5 nutrients that could lift your mood

Many foods can temporarily boost your mood simply because they’re delicious. But healthy foods also contain certain nutrients that may have a more direct and lasting effect on your well-being.

There are three main ways by which food can impact your mood:

  • Delicious food can make you instantly happier. But that’s often temporary.
  • Eating healthy can support a fit and healthy body. Having a healthy body is better for your mood than having an unhealthy body.
  • Certain nutrients in healthy foods can impact your mood for the better.

In this article, we take a look at five of those nutrients: magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and tryptophan.

Magnesium

Magnesium plays many roles in your body, so the potential mechanisms through which it may affect your mood are numerous. We’ll mention two:

Like zinc and vitamin D, magnesium may affect your mood hormonally. Low magnesium is associated with low testosterone,[1][2] and low testosterone is associated with low mood in men,[3][4][5][6] of course, but also in women.[7]

Magnesium may also affect your brain directly. Preliminary evidence suggests that magnesium modulates the activity of NMDA receptors (a type of glutamate receptors found on neurons),[8] which would explain why low levels of this mineral can result in abnormal neuronal excitations leading to anxiety.[9][10]

Observational studies show that people with anxiety disorders tend to have lower levels of magnesium,[11][12] and a systematic review of 18 interventions suggests that supplementation may help people who are susceptible to anxiety.[13] The reviewers deplore, however, the poor quality of the existing evidence, and in a more recent triple-blind randomized control trial (RCT), supplemental magnesium failed to alleviate postpartum anxiety and depression.[14]

A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that there was little evidence for the involvement of magnesium in depression; it stressed that magnesium supplementation was associated with a decline in symptoms in uncontrolled studies, but not in placebo-controlled studies.[15]

Magnesium deficiency isn’t unknown in the United States,[16] especially in the elderly.[17] Also, since, like zinc, magnesium is lost through sweat,[18][19][20] athletes should take special care of their magnesium intake. Athletes participating in sports requiring weight control seem especially vulnerable to an inadequate magnesium status.[16]

Fortunately, with just a little care, you can easily reach your Recommended Daily Intake (RDA): magnesium-rich foods are numerous and can fit all kinds of diets. And whereas high doses of supplemental magnesium can cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal issues, “magnesium, when ingested as a naturally occurring substance in foods, has not been demonstrated to exert any adverse effects”.[21]

If you still feel the need to supplement, at least avoid magnesium oxide: it has poor bioavailability (rats absorbed only 15% in one study,[22] humans only 4% in another[23]) and is more likely to cause intestinal discomfort and diarrhea.

image

Mixed evidence from observational studies associates low magnesium levels with anxiety but not with depression. Correspondingly, mixed evidence from interventional studies suggests that magnesium supplementation is more likely to help with anxiety than with depression. On a practical level, if you eat enough magnesium-rich foods to satisfy your RDA, as you should, supplementing with magnesium is probably not going to benefit your mood.

Zinc

A cross-sectional study of data gathered from 14,834 Americans (7,435 women and 7,399 men) between 2009 and 2014 found an association between depression and zinc deficiency.[24] Likewise, a cross-sectional study of data gathered from 2,019 pregnant Canadian women between 2002 and 2005 reported that being in the highest quintile for zinc intake appeared to buffer the impact of stress and thus the development of depressive symptoms.[25]

Cross-sectional studies are snapshots in time, though: they might show correlation, but they cannot establish causation. Zinc deficiency was associated with depression, but did it cause the depression? Or did depression cause the zinc deficiency? Or could it be that depression and zinc deficiency were both caused by some other, undetermined factor?

Those are questions cross-sectional studies cannot answer. Fortunately, some randomized trials, which follow people over time, suggest that supplemental zinc makes antidepressant therapies more effective.[26][27][28]

Here again, we don’t yet know all the mechanisms at play. We know that zinc influences the immune system and brain homeostasis, and like magnesium it may act on your brain’s NMDA receptors.[8] Also, as with magnesium and vitamin D, low zinc levels may impair testosterone production,[29][30] and as we saw, low testosterone is associated with low mood in both men[3][4][5][6] and women.[7]

If you are not deficient, though, just taking more zinc isn’t likely to help, which might be why, in a recent triple-blind RCT, supplemental zinc failed to alleviate postpartum anxiety and depression.[14] (The factors leading to postpartum anxiety and depression, it should be noted, may differ substantially from the factors that lead to clinical anxiety and depression in the general population.)

