5 Nutrients Stress Depletes in your Body
Adequate nutrition levels are essential for the healthy response to stressful stimuli.
During periods of stress the body requires an increased level of nutrition, whilst also increasing the excretion of certain nutrients, some of which are key components to a healthy stress response. Thereby leaving our bodies in a potentially depleted state, which has the ability to then affect a healthy response to stress.
Hmmm, Frustrating!!Here are 5 stress essential nutrients, which are depleted by stress.
Magnesium
There isn’t often a person who leaves my consults without a good quality, practitioner grade magnesium. Magnesium is essential for over 300 metabolic processes; it is also essential for the relaxation of muscles within the body. If you're an individual whose muscles tighten up or experience headaches when you are stressed, magnesium is probably a good choice for you. Interestingly the body excretes higher levels of magnesium through the urine during periods of acute stress. Further supports the increased need of magnesium during these times due to both the increased metabolic demands and the increased elimination.
Vitamin B6
The human body requires increased levels of B6 during times of chronic stress which can therefore make the body stores depleted.
B6 is a cofactor for excitatory neurotransmitters (examples are epinephrine and norepinephrine, your fight or flight neurotransmitters). So if we’re constantly activating that sympathetic nervous system, it’s going to be chewing up your B6.
Vitamin C
This powerful antioxidant is essential to the production of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. If you’re constantly making high levels of cortisol and adrenaline, you are depleting the levels of vitamin C. Vitamin C is further required during periods of high stress due to the impact stress has on reduced immune system functioning, and the oxidative stress impacts on the body which can be combated with antioxidant intervention- My favourite antioxidant being vitamin C.
Zinc
Chronic stress depletes concentration of zinc in the blood, and can result in reduced GABA production. GABA is a neurotransmitter, where low levels have been linked to increased feelings of anxiety, mood disorders and chronic pain.
Zinc is also essential for healthy immune functioning, so it’s protective for us when we’re going through stressful times, where we know there is an increased susceptibility to infections.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are no different from any other fat- including the kind that you find within your kitchen in that all fats can go rancid. This means that all fats have the potential for degradation, stress can cause degradation in the body due to oxidative stress.
Most of the cells within your body are surrounded by a lipid bi-layer, and every cell in your brain has this fatty wall, this is the casing that allows things to enter the cell, and keep other things out.
So if you’re wanting healthy mood functioning, and healthy cell signalling, you want adequate levels of good quality fats within your diet.
However, 90% of Australians don’t consume omega 3 fats in their diets, to meet their requirements. So odds are even without stressful stimuli, you aren’t getting enough.
If you're an individual is experiencing chronic levels of stress, or you think your response to stressful stimuli could be improved, book an Initial Naturopathic appointment below.
Looking forward to meeting you!