Nutrition in the control and prevention of mental disorders: Serotonin precursor foods relieve anxiety
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v14i6.48963Keywords:
Anxiety; Nutrition; Neurotransmitters; Serotonin; Tryptophan.Abstract
Anxiety is a natural behavior, but when prolonged, it can lead to problems such as mental disorders. It affects 9.3% of the Brazilian population and is influenced by poor eating habits. Processed foods rich in additives and toxins impair the absorption of nutrients, leading to behavioral imbalances caused by intestinal dysbiosis. On the other hand, a balanced diet, rich in vitamins and minerals, can improve the symptoms of mental disorders, even if it is not the main treatment. A lack of nutrients, such as tryptophan, can affect the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is essential for regulating emotions. Some vitamins such as B and D, micronutrients such as magnesium, omega 3 and 6, and tryptophan are important for this process of serotonin production in the intestine. It is essential to maintain a healthy microbiota through an adequate diet, so that communication between the intestine and the brain occurs via the vagus nerve, regulating emotions and behavior. The objective of this research is to clarify how nutrition influences the prevention and control of anxiety disorders, as well as how dietary nutrients play a role in the formation of neurotransmitters responsible for our emotional behavior. The methodology was based on the search for articles published between 2014 and 2024 in the Google Scholar, CAPES, SCIELO and PubMed databases. Diet can have positive effects on the regulation or prevention of mental disorders such as anxiety, by acting on the intestinal microbiota, favoring the synthesis of tryptophan.
References
Abdul-Razzak, K. K., Almanasrah, S. O., Obeidat, B. A., & Khasawneh, A. (2018). Vitamin D is a potential antidepressant in psychiatric outpatients. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 56(12), 585–596. https://doi.org/10.5414/CP203309.
Abrahão, T. B., & Lopes, A. P. A. (2022). Principais causas do estresse e da ansiedade na sociedade contemporânea e suas consequências na vida do indivíduo. Contradição - Revista Interdisciplinar de Ciências Humanas E Sociais, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.33872/revcontrad.v3n1.e028.
Almuqbil, M., Almadani, M. E., Albraiki, S. A., Alamri, A. M., Alshehri, A., Alghamdi, A., Alshehri, S., & Asdaq, S. M. B. (2023). Impact of Vitamin D Deficiency on Mental Health in University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. Healthcare, 11(14), 2097. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11142097.
Alves, B. M., & Garcia, P. P. C. (2021). A influência dos alimentos no tratamento dos transtornos mentais: ansiedade, depressão e esquizofrenia [Monografia, UNICEUB]. Repositório UNICEUB. https://repositorio.uniceub.br/jspui/bitstream/prefix/15339/1/21710068.pdf.
Andrade, E. A. F. de, Sant’Anna, L. C., Almeida, N. de C., Venturi, I., Brustulim, L. J. R., & D’Almeida, W. O. (2018). L-Triptofano, ômega 3, magnésio e vitaminas do complexo B na diminuição dos sintomas de ansiedade. ID on Line REVISTA de PSICOLOGIA, 12(40), 1129–1138. https://doi.org/10.14295/idonline.v12i40.1165.
Araújo, A. da S. F., Vieira, I. N. U., Silva, J. N. F. da, Faria, S. P. de, Nunes, G. L., Khouri, A. G., Souza, Á. P. S., Morais, M. C. de, & Silveira, A. A. da. (2020). Avaliação do consumo alimentar em pacientes com diagnóstico de depressão e/ou ansiedade. Referências Em Saúde Do Centro Universitário Estácio de Goiás, 3(01), 18–26. https://estacio.periodicoscientificos.com.br/index.php/rrsfesgo/article/view/193.
Aucoin, M., LaChance, L., Naidoo, U., Remy, D., Shekdar, T., Sayar, N., Cardozo, V., Rawana, T., Chan, I., & Cooley, K. (2021). Diet and Anxiety: A Scoping Review. Nutrients, 13(12), 4418. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124418.
