Everyone gets anxious.

You have bills due before your next paycheck arrives. Your kid’s cough seems to be lingering just a little bit too long. Your boss asks to see you unexpectedly.

Anxiety is a normal part of the human experience.

It’s when the anxiety doesn’t go away—even when things seem fine—that it becomes a problem. A disorder, in fact: Anxiety is considered a disorder when excessive worry and anxiety occurs more often than not, and when you find it very difficult to control that constant feeling of worry.

Technically speaking, these anxious feelings also have to be accompanied by at least three of the following to be considered a disorder: restlessness or feeling “on edge”, being easily fatigued, poor concentration, irritability, tense muscles, and poor sleep. Your anxiety (or accompanying symptoms)would also have to cause significant impairment to your daily functioning to qualify.

If you’ve felt even one of these feelings before in your life, you know how debilitating they can be. But, unfortunately, they’re not the only signs of an emotional issue like anxiety.

The primary emotional symptoms of anxiety are apprehension and fear, but can also coexist with other emotions like confusion, selective attention, and avoidance. Physiologically, someone with anxiety may also experience heart palpitations, dizziness, changes in bowel movements and bladder functions, perspiration, headaches, muscle tightness, restlessness, insomnia, irritability, and queasiness.

And to make matters even worse, symptoms such as heart palpitations and shortness of breath can often worsen anxiety by frightening someone into believing that he or she is experiencing a heart attack or some other kind of serious physical condition.

Though anxiety isn’t often treated with the same somber reverence as depression, the symptoms of anxiety can contribute to suicidal tendencies and behaviors just as often as depression does.1,2

The understandable question, then, is, what causes anxiety—and can we stop it?

Chemically-speaking, there are several disruptions within the neuroendocrine system, neurotransmitters, and the anatomy of the brain that can signify a mood or anxiety disorder. The symptoms exhibited in anxiety disorders are thought to result partly from a disruption in the balance of activity within the emotional centers of the brain—also known as the limbic system—rather than in the higher cognitive areas. These areas are responsible for our stress response and emotions in general. It has been shown that the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine all play a role in the cause of anxiety disorders, too.2

The good news is that these disruptions can be managed and decreased. And you guessed it—your diet plays a major role in their management.

Here are three of the most common nutrition-related culprits of anxiety:

Vitamins and Minerals

Several studies have found that most people suffering from some of the most common mental disorders—including anxiety—are deficient in nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, minerals, the B vitamins, vitamin D, and amino acids.

There is a significant amount of data and studies that identify the link between low serum levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D and symptoms of depression and anxiety. It has also been found that anxiety sufferers are usually deficient in minerals such as magnesium, zinc, and selenium.

In fact, in one study done on people with anxiety, 38 participants were tested for plasma zinc and copper, then given zinc therapy. According to the results, patients with anxiety had significantly higher copper plasma levels along with lower zinc plasma levels when compared to the control group. But after receiving zinc therapy, their zinc levels normalized while their copper levels decreased slightly. And overall, patients saw a significant improvement in their anxiety symptoms.3

Your Gut

The microbiota of the human gut (otherwise known as the microorganisms that live in our gut) must be balanced in order to maintain the proper health and well-being of a person. An imbalance of microbial groups within the gut can lead to a diseased state, and has been associated with the risk of allergies, atopic diseases, obesity, diabetes, and even mental disorders (like—you guessed it—anxiety).

An association has also been found between the microbiota and the development of the body’s stress response system—and even the development of the brain, which could also explain microbiota’s role in mental disorders. In fact, specific changes in the gut microbiome, including the reduced percentage of specific microbial groups (or “good” bacteria) such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium have been associated with major depressive and anxiety disorders.4

Food Allergies or Sensitivities

There are also various types of allergies or food sensitivities that have been associated with anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. A study done on patients diagnosed with celiac disease found that the control group was more likely to be in a state of anxiety when compared to the control group. Once this group was put on a gluten-free diet for a year, their state of anxiety significantly improved. Other anxiety disorders such as panic disorders and social phobias have also both been linked to a poor response to gluten.5

* * *

Anxiety can be a truly debilitating disorder, but it doesn’t have to run your life.

Nutrition plays a role in the way we feel, think, and even in the way we perceive our lives and the world. I find this out myself more and more everyday, and scientists agree. They are finding significant amounts of data proving the importance of nutrients in the development of our brains, and even how it shapes our personalities.

If you are feeling any of the symptoms mentioned in today’s blog post, I encourage you to not only see your doctor, but also to look into testing for some of these deficiencies or sensitivities—then find good quality supplements and vitamins to take for any deficiencies you might have. Even if you start with taking just Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) and a Vitamin D supplement— you will be adding beneficial vitamins (of which most of us are already deficient) to your body.

Whatever you do—remember that food has the power to hurt, but it also has the power to heal. And it’s something you always have control over!

How will you take control of your nutrition—and your health—this week? Let me know in the comments below! And learn more about working with me to guide you nutritionally—and through many of life’s challenges, anxiety and all.

References:

  1. Stein M, Sareen J. Generalized Anxiety Disorder. N Engl J Med. 2015;373:2059-2068. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp1502514.
  2. Seligman L, Reichenberg LW. Selecting Effective Treatments: A Comprehensive Systematic Guide to Treating Mental Disorders, Includes DSM-5 Update Chapter. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley; 2013. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/bridgeport-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1584082.
  3. Russo AJ. Decreased Zinc and Increased Copper in Individuals with Anxiety. Nutrition and Metabolic Insights. 2011;4:1-5. doi:10.4137/NMI.S6349.
  4. Watson RR, Preedy VR. ed. Bioactive Food as Dietary Interventions for Liver and Gastrointestinal Disease : Bioactive Foods in Chronic Disease States. San Diego, CA: Elsevier Science; 2012. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/bridgeport-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1061964.
  5. Jackson JR, Eaton WW, Cascella NG, Fasano A, Kelly DL. Neurologic and Psychiatric Manifestations of Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity. The Psychiatric quarterly. 2012;83(1):91-102. doi:10.1007/s11126-011-9186-y.

Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash