People who suffer from anxiety tend to have reduced anxiety hillan essential nutrient, in the brain. The discovery comes from researchers at UC Davis Health, part of the University of California (USA), and was published in the Nature journal Molecular Psychiatry.
The team reviewed 25 previous studies and compared the values Neurometabolites (chemicals produced during brain metabolism) in 370 people with anxiety disorders and in 342 people without anxiety disorders.
In the first group, the analysis showed that the hillfundamental for cell membranes and essential brain functions such as: Memory, mood and muscle controlwas reduced by approximately 8%. This reduction was most noticeable in the prefrontal cortex, a region involved in thinking, emotional regulation and decision-making.
“This is the first meta-analysis to show a brain chemical pattern in anxiety disorders,” said co-author Jason Smucny. “It suggests that nutritional approaches, such as appropriate choline supplementation, may help restore brain chemistry and improve patient outcomes,” he concluded.
According to lead author Richard Maddock, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting about 30% of adults. “They can be debilitating and many people don’t receive appropriate treatment,” he said.
An earlier study by Maddock showed decreased choline levels in patients with panic disorder. This motivated the decision to conduct a larger meta-analysis. He said that while he expected to find lower levels of the nutrient in people with anxiety, he was impressed by the size and consistency of the difference. “An 8% reduction may not seem like much, but in the brain it is significant,” he estimated.
Researchers believe that the heightened fight-or-flight response common in anxiety disorders may increase the brain’s need for choline.
“We don’t yet know whether increasing dietary choline intake helps reduce anxiety. More research is needed,” Maddock said, adding that a balanced diet contributes to both physical and mental health.
By Renata Turbiani
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