Have you wondered whether there are particular vitamins that can help depression or anxiety?
Or whether vitamin deficiencies can play a role in mental health?
Well we’re going to cover 4 vitamins for depression and anxiety today.
Hi I’m Dr Janelle Sinclair, and on this youtube channel we discuss natural remedies
for depression and anxiety.
Make sure that you subscribe and hit the bell button to be notified about our new weekly
videos.
So let’s discuss the first vitamin for depression and anxiety: Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin that plays a key role in the nervous system and is involved
in the production of serotonin and other neurotransmitters.
Vitamin B12 concentrations have been shown to be lower in depressed patients than nondepressed
patients.
Lower B12 levels have also been observed in obsessive compulsive disorder.
A vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with symptoms such as
- weakness, fatigue, depression and anxiety.
- numbness or tingling in hands, legs or feet - difficulty walking or balance problems
- anemia - a swollen or inflamed tongue
- difficulty thinking and - memory loss
The most common causes of a vitamin B12 deficiency are gastric surgery, pernicious anemia, Coeliac
disease, or Crohn's disease.
A diet low in vitamin b12 such as a vegan, vegetarian or low red meat diet is another
major cause.
Vitamin B12 blood tests are available through your doctor.
Although they are not overly accurate, it's the best place to start to rule out a vitamin
B12 deficiency as the cause of your depression or anxiety.
Have you had your vitamin B12 levels tested recently?
What did it show?
I’d love to hear.
Vitamins for Depression and anxiety #2: Folate Folate or vitamin B9 is another vitamin deficiency
that can play a role in mental health.
Folate like vitamin b12 is important for the central nervous system.
It is key for serotonin and neurotransmitter synthesis through the process of methylation
and due to its role in tetrahydrobiopterin production.
Patients diagnosed with major depression have lower concentrations of folate compared to
others, and it's found that the lower they are in folate the more severe and prolonged
the depression.
Furthermore, if you have low folate it's more likely that you won't respond to antidepressant
medication.
They describe this as being treatment resistant.
Interestingly, a special form of folate, called methylfolate, is used as an antidepressant
medication in the united states.
It is available worldwide as a supplement also.
The symptoms of a folate deficiency include fatigue, weakness, lethargy, pale skin, shortness
of breath, depression and irritability.
If you're interested in learning how to interpret your folate and B12 blood tests and the best
supplement dosages to treat depression and anxiety, you'll want to find out about an
online course that I'll be releasing shortly.
In it I’ll be discussing the best diet for depression and anxiety, nutritional deficiencies
to test for and treat, as well as gut and adrenal health.You can register your interest
at drjanellesinclair.com/ecourse.
The third vitamin for depression and anxiety, that I want to mention today is Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a steroid vitamin, made by your body when your skin is exposed to the sun.
So it's often referred to as the sun vitamin.
It's most known for its role in calcium absorption and keeping our bones strong, but more recently
research shows it's also important for the immune system, for muscles, the heart and
lungs, it has anti-cancer effects and is important for brain development and mood
Vitamin D is necessary for creating serotonin and dopamine, and these are two important
brain chemicals that are described as being calming or happy hormones.
In the US, it's estimated that 41.6% of people are vitamin D deficient, with a staggering
82.1% of people of colour, and 69.2% of Hispanics having low vitamin D levels.
I've created a YouTube video that discusses Vitamin D deficiency symptoms, testing and
supplementation, so I suggest that you watch that video if you have depression, fatigue
or anxiety.
Vitamins for Depression and anxiety #4: Vitamin C
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is a potent antioxidant.
Our body can't make it, so it's vital that we get it from our diet.
Vitamin C is an important vitamin in the body and is known to help the immune system, support
adrenal health and protect the Cardiovascular system.
In small studies, 3grams of vitamin C daily, which is quite a high dose, it's shown to
reduce the severity of major depression, and even lowers depressive scores in healthy individuals.
Keep in mind that vitamin C can have a laxative effect, so if you do trial this high dose
and you get a stomach upset, I suggest that you lower the dose accordingly.
Remember to register your interest in my online course on natural strategies for depression
and anxiety at drjanellesinclair.com/ecourse.
Thanks for watching and I’ll see you in the next video.