Just as stress can affect nutrition, nutrition can affect stress. So, what are the best nutrients for stress relief? Keep reading.
Deficient Nutrients and Stress
Stress comes in many different forms. It’s not only environmental but also nutritional. Although most people in affluent countries are getting more than enough calories, they’re still nutrient deficient.
The body needs certain nutrients and molecules to function properly. Some of them are essential whereas others are conditionally essential. They aren’t inherently mandatory to maintain bare essential physiological function but are still relevant for carrying out different processes.
Malnourished individuals are more vulnerable to infections and sickness because their immune system lacks the resources to function properly[i]. This makes third world countries more susceptible to infections. However, nutrient-deficient diets and poor food choices can also weaken the immune system[ii].
Nutrient deficiencies are linked to mood disorders, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and other stress-related conditions. What’s worse, stress tends to deplete the body from these nutrients as well, worsening the ability to respond to the stress even further.
Nutrients Needed for Stress Adaptation
The ability to deal with stress is very dependent on your body’s stress adaptation and whether or not it gets access to key nutrients. Being too stressed out or deficient of some resources makes it harder to cope with even the smallest of stressful things.
Here are the necessary nutrients for stress relief / stress adaptation:
Amino Acids – Your entire body is made of protein and amino acids are the building blocks that comprise protein. Deficient amino acids are linked to depression, brain fog, fatigue, muscle loss, frailty, and weakness[iii].
Vitamin B3 or niacin supplementation increases NAD+ biosynthesis[iv]. NAD is the most important co-enzyme in the body that’s involved with energy production and metabolism. Pharmacological doses of niacin may help the immune system fight against severe infections like HIV and tuberculosis, but the research is still preliminary[v].
Vitamin B12 – B vitamins are essential for energy production. Deficient B12 is often linked with anemia and chronic fatigue. Deficient B12 can cause neurological issues, dementia, and disturbed sleep[vi].
Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q10) acts as a contributor to the electron transport chain. It’s a fat-soluble compound that helps to generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and hence energy. It has been used for decades as a dietary supplement. Low cellular ubiquinone levels may be a predisposing factor for various illnesses due to insufficient aerobic energy production in the cells[vii]. With low energy production the body will not be able to fight the intruders. CoQ10 reduces oxidative stress and preserves macrophages in the immune system[viii]. I take it in liquid form.
Potassium – Potassium is important for cardiovascular function, nerve firing, muscles, and endurance. Deficiencies in potassium can weaken muscle contraction, cause arrhythmia, and impair insulin production[ix][x][xi].
Calcium – You need calcium for healthy bones and nerve firing. However, just getting more calcium isn’t enough to prevent osteoporosis. You also need vitamin K to direct calcium into the bones and prevent atherosclerosis.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that animals produce in response to stress[xii]. Humans have lost that ability during our evolution and have to obtain it from diet. Vitamin C helps to recycle oxidized glutathione back into active glutathione[xiii]. People who take vitamin C regularly won’t prevent the cold completely but they can expect shorter colds (by 8 % in adults and 14 % in children) with slightly less severe symptoms. Athletes who take vitamin C regularly are half as likely to catch a cold as athletes who do not[xiv].
Vitamin D – Low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased risk of infections[xv] as well as autoimmune diseases[xvi]. Several systematic reviews of daily vitamin D supplementation have shown it to be protective against respiratory tract infections[xvii][xviii].
Vitamin E – Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant. It’s one of the most important vitamins for protecting against lipid peroxidation or the oxidation of fats[xix]. Inflammatory fats and bad oils are one of the worst things for your health and stress adaptation because they become a part of your cell membrane and begin to cause chronic inflammation. Vitamin E deficiencies are uncommon but your demand for vitamin E increases when you consume more inflammatory fats like canola oil or processed foods.
Choline – Choline is a precursor to acetylcholine – a neurotransmitter responsible for cognitive functioning and attention. It’s also vital for cell membranes, methyl metabolism, and cholesterol transportation[xx]. You need choline to prevent fatty liver and support methylation[xxi].
Iron – Iron is essential for hemoglobin transportation, which helps to transfer oxygen to muscles and cells. Low iron or anemia is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the world that causes chronic fatigue and lethargy. Excess iron is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and can be toxic so consult your doctor first before supplementation[xxii].
Iodine – Stress decreases thyroid function and will lead to a slower metabolic rate. Iodine is important for thyroid functioning and the metabolism[xxiii]. It supports the production of thyroid hormones.
Zinc –Zinc plays an important role as a structural agent of proteins and cell membranes preventing oxidative stress[xxiv]. Zinc is important for hormone production and immunity. It’s also known for fighting against infections. Low zinc status can cause gastrointestinal problems and increase the risk of pneumonia[xxv].
Selenium – Selenium is an essential mineral important for the immune health, thyroid function, and fertility. It’s also one of the nutrients that promotes glutathione the master antioxidant in the body[xxvi]. Without enough selenium your metabolism will take a nose dive and your ability to respond to stressful events diminishes.
To know which nutrients are the root of your problems, get a blood test at least once or twice a year. It helps to identify your deficiencies and fix your loopholes.
Nutrients for Stress Relief
Stress in of itself isn’t bad if its acute. Brief stress like from exercise is actually very beneficial. It turns on the body’s defence mechanisms and becomes stronger. However, for that you need to recover from stress
To recover from stress you also need different nutrients:
- Magnesium – Magnesium is important for managing stress, including all the other biological processes and reactions in your body. Stress also depletes magnesium, raising cortisol, and supplementation helps to reduce this effect[xxvii]. It also promotes sleep efficiency, onset, and total quality[xxviii]. This might explain why people crave chocolate when they’re stressed out because chocolate has a little bit of magnesium. However, there are other sources like leafy greens and beans with much higher magnesium.
- Tryptophan – The amino acid tryptophan can cross the blood-brain barrier and get transformed into a precursor of serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). 5-HT promotes drowsiness and fatigue, which is perfect for sleep. You can get tryptophan from poultry, dairy, nuts, seeds, and carbohydrates.
- Calcium – A study found that fixing a calcium deficiency helped to regain normal REM sleep[xxix]. It can also assist tryptophan to be converted into melatonin.
- Glycine – Glycine functions as an inhibitory neurotransmitter that antagonizes glutamate receptors. It’s been shown to improve sleep quality[xxx]. Glycine also lowers body temperature, which will help to fall asleep[xxxi].
- Inositol (Vitamin B8) – Inositol is a vitamin-like substance that’s found in animals and plants. It helps with the regulation of neurochemicals. Your body produces a little bit of inositol but it may get depleted if you’re experiencing a lot of emotional turmoil. Inositol supplementation can boost serotonin and calm down the nervous system[xxxii].
- GABA – Called gamma-aminobutyric acid, it’s the main inhibitory neurotransmitter and regulates the nerve impulses in the human body. Therefore, it is important for both physical and mental performance, as both of them are connected to the nervous system. Also, GABA is to an extent responsible for causing relaxation and calmness, helping to produce BDNF.
- Adaptogens – Adaptogens are plant substances that promote homeostasis inside the body[xxxiii]. If you’re low in energy they will stimulate you up but if you’re over-hyped they’ll bring you down. Such compounds have been used in traditional medicine for centuries to promote stress resistance. Things like medicinal mushrooms, ashwagandha, ginger, ginseng, maca root, rhodiola rosea, and licorice can help to recover as well as adapt to future stressors. However, they may not work for some people who are already chronically fatigued or depleted because their body isn’t capable of responding to these compounds and actually gets weaker.
Proper resilience against stress requires you to approach a stressful event with fully topped off resources and sufficient recovery afterwards. If you have loopholes somewhere in your metabolism then things will become more stressful than they actually should be.
To learn how to make yourself more resilient against stress, then check out Siim Land’s book Stronger by Stress. I own the audiobook and find myself often referring back to it.
Stress and Magnesium
One of the most important nutrients for stress and overall metabolism is magnesium. It’s involved with virtually all physiological processes in the body.
See: Why You Need MORE Magnesium When Stressed Out
Low magnesium levels are associated with photosensitive headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, audiogenic stress, cold stress, and physical stress[xxxiv]. Unfortunately, most people are deficient in magnesium. It’s also depleted from the soil and foods have almost no magnesium compared to what they had a few decades ago.
Stress depletes magnesium by activating the sympathetic nervous system[xxxv]. Things like insulin resistance, EMF exposure, sleep deprivation, work-related stress, and exercise deplete it even further.
I take Calm Magnesium and mix it with this glycine before going to bed. This combo has been working wonders for me!
References
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