone
- migraine medications
- pain medications
- lithium
- dextromethorphan (cough suppressant)
- antiemetics
The gastrointestinal tract produces about 80% of the body’s serotonin. During the “first pass” through hepatic circulation, monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) metabolizes 30-80% of GI serotonin to 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA).
Serotonin metabolism requires selenium, magnesium and vitamin B3 as cofactors.
Mutations, or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in MAO-A may affect serotonin degradation. SNPS or mutations in serotonin receptors may affect responses to serotonin.
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Low serotonin may contribute to mood concerns including anxiety, OCD, depression, anger and a sense of discontentment. Low serotonin may also be associated with poor sleep quality and appetite changes, as well as chronic fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, and over-all lassitude. Failure to regenerate tetrahydrobiopterin [BH4], an essential cofactor for serotonin synthesis, may decrease serotonin levels, and could be reflected in urine. BH4 regeneration may be supported by folates, vitamin B3, C, molybdenum and zinc.
Additionally, production of serotonin requires vitamin D, iron and vitamin B6. Tryptophan is the essential precursor of serotonin. 5-HTP may increase serotonin, and L-theanine may affect serotonin function.
Serotonin signaling in the central nervous system (CNS) may influence mood, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, homeostasis, and sexual behaviors. There are a great many serotonin receptors with different affinities, expression and function. Decreased serotonin levels have been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anger, insomnia, and depression. Some eating disorders and migraine headaches may also be related to low serotonin levels.
Low urinary serotonin levels during pregnancy have been associated with increased risk of premature birth. In the peripheral nervous system, low levels of serotonin may affect gastrointestinal motility (constipation), and possibly bone mass.
Low serotonin levels have been associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Cyproheptadine is an antihistamine that decreases serotonin levels.
Studies indicate that serotonin depletion is more likely to affect mood in those with a family history of mood disorders. Mutations or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in specific enzymes may affect serotonin synthesis or degradation. Several SNPs have been identified and linked to depression; research continues in this area.
Serotonin is unable to cross the blood-brain barrier and must be synthesized in the peripheral and central nervous system. Tetrahydrobiopterin, iron and Vitamin B6 are required cofactors for serotonin synthesis.
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract produces about 80% of the body’s serotonin. During the “first pass” through hepatic circulation monoamine oxidase (MAO) metabolizes 30-80% of GI-derived serotonin to 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA).
Serotonin may also be converted to 5-HIAA in the lungs. Urine and plasma levels of serotonin may vary with the intake of certain foods rich in serotonin, and medications that alter serotonin levels.
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Enter Your Lab Reports — Always Free
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Our user-friendly form guides you through a quick, simple submission process, making it easy to enter your health metrics.
Add your results anytime with our easy entry form. It's quick, guided, and helps you stay organized — free for all members.
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View your lab data through easy-to-read graphs and tables. Quickly spot patterns, track changes, and compare results across different dates — all without digging through multiple reports. You can also select and compare graphs of specific biomarkers side-by-side to better understand how they relate and change over time.
See your lab reports in clear graphs and tables. Spot patterns, track changes, and compare results over time — all in one place.
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Export Your Complete Lab History
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file. Choose from PDF, Excel, or CSV formats to easily review, share, or get a second opinion—no more juggling multiple reports.
After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file.
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Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest. Complete plan members receive one report entered for free, then $15 per report after that. Unlimited plan members receive ten report entries for free, then $15 per report after that.
Our inclusive service handles the data entry for your lab reports. Just submit your information and we'll take care of the rest.
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Whether you're working with a doctor, nutritionist, caregiver, or wellness coach, you can securely share your complete lab history by sending an invite link to anyone you trust. You have full control over who sees your information and for how long, ensuring your privacy and peace of mind at every step.
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I have been using Healthmatters.io since 2021. I travel all over the world and use different doctors and health facilities. This site has allowed me to consolidate all my various test results over 14 years in one place. And every doctor that I show this to has been impressed. Because with any health professional I talk to, I can pull up historical results in seconds. It is invaluable. Even going back to the same doctor, they usually do not have the historical results from their facility in a graph format. That has been very helpful.
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As a PRO member and medical practitioner, Healthmatters.io has been an invaluable tool for tracking my clients' data. The layout is intuitive, making it easy to monitor trends and spot patterns over time. The ability to customize reports and charts helps me present information clearly to my clients, improving communication and outcomes. It's streamlined my workflow, saving me time and providing insights at a glance. Highly recommended for any practitioner looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to track patient labs!
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Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.
With a Healthmatters account, you can:
Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.
Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:
You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.
If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.
While we work with many popular labs, we welcome reports from lots of other places too.
It's as simple as this: if you can get a test done, you can upload it to Healthmatters and we can interpret results from any lab out there. If laboratories can analyze it, we can interpret it.
If you're on the hunt for a specific biomarker, contact us and we'll add it to our database. Anything from blood, urine, saliva, or stool can be uploaded, understood, and tracked with your Healthmatters account.