In any case, getting too much zinc is not a good idea. In fact, far overshooting your Recommended Daily Intake (RDA)[31] can be harmful: in the short term, it can cause nausea[32] and vomiting;[33] in the long term, it can lead to a copper deficiency,[34][35] which may be inversely associated with depression.[24]

image

Still, while overt zinc deficiency is uncommon in the United States, it isn’t entirely unknown. It has notably been documented in people suffering from malabsorption syndromes — including Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and short-bowel syndrome.[36] Furthermore, even healthy people can have suboptimal levels — especially the elderly.[37][38] Finally, since zinc is lost through sweat,[18] like magnesium, athletes should take special care of their zinc intake.[39]

Fortunately, zinc-rich foods are not rare. Zinc is mostly found in animal-based foods, but with some planning, vegans can reach their RDAs without resorting to supplementation.

image * Adequate Intake (AI)

Low zinc levels are associated with depression. Fortunately, with some planning, you can reach your RDA through foods, even if you’re a vegan. Keep in mind that taking a lot more than your RDA is more likely to harm your health than benefit your mood.

Vitamin D

We reviewed the effects of the ever-popular vitamin D on mood in another article. In summary, depression has been associated with vitamin D insufficiency (≤20 ng/mL),[40][41] and vitamin D insufficiency is estimated to affect about half the world’s population,[42][43] including more than 40% of Americans.[44] You can have your vitamin D levels assessed through a 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood test.

image

However, that depression is associated with vitamin D insufficiency doesn’t mean that vitamin D insufficiency is the cause (or the only cause) of the depression. During the winter months, when there is less sun, you might suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD),[45] which has been associated both with a decrease in vitamin D production[46] (due to a decrease in exposure to the UVB spectrum of sun rays) and with a decrease in illumination[47][48][49] (a decrease in exposure to the visible spectrum of sun rays).

Five successive reviews looked at the effects of supplemental vitamin D on mood. The 2015 review found no significant reduction in depression, though its authors didn’t rule out the possibility that supplemental vitamin D could be more effective in people with higher levels of depression or lower levels of vitamin D than seen in most studies. The four other reviews — published in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018 — found benefit from supplementation, but three mentioned low methodological quality,[50][40][41] and two mentioned high risk of publication bias[40][41] (of the other two, one found minimal bias[50] and the other failed to account for bias[51]).

In Canada and the United States, the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D falls between 400 and 800 IU (International Units).[52] These amounts, which some researchers criticize as inadequate,[53][54][55] can be obtained naturally from only a few food sources, notably fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and sardines). However, in Canada and the United States, milk is often fortified with vitamin D.

image

Since few foods are rich in vitamin D, supplementation is a valid option. Should your blood test show that your vitamin D levels are low, start supplementing with 2,000 IU/day (a number that, based on the available evidence, should provide the best balance of efficacy and safety), then get tested again after a couple of months.

Low levels of vitamin D (found in more than 40% of Americans) have been associated with depression, and there is preliminary evidence that supplementation can help. Among common foods, fatty fish and fortified milk are the most notable source of vitamin D.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Three large systematic reviews of observational studies and RCTs concluded that fish oil could alleviate clinical depression,[56][57] especially when used to complement standard antidepressant therapies.[58][57]

Some researchers have stressed, however, that the evidence remains weak — maybe due to the different studies using different designs and methodologies, including different combinations and doses of omega-3 fatty acids[58][8] — and that clinical implications should therefore be tempered.[59]

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) your body needs and cannot produce. There are only two kinds of EFAs: linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Neither is very active, so your body transforms the former notably into arachidonic acid (AA) and the latter into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). LA and AA are omega-6 fatty acids, while ALA, EPA, and DHA are omega-3 fatty acids. EPA and DHA make up most of the PUFAs in fish oil.