Casarin, S. T., Porto, A. R., Gabatz, R. I. B., Bonow, C. A., Ribeiro, J. P., & Mota, M. S. (2020). Tipos de revisão de literatura: considerações das editoras do Journal of Nursing and Health / Types of literature review: considerations of the editors of the Journal of Nursing and Health. Journal of Nursing and Health, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.15210/jonah.v10i5.19924.
Cho, J. A., Kim, S., Shin, H., Kim, H., & Park, E.-C. (2024). The Association between High-Caffeine Drink Consumption and Anxiety in Korean Adolescents. Nutrients, 16(6), 794. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16060794.
Chojnacki, C., Popławski, T., Chojnacki, J., Fila, M., Konrad, P., & Blasiak, J. (2020). Tryptophan Intake and Metabolism in Older Adults with Mood Disorders. Nutrients, 12(10), 3183. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12103183.
Cunha, M. C., & Paula, B. M. (2023, dezembro 31). Aditivos alimentares e o impacto sobre a microbiota intestinal humana e seus efeitos sobre a saúde. Revista Interfaces, 11(4), 3079–3091. https://doi.org/10.16891/2317-434X.v11.e3.a2023.pp3079-3091.
Freijy, T. M., Cribb, L., Oliver, G., Metri, N.-J., Opie, R. S., Jacka, F. N., Hawrelak, J. A., Rucklidge, J. J., Ng, C. H., & Sarris, J. (2023). Effects of a high-prebiotic diet versus probiotic supplements versus synbiotics on adult mental health: The “Gut Feelings” randomised controlled trial. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.1097278.
Halczuk, K., Kaźmierczak-Barańska, J., Karwowski, B. T., Karmańska, A., & Cieślak, M. (2023). Vitamin B12—multifaceted in vivo functions and in vitro applications. Nutrients, 15(12), 2734. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15122734.
Hosseininasab, D., Shiraseb, F., Bahrampour, N., da Silva, A., Hajinasab, M. M., Bressan, J., & Mirzaei, K. (2024). Ultra-processed food consumption and quality of life: A cross-sectional study in Iranian women. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, Article 1351510. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1351510.
Jacka, F. N., O’Neil, A., Opie, R., Itsiopoulos, C., Cotton, S., Mohebbi, M., Castle, D., Dash, S., Mihalopoulos, C., Chatterton, M. L., Brazionis, L., Dean, O. M., Hodge, A. M., & Berk, M. (2017). A Randomised Controlled Trial of Dietary Improvement for Adults with Major Depression (the “SMILES” trial). BMC Medicine, 15(1). https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y.
Jorge, A. K. B., Pacheco, A. F. C., & Moreira, R. V. (2019). Psiquiatria nutricional: A influência da alimentação na saúde mental. In Principais transtornos psíquicos na contemporaneidade (Vol. 2, pp. 103–111). Brasil Multicultural. https://brasilmulticultural.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ebook-Principais-transtornos-psiquicos_V-2.pdf#page=103.
Kouba, B. R., Camargo, A., Gil-Mohapel, J., & Rodrigues, A. L. S. (2022). Molecular Basis Underlying the Therapeutic Potential of Vitamin D for the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(13), 7077. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23137077.
Lane, M. M., Gamage, E., Travica, N., Dissanayaka, T., Ashtree, D. N., Gauci, S., Lotfaliany, M., O’Neil, A., Jacka, F. N., & Marx, W. (2022). Ultra-Processed food consumption and mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Nutrients, 14(13), 2568. MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14132568.
Li, D., Wang, P., Wang, P., Hu, X., & Chen, F. (2019). Targeting the gut microbiota by dietary nutrients: A new avenue for human health. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 59(2), 181–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2017.1363708.
