Feeling Stressed? Expert Shares Why It May Be Due to Nutrient Deficiencies

Feeling stressed already in 2024? The start of a new year often sees people running on a busy schedule, which can lead to experiencing stress in various forms, including "nutrient stress."

Marina Wright, a nutritionist in Melbourne, Australia, told Newsweek that stress and nutritional deficiencies have a "bidirectional" relationship, with each influencing the other.

"It's essential to note that it's not only emotional stress that triggers your stress response. Anything overwhelming your body's ability to handle challenges, including nutrient deficiencies, can keep your stress response on constant alert," Wright said in a recent viral post from her Instagram account, @marinawrightwellness.

She told Newsweek: "During periods of stress, the body experiences an increased demand for nutrients due to elevated energy needs, nutrient mobilization and the support required for the stress response."

Stress can affect the absorption of nutrients in the gut, and "when the body lacks essential nutrients required for optimal physiological function, it undergoes a state of stress known as nutrient stress," said Wright.

"This adds to the overall stress load on the body, extending beyond emotional or psychological factors. The body's inability to meet these nutritional needs can trigger the stress response," said Wright, a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner and certified integrative nutrition health coach.

Several studies have shown that "diet and nutrition are critical not only for physiology and body composition, but also have significant effects on mood and mental well-being," a March 2021 study in Frontiers in Nutrition said.

An August 2020 study in Nutrients said that dietary modification can prevent the development of "stress-related mental disorders, including major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder."

Nutrient Deficiencies That Can Lead to Stress

Below are some key nutrient deficiencies that can contribute to stress and affect your overall well-being, according to Wright:

• Magnesium: Deficiency in magnesium may be linked to increased stress levels. Low levels of magnesium, which is involved in muscle and nerve function, "can contribute to feelings of anxiety and tension," Wright said.
• B vitamins, especially B6, B9 (folate) and B12: B vitamins are crucial for the synthesis of neurotransmitters that affect mood, such as serotonin, which stabilizes mood, and dopamine, which affects how we feel pleasure. "Deficiencies in B vitamins can lead to increased stress and mood disturbances," Wright said.
• Zinc: Zinc helps to regulate the body's stress response system. Low zinc levels have been associated with an increased production of cortisol, a stress hormone, the nutritionist said.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for brain health and play a role in neurotransmitter function. "Deficiencies can contribute to mood disorders and heightened stress responses," Wright said.
• Vitamin C: As an antioxidant, vitamin C helps combat oxidative stress, which is an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals that can lead to cell damage in the body. "A deficiency may compromise the body's ability to manage stress-induced oxidative damage," Wright said.
• Vitamin D: Vitamin D deficiency has been "linked to mood disorders and an increased risk of depression," so adequate vitamin D levels are "essential for overall mental well-being," the nutritionist said.
• Protein: Amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, are "essential for neurotransmitter synthesis," Wright said, and inadequate protein intake can affect your mood and stress response.
• Vitamin A: This vitamin is essential for vision and immune function. "Vitamin A deficiency may affect overall health, potentially contributing to stress," Wright said.
• Iron: Iron is important for oxygen transport in the blood. Iron deficiency anemia can lead to fatigue and reduced resilience to stress, the nutritionist said.

Are There Foods That Help Reduce Stress?

"Instead of focusing on specific foods, I believe maintaining a nutrient-dense diet that is balanced and varied is essential," Wright said. This should include a combination of "minimally processed, nutrient-rich foods," such as the following:

• Fruits and vegetables
• High-quality meat
• Seafood, especially wild, fatty fish like salmon and sardines
• Eggs
• Good-quality dairy foods
• Legumes
• Whole grains
• Nuts and seeds
• Spices

"Additionally, incorporating fermented foods, such as yogurt, kimchi and kefir, can be very beneficial due to their probiotic content, supporting a healthy gut microbiome," the nutritionist said.

How to Become More Stress-Resilient

"Stress resilience refers to the ability to adapt and bounce back from stressors, minimizing the negative impact on mental and physical health," according to Wright.

While eliminating stress from our lives is impossible, "becoming more resilient to it or increasing our stress threshold is absolutely possible," she said. "We can achieve this through nutrition and lifestyle habits."

Below are the nutritionist's top tips to increase stress resilience:

Eat a Nutrient-Dense Diet, Balance Your Blood Sugar

A nutrient-dense diet and balanced blood sugar levels play pivotal roles in "sustaining energy, supporting optimal brain function, regulating hormones, fortifying the gut-brain connection and mitigating inflammation," Wright said.

Support and Synchronize Your Circadian Rhythm

Our circadian rhythm, the body's internal clock, "holds the key to effective stress management," Wright said. "A well-regulated circadian rhythm enhances our ability to adapt and handle stress by improving sleep quality, boosting cognitive function and optimizing the release of cortisol and melatonin." The latter is a hormone that regulates your sleep cycle and circadian rhythm.

For example, exposing your eyes to natural sunlight in the morning, ideally within an hour after waking up, and avoiding artificial light from electronic devices before bed "helps align your circadian rhythm, promoting these beneficial effects," the nutritionist said.

Improve Vagus Nerve Tone, Nervous System Flexibility

"The tone of our vagus nerve serves as a barometer for how easily we can shift between stress and calm states," according to Wright.

Vagal tone refers to the functioning of the vagus nerve, a cranial nerve that starts in a part of the brain that connects to the spinal cord and extends down through your neck and vital organs.

The nutritionist said that "a well-toned vagus nerve allows for a more fluid transition, promoting resilience and quicker recovery from stressors."

Practicing techniques used to regulate the nervous system, such as diaphragmatic breathing or meditation, "can help enhance vagal tone and foster a balanced nervous system," she said.

Exercise and Move Your Body Every Day

Wright said regular exercise "reduces baseline levels of stress hormones and blunts the hormonal response to sudden psychological stress."

Regular exercise also "induces changes in gene expression [where information encoded in a gene is turned into a function] that enhance mental stress resilience," she said.

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