Natural Vitamins For Anxiety
Its a well-established, scientific fact that what you eat can dramatically impact your mood. Nutritional deficiencies can exacerbate mental health disorders, while a nutritionally complete diet can help alleviate symptoms. Certain natural vitamins or vitamins obtained by consuming whole foods are thought to positively affect anxiety. While most natural vitamins also exist in supplement form, theyre more effectively absorbed by the body when ingested by eating whole foods.
Some of the most common natural vitamins for anxiety include:
B12 Deficiency Risk Factors
Medical Conditions and Medications Increase Risk
Living a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle isnt the only risk factor for a B12 deficiency. Certain health conditions can also prevent your body from absorbing adequate amounts of the vitamin. Autoimmune diseases, Crohns, and HIV are among the medical problems that impair B12 absorption.
Medications like antibiotics, anti-seizure medications, and antacids can reduce how well your body absorbs B12. Harmful intestinal bacteria can also inhibit B12 from doing its job in your body.
Drinking Moderate Amounts of Alcohol or More Reduces B12 Levels
Even if you only drink a few beverages per week, you could be at risk for a B12 deficiency. Alcohol can prevent your body from storing the B12 you eat, and it could deplete your B12 storage levels. Heavy drinkers are at an even greater risk for a deficiency.
Stress Depletes B12 in the Body
We all know that stress isnt good for the body, but it can also rob you of essential B12. If you have recently experienced a period of extreme stress or you have chronic stress, you could be at risk for a B12 deficiency. Stress depletes stored levels in the body.
Age Factors Into B12 Absorption
Stressed To The T Take Vitamin B
Stress can be caused by external and internal forces. Stress can be much more than a busy schedule. Changes in blood sugar, magnesium and folate levels, and even the adrenal system can all increase stress levels in the body. These changes are often brought about not by of a firestorm at work, but because of a vitamin deficiency. Specifically, a vitamin B deficiency. Of the 13 essential vitamins, vitamin B is the most closely tied to stress. Manage the B-group levels, and the entire body and mind will benefit.
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How Vital Is B12 To Your Health
B12 is essential for maximum energy, proper nerve development, balanced brain chemistry, and even good digestion and a healthy heart.
In fact, your body craves B12 to keep your nerves and cells healthy.
It replenishes and revitalises the entire body… it energises you naturally.
Simply put: B12 plays a fundamental role in your health and happiness, and you should not overlook it ever.
Because without enough? Life can be pretty miserable.
Its especially rough if youre living a high-stress lifestyle.
Thats because stress and going non-stop can cause rapid depletion of your B12.
The 10 Best Vitamins For Anxiety According To Experts
Courtesy of Care/of
To be honest, it seems as though anxiety has become a bit of an umbrella term, effortlessly manipulated and thrown to and fro in order to describe, explain, and defend our perpetualâand ever-increasingâfeelings of stress, worry, or nervousness. Of course, all of these feelings are serious and are often symptoms or side effects of anxiety or other mood disorders, but in our stressed-out society, weâve also gotten to the point where we use anxiety as a Band-Aid term to describe whatever negative feeling or emotion is currently ailing us.
However, true anxiety is a very real, very prominent disorder, and the rate at which its growing in the United States is alarming, to say the least. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the United States, affecting 40 million adults every year. Additionally, as Time reported just one year ago, Americans are becoming increasingly anxious. A poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association indicated 39% of 1000 adults surveyed reported are more anxious than they were at the same time the previous year. Another 39% identified as feeling equally anxious, and only 19% felt less anxious.
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Cant I Just Buy A Good Vitamin B12 Supplement Then Why Buy A Complex
Sure you can and it might even work very well but heres the deal
even though the B1,B2,B3,B5,B7 and B9s do not have as strong role in the anxiety reducing mechanism as B12 and B6 they are indeed important for getting the optimal anxiety reducing effects.
This is because they work synergistically so without them the B6 and B12 would not be able to reduce anxiety as well as they do. Thats why I strongly recommend taking a full B complex supplement instead of buying only B12 and B6
..in addition to this the whole vitamin B family are, of course, also involved in hundreds of processes in our bodies that have nothing to do with stress, anxiety and depression but are otherwise crucial to our health.
Causes Of Vitamin B Deficiency
The causes of vitamin B deficiency may vary from one person to another. The most common causes include the following:
- Physical, spiritual and emotional stress
- Malnutrition, eating processed foods and refined sugar intake
- Prescription drugs
- Frequent exposure to toxins from personal care products and from the environment.
Do You Have A Vitamin B Deficiency?
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Vitamin B6 May Help People Who Suffer From Anxiety And Depression New Study Says
BOSTON – A new study finds vitamin B6, which is a common vitamin supplement, may help patients with anxiety and depression.
Researchers in the United Kingdom recruited 478 volunteers with anxiety and/or depression and randomly assigned them to receive high doses of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, or a placebo and screened them before and after taking the pills for one month. They found that those taking the B6 supplement saw a significant reduction in their anxiety and depression symptoms compared to placebo.