Several mechanisms of action have been posited to explain the antidepressive effect of PUFAs in general, omega-3 fatty acids, EPA specifically, and DHA specifically,[58][8] but on a practical level what stands out is that EPA seems to reduce depression more than DHA does.[8][57]

EPA and DHA are mostly found in seafoods, notably fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and sardines). The omega-3 fatty acid in most plant foods is ALA, little of which your body converts to EPA and DHA.[60][61][62][63][64] For vegetarians and vegans, the only rich source of EPA and DHA is algal oil in supplemental form.[60]

Preliminary evidence suggests that EPA and DHA, two omega-3 fatty acids abundant in fish oil, can help alleviate clinical depression, especially when they complement standard antidepressant therapies. EPA appears to be more effective than DHA.

Tryptophan

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid (EAA), which means that your body needs it but cannot synthesize it and so must get it through food. Your body needs you to consume at least 4 mg of tryptophan per kilogram of body weight per day (4 mg/kg/day, so 1.8 mg/lb/day).[65]

Your body uses tryptophan notably to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood.[8][66][67][68][69][70] A study found that healthy participants fed a diet rich in tryptophan had less anxiety, irritability, and depression.[71]

It is worth mentioning that, according to some researchers, the total amount of tryptophan ingested is less important than the ratio of tryptophan to other amino acids competing for the same transporter.[72][73] If they’re right (although there’s currently little evidence in support of their hypothesis) then just eating a protein-rich diet won’t give you all the mood-benefits of trytophan; you’ll have to prioritize tryptophan-rich foods.

Your body uses tryptophan to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter known to affect mood. You need to consume at least 4 milligrams of tryptophan per kilogram of body weight per day (so 1.8 mg/lb/day).

The bottom line

image

A healthy, balanced diet will naturally contain enough magnesium and zinc, two essential minerals likely to affect mood.

Regularly eating fatty fish will provide you with EPA and DHA, two fatty acids that can help alleviate clinical depression. Vegetarians can get their EPA and DHA through conversion of plant fatty acids (though conversion rates can be very low) or through an algal oil supplement.

You can also try selecting foods rich in tryptophan, an amino acid used by your body to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter known to affect mood.

Finally, if you don’t get enough sun, you might want to consider supplementing with vitamin D.

Feeling down? Click here to read more on supplementing for better mood.

