While it is already common knowledge that there are vitamins that encourage better physical health, not many people know that all those minerals and vitamins that enter your body can also have a significant effect on how healthy your brain is.
As far as overall nutrition and health, there is no way that you can separate your body from your mind. These two always go hand in hand. This means that if you neglect one, the other will also suffer. This is why taking vitamins that can support and promote a healthier body may also be able to help support brain function and mental health.
When your body experiences some vitamin deficiencies, this can make your organ grow weak while working less effectively. If your organs don’t function properly, it increases your risk of developing different ailments and conditions that can dramatically affect both your physical and mental health.
Remember that your brain is also an organ, and it needs some nutrients for it to continue its function. Below are some vitamins that you might want to add to your diet to boost your brain function and support mental health:
Table of Contents
B Vitamins
Some of the best vitamins you can find for your mental health are none other than B vitamins. B vitamins are popular for their mood-altering abilities. This helps improve your memory, fight off fatigue, and let you function with better clarity as a whole. Deficiencies in B vitamins such as B12, B2, and B1 can result in irritability, fearfulness, anxiety, and depression.
Vitamins that can support and promote a healthier body may also be able to help support brain function and mental health, and some of the best vitamins you can find for your mental health are none other than B vitamins.
B9 and B12 are essential vitamins to help maintain a healthy nervous system. These two are required for the production of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Serotonin and norepinephrine are neurotransmitters found in the brain that influence moods and mental behavioral patterns.
CBD Resin
The effects of CBD resin, which is one of the active substances found in cannabis, are now starting to gain attention in terms of its benefits for mental health. This is among the most popular traditional varieties of hemp. This is increasingly exploited due to its healing, therapeutic, and anxiolytic properties.
CBD resin is known to have several virtues. The active substance found in it has also become the subject of many studies. For patients who suffer from anxiety symptoms and anxiety attacks, using CBD resin can be very beneficial.
This can also help regulate mood swings, yet its action is not just limited to physiology. This goes way beyond as it can also affect psychic faculties. This also seems to be more effective compared to antidepressants.
The effects of CBD resin, which is one of the active substances found in cannabis, are now starting to gain attention in terms of its benefits for mental health.
Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral present in the human body that helps regulate and calm the nervous system. An increased intake of magnesium can reduce symptoms of depression, and hypertension in children diagnosed with ADHD, and premenstrual syndrome in women.
It has also been revealed that low levels of magnesium are associated with depression. Despite the need for additional research before it is understood exactly why and how magnesium impacts mental health, a potential reason is that it can regulate gut microbes associated with the hippocampus. Magnesium supplementation regulates the unhealthy gut microbes that can cause symptoms of depression.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
While omega-3 fatty acids are mostly found in most fish and certain marine algae, these are most abundant in oily fish such as sardines, herring, and salmon.
Scientists are looking into omega-3 fatty acids and their effects on mood disorders after their discovery that depression is less common in countries that traditionally consume a fish-laden diet.
Fatty diets can effortlessly travel through the cell membranes and there, they interact with the mood-regulating molecules.
They also influence the function of neurotransmitters and enhance the fluidity of cell membranes which all contribute to a better mental state.
Saffron
Saffron is a fragrant and brightly colored spice often used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. This is produced from the dried petals of the flower named Saffron Crocus. Saffron is revealed to increase the levels of serotonin, a mood-enhancing neurotransmitter.
Saffron supplementation can dramatically reduce depression symptoms through increasing levels of serotonin. But more research is still required to understand saffron and its full scope of ability in treating mental health conditions.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is probably the most popular or mainstream out of all vitamins. A lot of people know all too well what vitamin C can do as well as its immune-boosting abilities. Even those who might not be familiar with various diseases and their specific uses will likely drink one or two glasses of orange juice or take a vitamin C tablet when they feel the symptoms of flu or cold coming on.
A lot of people know all too well what vitamin C can do as well as its immune-boosting abilities, but vitamin C also plays a critical role when it comes to mental health.
However, not a lot of people are aware that vitamin C also plays a critical role when it comes to mental health. Although the link between mood and vitamin C may be surprising, most people with vitamin C deficiency experience chronic fatigue and depression.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an amazing natural supplement for mental health. This vitamin can contribute to a healthier brain function in addition to other health perks. It has been revealed that upon testing, a lot of people diagnosed with depression also experience levels of vitamin D that are lower than usual.
Vitamin D Deficiency | I Thought I was Depressed
Meanwhile, people suffering from low vitamin D levels in their bodies are more likely to suffer bouts of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions compared to other people with normal vitamin D levels. If you are experiencing more symptoms of depression during months with low sunlight, vitamin D supplements may be able to help.
Zinc
Deficiencies in minerals and micronutrients are a serious problem all over the world and may lead to different health conditions, one of which is depression.
Zinc is a mineral that can be found all over the human body and in other animals as well. Whole grains, dairy, legumes, poultry, and meat all have relatively high zinc levels.
Zinc is an important trace element when it comes to most biochemical and biological functions such as the metabolism and immune system as well as the development and growth of the brain. Research has revealed that low levels of zinc can result in reduced function of the brain and other behavioral disturbances. Zinc supplementation might also help reduce symptoms of depression, specifically in women.