They say vitamin B6 supplements may allow some patients to avoid the unwanted side effects of prescription medications. But before starting a new supplement, discuss it with your doctor first.
Does B12 Help With Anxiety How It May Improve Your Mood
Aubrey Freitas is a former Registered Behavioral Therapist who has two Bachelor of Arts degrees from UCLA in Psychology and English. She is a Certified Resilience Peer through her work with the Depression Grand Challenge, and a lifelong mental health advocate.
Learn about our Editorial Policy.
There are a lot of vitamins and minerals out there that help support our growth and bodily functions. You’ve probably heard of more common nutrients, such as vitamin C, which can be found in many citrus fruits, and vitamin D, which you can absorb from the sun. But have you heard of vitamin B12?
There are a total of eight B vitamins. Many of them help release energy and transport nutrients throughout the body. Vitamin B12, in particular, has gained attention as a potential treatment to reduce symptoms of anxiety. But research results have yielded mixed results. Clinical trials have suggested that B vitamins may have an impact on mental health and specifically on anxiety, but the relationship is complex.
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The One Vitamin That Could Put An End To Your Anxiety Panic Attacks And Depression For Good
Stressful situations arise in everyones lives from time to time. Stress from these uncomfortable experiences often gives rise to mood changes, and it can lead to chronic anxiety, depression, and even severe panic attacks.
But is stress the only or the main cause for these mood shifts? New studies point out that may not be not the case.
Anxiety and other mood disturbances can be caused on a physiological level from lacking just one specific nutrient, and its one that millions of people are at risk for becoming deficient in due to modern dietary trends. Do you get enough of it in your diet?
Benefits Of Vitamin B
Here’s how vitamin B helps support mental wellness:
- Boosts energy levels: B vitamins help convert food into energy.
- Supports healthy brain function: Vitamin B6, B9, and B12 contribute to homocysteine metabolism, which can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
- Improves mood: Vitamin B6, in particular, is involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of mood.
- Alleviates stress: There is some research that B vitamins are associated with certain measures of reduced stress.
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Whats The Difference Between Stress And Anxiety
Because the symptoms of stress and anxiety are so similar, many people use the terms interchangeably. It is useful to understand the difference as many vitamins help both but the definition is different. Shared symptoms between the two conditions include:
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Difficulty sleeping
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A hard time concentrating on tasks, conversations, etc.
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Mood swings or mood changes, such as irritability
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Chronic fatigue and loss of motivation
However, while stress is a response to a short-term trigger , anxiety is a persistent feeling that never goes away.
Whether youre experiencing long-term anxiety or short-term stress, psychologists point out that both are emotional responses within your brain and nervous system. And an ever-expanding body of research is investigating how the foods you eat affect how you feel, and whether specific vitamins and minerals can help your brain to better moderate your emotional responses to lifes difficulties.
Get the nutrients you need to help feel less anxious with the Heights Smart Supplement.
B6 A New Approach For Depression Anxiety
Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW
High-dose vitamin B6 supplements may reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, new research suggests.
Investigators compared supplementation with a 1-month course of vitamin B6 or B12 to supplementation with placebo in almost 500 adults. Results showed that vitamin B6 supplementation was associated with reductions in self-reported anxiety and a trend toward decreased depressive symptoms.
In addition, the vitamin B6 group showed increased levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid , as indicated by results on a visual test that was administered at the end of the trial. The test results demonstrated subtle changes in participants’ visual performance. The researchers considered this to be consistent with controlled levels of GABA-related brain activity.
However, “before practicing clinicians would recommend taking high doses of vitamin B6, a full-scale clinical trial would have to be carried out to verify the findings, assess any side effects, and find out which types of patients do or don’t benefit,” study investigator David Field, PhD, associate professor, School of Psychological and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, United Kingdom, told Medscape Medical News.
“My relatively small study can only be considered as an initial proof of concept,” Field said.
The findings were July 22 in the Journal of Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental.
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Getting Enough Vitamin B12 In Your Diet
Vitamin B12 comes mainly from meat products: meat and poultry, eggs, fish, and dairy products. This makes it harder for vegetarian and vegans to receive this vitamin.
There is currently a debate about whether vitamin B12 even exists in the most-needed form in vegetable sources. While some recommend cranberries as a B12 source, others say that plant-based B12 is only a mimicking vitamin and not the same thing. In which case, taking a supplement is vital.
B12 supplements may be important not just for vegetarians and vegans. The Tufts University found that eating more meat often does nothing for vitamin B12. Even though meat is the main source of vitamin B12, it is often not getting absorbed in the body.
Because of this, while up to 86% of vegans have a B12 deficiency, so do 1 in 6 meat eaters, so most of us would do well to try a quality B12 supplement.
Ok So It Looks Like Vitamin B Does Work With Anxiety But Will It Work For Me
No one can say for sure. It depends on many factors. For example people who are deficient in vitamin B and who starts supplementing will probably be the ones who notices strongest effects. This is of course natural and to be expected but even people who eat a healthy diet and do not have a B12 deficiency, for example, have also reported reduced anxiety levels. In addition to this we are all different and respond differently to everything so the only way to know for sure is to try it.