References

1.^Maggio M, De Vita F, Lauretani F, Nouvenne A, Meschi T, Ticinesi A, Dominguez LJ, Barbagallo M, Dall'aglio E, Ceda GPThe Interplay between Magnesium and Testosterone in Modulating Physical Function in MenInt J Endocrinol.(2014)
2.^Maggio M, Ceda GP, Lauretani F, Cattabiani C, Avantaggiato E, Morganti S, Ablondi F, Bandinelli S, Dominguez LJ, Barbagallo M, Paolisso G, Semba RD, Ferrucci LMagnesium and anabolic hormones in older menInt J Androl.(2011 Dec)
3.^Rodgers S, Grosse Holtforth M, Hengartner MP, Müller M, Aleksandrowicz AA, Rössler W, Ajdacic-Gross VSerum testosterone levels and symptom-based depression subtypes in menFront Psychiatry.(2015 May 4)
4.^Johnson JM, Nachtigall LB, Stern TAThe effect of testosterone levels on mood in men: a reviewPsychosomatics.(2013 Nov-Dec)
5.^Bassil N, Alkaade S, Morley JEThe benefits and risks of testosterone replacement therapy: a reviewTher Clin Risk Manag.(2009 Jun)
6.^Zarrouf FA, Artz S, Griffith J, Sirbu C, Kommor MTestosterone and depression: systematic review and meta-analysisJ Psychiatr Pract.(2009 Jul)
7.^Davis SR, Wahlin-Jacobsen STestosterone in women--the clinical significanceLancet Diabetes Endocrinol.(2015 Dec)
8.^Martínez-Cengotitabengoa M, González-Pinto ANutritional supplements in depressive disordersActas Esp Psiquiatr.(2017 Sep)
9.^Cortese BM, Phan KLThe role of glutamate in anxiety and related disordersCNS Spectr.(2005 Oct)
10.^Bergink V, van Megen HJ, Westenberg HGGlutamate and anxietyEur Neuropsychopharmacol.(2004 May)
11.^Tarleton EK, Littenberg BMagnesium intake and depression in adultsJ Am Board Fam Med.(2015 Mar-Apr)
12.^Derom ML, Sayón-Orea C, Martínez-Ortega JM, Martínez-González MAMagnesium and depression: a systematic reviewNutr Neurosci.(2013 Sep)
14.^Fard FE, Mirghafourvand M, Mohammad-Alizadeh Charandabi S, Farshbaf-Khalili A, Javadzadeh Y, Asgharian HEffects of zinc and magnesium supplements on postpartum depression and anxiety: A randomized controlled clinical trialWomen Health.(2017 Oct)
15.^Phelan D, Molero P, Martínez-González MA, Molendijk MMagnesium and mood disorders: systematic review and meta-analysisBJPsych Open.(2018 Jul)
16.^Nielsen FH, Lukaski HCUpdate on the relationship between magnesium and exerciseMagnes Res.(2006 Sep)
17.^Costello RB, Moser-Veillon PBA review of magnesium intake in the elderly. A cause for concern?Magnes Res.(1992 Mar)
18.^Tang YM, Wang DG, Li J, Li XH, Wang Q, Liu N, Liu WT, Li YXRelationships between micronutrient losses in sweat and blood pressure among heat-exposed steelworkersInd Health.(2016 Jun 10)
19.^Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Military Nutrition Research; Marriott BM, editor. Washington (DC)Nutritional Needs in Hot Environments, “Influence of Exercise and Heat on Magnesium Metabolism”National Academies Press (US).(1993)
22.^Yoshimura Y, Fujisaki K, Yamamoto T, Shinohara YPharmacokinetic Studies of Orally Administered Magnesium Oxide in RatsYakugaku Zasshi.(2017 May 1)
23.^Firoz M, Graber MBioavailability of US commercial magnesium preparationsMagnes Res.(2001 Dec)
24.^Li Z, Wang W, Xin X, Song X, Zhang DAssociation of total zinc, iron, copper and selenium intakes with depression in the US adultsJ Affect Disord.(2018 Mar 1)
25.^Roy A, Evers SE, Avison WR, Campbell MKHigher zinc intake buffers the impact of stress on depressive symptoms in pregnancyNutr Res.(2010 Oct)
26.^Ranjbar E, Kasaei MS, Mohammad-Shirazi M, Nasrollahzadeh J, Rashidkhani B, Shams J, Mostafavi SA, Mohammadi MREffects of zinc supplementation in patients with major depression: a randomized clinical trialIran J Psychiatry.(2013 Jun)
27.^Swardfager W, Herrmann N, McIntyre RS, Mazereeuw G, Goldberger K, Cha DS, Schwartz Y, Lanctôt KLPotential roles of zinc in the pathophysiology and treatment of major depressive disorderNeurosci Biobehav Rev.(2013 Jun)
30.^Chang CS, Choi JB, Kim HJ, Park SBCorrelation between serum testosterone level and concentrations of copper and zinc in hair tissueBiol Trace Elem Res.(2011 Dec)
32.^Singh M, Das RRZinc for the common coldCochrane Database Syst Rev.(2011 Feb 16)