The Complete Plan ($15/month) is perfect for individuals who want ongoing access to their health data. It includes unlimited lab imports, visual tracking, custom ranges, result explanations, full account exports, and secure sharing — all with a simple monthly subscription. You can cancel anytime and restart your plan whenever you're ready — your data will still be there waiting for you. You can also upgrade to the Unlimited Plan at any time, with the cost prorated based on what you've already paid.
The Unlimited Plan ($250 one-time) is also designed for individuals but offers lifetime access with no ongoing subscription. You'll get all the same features as the Complete Plan, plus a larger initial data entry allowance (10 reports), making it a great choice if you prefer a one-time payment and long-term use without monthly fees.
In short:
There are two ways to add your test reports to your Healthmatters account. One option is to input the data using the data entry forms. The other method is to utilize our "Data entry service."
Our data entry forms offer an easy, fast, and free way for you to input the reports yourself. Self-entry allows you to add an unlimited number of reports at no cost. We make the self-entry process user-friendly, providing dozens of templates that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels and offering instant feedback on entered values.
For those who prefer assistance, we offer a "Data entry service" to help you input your data. Simply attach an image or file of your lab test results, and a qualified team member from our data entry team will add the results for you.
We support various file types, including PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is particularly useful if you have many reports to upload or if you're too busy to handle the data entry yourself.
Our Data Entry Service is for when you don't want to manually type in your lab results yourself. You simply upload your report (PDF, image, or screenshot), and our trained team enters the information into your Healthmatters account for you — accurately and neatly organized, ready to view in graphs, tables, and timelines.
The $15 per report covers the time and care it takes for a real person to review your file, make sure each result is entered correctly, and double-check for accuracy. This ensures your health data is precise and easy to work with — without you having to spend the time doing it yourself.
Prefer to do it yourself? You can always use our free self-entry tool to add results manually — it just takes a bit more time and attention.
For users on the Complete monthly plan, the first report is entered free of charge, and each additional report incurs a fee of $15.
Unlimited account holders enjoy the entry of ten reports without charge. Subsequent reports are subject to a $15 fee per report.
Additionally, users on the Complete plan can upgrade to a yearly subscription from the account settings. The annual subscription includes a data entry service for five reports.
All professional accounts allow you to import and onboard an unlimited number of clients and their lab results. The distinction between professional plans lies solely in the data entry service.
The Pro Monthly Plus plan is priced at $75 per month and includes a data entry service for five reports each month. Additional reports can be self-entered at no extra cost or, if preferred, you can use our data entry service for an additional fee of $15 per report.
The Pro Monthly plan is priced at $45 per month and does not include a data entry service. Self-entry is free for an unlimited number of reports, and you can opt for the data entry service at a fee of $15 per report.
You also have the option to upgrade to higher monthly or to annual plans, which come with substantial discounts. All upgrades can be done directly from your account.
Simply log in and navigate to your account settings to cancel your subscription. Scroll down to locate the 'Cancel' button at the bottom of the page. Ensure you cancel at least one day before the renewal date to prevent any charges. Once cancellation is requested, the subscription remains active until the conclusion of the current billing cycle.
Our goal has been to make your Healthmatters account as intuitive as possible.
We've crafted multiple ways for you to navigate your data, whether you're glancing at a single report or delving into your historical test reports.
1. Graph View:Dive into a visual journey with our biomarker graphs, showcasing over 40 data points. Combining years of results unveils trends, empowering you to make informed decisions. Our visualization tools make it a breeze to compare and understand changes over time, even if your results are from different labs. A search function and filters simplify the exploration of extensive data, allowing you to focus on what needs attention.
2. All Tests ViewExplore neatly organized reports on a timeline, highlighting crucial details like dates, critical results, and lab/panel names. Each report opens up to reveal in-depth descriptions and additional recommendations for each biomarker. The history of previous results is just a click away, and you can download a comprehensive report for deeper insights. Color-coded and user-friendly, it's designed for easy reading, understanding, and navigation.
3. Table View:For a holistic view of all biomarkers side by side, our table view is your go-to. Results are neatly displayed in a categorized and dated table, ideal for those with an extensive test history. Utilize sorting, filters, and color-coding to enhance your analysis and gain extra insights.
Yes, you can download your information anytime. We offer two easy ways to export your lab data:
This makes it simple to save, back up, or share your health data whenever you need.
Yes, you can print your report. To do so, navigate to "All tests" and open the report you wish to print. You'll find a print button in the right corner of the report. Click on it, and your browser's print window will open. If you prefer to print in a bigger typeface, adjust the scale using the print window settings.
Yes, you can! We highly recommend activating Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for your account. To do so, please navigate to the "Profile and Security" section of your account, where you will find instructions for activating 2FA.
Yes, you can. When entering values for the biomarker, you will see an "Edit Range" button. Click this button, and you'll have the option to enter a custom range.
A personal account is all about keeping your own lab test results in check. It's just for you and your personal use.
The professional account is designed for health professionals who wish to track and organize their clients' laboratory results.
To learn more about Healthmatters Pro, please refer to the professional page.
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
Optimal Result:
51.2 - 127.9 mcg/g.