Personally I feel the effects but its by no means a miracle cure . It is, however, another tool for anxiety and my philosophy is to collect and try out as many tool and tricks I can
as long as they are risk free, that is.
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B Vitamins Create Feel
Some of the B vitamins are required for the production of neurotransmitters essential to the ability to relax and maintain a positive state of mind.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is utilized in the synthesis of the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine.
This means that when youre stressed, there is less B6 available to perform its other functions.
For instance, vitamin B6 is essential to the formation of the feel-good neurotransmitters GABA, serotonin, and dopamine.
GABA
GABA is the brain chemical associated with relaxation.
When levels dip low, you may find yourself anxious, overstimulated, and overwhelmed, and youll find it hard to turn off your racing mind.
Serotonin
Serotonin is the happiness molecule.
Low levels of serotonin are linked to negative thinking, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and seasonal affective disorder.
Dopamine
Dopamine helps you get motivated and stay focused.
A low dopamine level will push you to rely on stimulants like caffeine, nicotine, and sugar to get through the day, further adding to your stress.
Many unhealthy habits that people gravitate to when theyre stressed and anxious alcohol, caffeine, smoking, sugar, and recreational drugs deplete nutrients as well.
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B1 is a necessary cofactor for the production of GABA and acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter of memory and learning.
It also strengthens the immune system, helps regulate blood sugar, and improves the ability to withstand stressful conditions.
Vitamin B3
Symptoms Of Vitamin B Deficiency
These are just few of the many symptoms of a vitamin B deficiency. Some or any of these symptoms are common to people who are suffering from symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression.
- Fearful thoughts
- Restlessness, chronic fatigue and insomnia
- Lack of focus
- Heart palpitations
- Irritable and angry.
A vitamin B deficiency can happen to anyone. You may not know that you have this particular deficiency because you will only experience mild symptoms in the beginning. If this vitamin deficiency becomes chronic other serious health problems may start to surface.
A person can be diagnosed with this kind of deficiency after undergoing blood tests to determine the red blood cell count and their levels of folic acid. A certified dietician or nutritionist will also prove to be of great help in treating people with a vitamin deficiency.
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Vitamins As A Management Tool
The benefits of vitamins are endless. Vitamins give the immune system a boost, manage moods, and fill nutritional gaps. The body naturally produces some vitamins, and others must be consumed through diet. Managing stress and anxiety is critical to a healthy and happy life. B-complex, E, C, GABA, and 5-HTP are 5 of the top vitamins which can help with anxiety and stress management. For more supplement recommendations, consult a pharmacist or healthcare provider.
High Calorie Malnutrition Thiamine Deficiency
High calorie malnutrition = eating tons of calories from foods that are lacking in essential nutrients.
An example is the Standard American Diet with way too much processed foods, refined sugar and fats and seed oils and not nearly enough nutritious whole foods.
This way of eating WILL cause thiamine starvation.
You see:
1. As I mentioned before, burning carbohydrates requires vitamin B1.
meanwhile:
2. Processed junk foods have been stripped of most nutrients,including vitamin B1.
It doesnt take a rocket scientist to see the problem here!
This is how a high calorie/thiamine ratio,over a long enough period, will inevitably lead to depletion of thiamine stores in the body.
And as mentioned, if your diet contains lots of booze this will further speed up the rate of depletion.
As a side note, this is one of the reasons why I think some people report doing much better on a keto/low-carb diet. Its not that all carbohydrates are bad its that reducing empty carbohydrate calories can spare thiamine needs and make you feel better.
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Scientific Studies On Thiamine Fighting Anxiety
Here are a few studies I dug up showing how thiamine can give you relief from anxiety:
1.This study done on 9 older patients with generalized anxiety disorder found that they all had low blood thiamine levels.
Daily injections of 100 mg thiamine improved anxiety and overall well-being, improved appetite and reduced fatigue
Furthermore, after treatment with thiamine ALL patients could go off their anxiolytics and beta-blockers.
Which is pretty awesome!
4.80 Irish women with thiamine insufficiency were assigned either to 10 mg thiamine per day or placebo. Compared to placebo, the women supplementing vitamin B1 saw an increase in appetite and bodyweight, improved sleep, improved well-being and decrease in fatigue.
5.This double-blinded RCT study showed that using thiamine together with a standard depression treatment alleviated depression faster!
6. Giving rats thiamine enhances cellular respiration, decreases oxidative stress and increases testosterone. In other words, vitamin B1 has potent anti-inflammatory effects which helps restore levels of protective steroids in the body.
7.Another study done on mice rats where administration of thiamine showed antidepressant/anti-stress effects!
how does thiamine actually help reduce anxiety?
The main thing that were going to look at is vitamin B1s critical role in energy production, and how a thiamine deficiency may give rise tounpleasant symptoms like anxiety and panic attacks.