33.^Valentiner-Branth P, Shrestha PS, Chandyo RK, Mathisen M, Basnet S, Bhandari N, Adhikari RK, Sommerfelt H, Strand TAA randomized controlled trial of the effect of zinc as adjuvant therapy in children 2-35 mo of age with severe or nonsevere pneumonia in Bhaktapur, NepalAm J Clin Nutr.(2010 Jun)
34.^Willis MS, Monaghan SA, Miller ML, McKenna RW, Perkins WD, Levinson BS, Bhushan V, Kroft SHZinc-induced copper deficiency: a report of three cases initially recognized on bone marrow examinationAm J Clin Pathol.(2005 Jan)
37.^Meunier N, O'Connor JM, Maiani G, Cashman KD, Secker DL, Ferry M, Roussel AM, Coudray CImportance of zinc in the elderly: the ZENITH studyEur J Clin Nutr.(2005 Nov)
38.^Blumberg JNutritional needs of seniorsJ Am Coll Nutr.(1997 Dec)
39.^Tipton K, Green NR, Haymes EM, Waller MZinc loss in sweat of athletes exercising in hot and neutral temperaturesInt J Sport Nutr.(1993 Sep)
40.^Parker GB, Brotchie H, Graham RKVitamin D and depressionJ Affect Disord.(2017 Jan 15)
41.^Allan GM, Cranston L, Lindblad A, McCormack J, Kolber MR, Garrison S, Korownyk CVitamin D: A Narrative Review Examining the Evidence for Ten BeliefsJ Gen Intern Med.(2016 Jul)
42.^Nair R, Maseeh AVitamin D: The "sunshine" vitaminJ Pharmacol Pharmacother.(2012 Apr)
43.^Holick MFVitamin D deficiencyN Engl J Med.(2007 Jul 19)
44.^Forrest KY, Stuhldreher WLPrevalence and correlates of vitamin D deficiency in US adultsNutr Res.(2011 Jan)
46.^Kerr DC, Zava DT, Piper WT, Saturn SR, Frei B, Gombart AFAssociations between vitamin D levels and depressive symptoms in healthy young adult womenPsychiatry Res.(2015 May 30)
48.^Golden RN, Gaynes BN, Ekstrom RD, Hamer RM, Jacobsen FM, Suppes T, Wisner KL, Nemeroff CBThe efficacy of light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders: a review and meta-analysis of the evidenceAm J Psychiatry.(2005 Apr)
52.^Institute of Medicine (US) Committee to Review Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D and Calcium, A Catharine Ross, Christine L Taylor, Ann L Yaktine, Heather B Del ValleDietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D.()
56.^Grosso G, Micek A, Marventano S, Castellano S, Mistretta A, Pajak A, Galvano FDietary n-3 PUFA, fish consumption and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studiesJ Affect Disord.(2016 Nov 15)
57.^Mocking RJ, Harmsen I, Assies J, Koeter MW, Ruhé HG, Schene AHMeta-analysis and meta-regression of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation for major depressive disorderTransl Psychiatry.(2016 Mar 15)
58.^Burhani MD, Rasenick MMFish oil and depression: The skinny on fatsJ Integr Neurosci.(2017)
59.^Bastiaansen JA, Munafò MR, Appleton KM, Oldehinkel AJThe efficacy of fish oil supplements in the treatment of depression: food for thoughtTransl Psychiatry.(2016 Dec 6)
61.^Hussein N, Ah-Sing E, Wilkinson P, Leach C, Griffin BA, Millward DJLong-chain conversion of 13Clinoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid in response to marked changes in their dietary intake in menJ Lipid Res.(2005 Feb)
62.^Pawlosky RJ, Hibbeln JR, Novotny JA, Salem N JrPhysiological compartmental analysis of alpha-linolenic acid metabolism in adult humansJ Lipid Res.(2001 Aug)
66.^Jenkins TA, Nguyen JC, Polglaze KE, Bertrand PPInfluence of Tryptophan and Serotonin on Mood and Cognition with a Possible Role of the Gut-Brain AxisNutrients.(2016 Jan 20)
67.^Cowen PJ, Browning MWhat has serotonin to do with depression?World Psychiatry.(2015 Jun)
68.^Feder A, Skipper J, Blair JR, Buchholz K, Mathew SJ, Schwarz M, Doucette JT, Alonso A, Collins KA, Neumeister A, Charney DSTryptophan depletion and emotional processing in healthy volunteers at high risk for depressionBiol Psychiatry.(2011 Apr 15)
69.^Richard DM, Dawes MA, Mathias CW, Acheson A, Hill-Kapturczak N, Dougherty DML-Tryptophan: Basic Metabolic Functions, Behavioral Research and Therapeutic IndicationsInt J Tryptophan Res.(2009 Mar 23)
71.^Lindseth G, Helland B, Caspers JThe effects of dietary tryptophan on affective disordersArch Psychiatr Nurs.(2015 Apr)
72.^Kroes MC, van Wingen GA, Wittwer J, Mohajeri MH, Kloek J, Fernández GFood can lift mood by affecting mood-regulating neurocircuits via a serotonergic mechanismNeuroimage.(2014 Jan 1)