Lopes, A. B., Souza, L. L. de, Camacho, L. F., Nogueira, S. F., Vasconcelos, A. C. M. C., Paula, L. T. de, Santos, M. de O., Atavila, F. P., Cebarro, G. F., & Fernandes, R. W. B. (2021). Transtorno de ansiedade generalizada: uma revisão narrativa. Revista Eletrônica Acervo Científico, 35, e8773. https://doi.org/10.25248/reac.e8773.2021.
Mahdavifar, B., Hosseinzadeh, M., Salehi-Abargouei, A., Mirzaei, M., & Vafa, M. (2021). Dietary intake of B vitamins and their association with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms: A cross-sectional, population-based survey. Journal of Affective Disorders, 288, 92–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.055.
Marx, W., Moseley, G., Berk, M., & Jacka, F. (2017). Nutritional psychiatry: the present state of the evidence. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 76(04), 427–436. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0029665117002026.
Mehdi, S., Manohar, K., Shariff, A., Kinattingal, N., Wani, S. U. D., Alshehri, S., Imam, M. T., Shakeel, F., & Krishna, K. L. (2023). Omega-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation in the Treatment of Depression: An Observational Study. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 13(2), 224. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm13020224.
Natacci, L., M. Marchioni, D., C. Goulart, A., Nunes, M., B. Moreno, A., O. Cardoso, L., Giatti, L., B. Molina, M., S. Santos, I., R. Brunoni, A., A. Lotufo, P., & M. Bensenor, I. (2018). Omega 3 Consumption and Anxiety Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Nutrients, 10(6), 663. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10060663.
Naveen, V., Felic, S. V. A. A., & Arul Prakasam, K. C. (2024). A review on current understanding, clinical manifestations, and therapeutic approaches of anxiety disorders. Journal of Pharma Insights and Research, 2(5), 173–181. https://doi.org/10.69613/xy1yek24.
Noah, L., Dye, L., Bois De Fer, B., Mazur, A., Pickering, G., & Pouteau, E. (2021). Effect of magnesium and vitamin B6 supplementation on mental health and quality of life in stressed healthy adults: Post‐hoc analysis of a randomised controlled trial. Stress and Health, 37(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3051.
Pereira, A. S., Shitsuka, D. M., Parreira, F. J., & Shitsuka, R. (2018). Metodologia da pesquisa científica. Brasil.
Pertiwi, L. M., Fanani, M., & Hikmayani, N. H. (2023, November 30). Vitamin B6 in anxiety: Sleep and immune function. BKM Public Health and Community Medicine, 39(11), e9728. https://doi.org/10.22146/bkm.v39i11.9728.
Pinhão, S., & Vitor, R. F. (2014). Terapêuticas nutricionais na promoção da estabilidade emocional e desenvolvimento cognitivo. Cadernos de Investigação Aplicada, 6, 55–74. https://recil.ensinolusofona.pt/bitstream/10437/7360/1/terapeuticas_nutricionais_p55-74.pdf.
Piperoglou, M., Hopwood, M., & Norman, T. R. (2023, October 25). Adjunctive docosahexaenoic acid in residual symptoms of depression and anxiety. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 43(6), 493–497. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCP.0000000000001767.
Rebouças, F. da C., Barbosa, L. L., Nascimento, L. F. do, Ferreira, J. C. de S., & Freitas, F. M. N. de O. (2022). A influência da nutrição no tratamento e prevenção dos transtornos mentais: ansiedade e depressão. Research, Society and Development, 11(15), e57111537078. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i15.37078.
Ribeiro, F. S., Santos, J. T., Souza, M. P., & Jardim, N. A. (2023). Os benefícios de uma alimentação saudável no combate aos sintomas da ansiedade. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10210290.
Rother, E. T. (2007). Revisão sistemática x revisão narrativa. Acta Paul. Enferm. 20 (2). https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-21002007000200001.
Salman, H. B., Salman, M. A., & Akal, E. Y. (2022). The effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on weight loss and cognitive function in overweight or obese individuals on weight-loss diet. Nutrición Hospitalaria, 39(4), 803–813. https://doi.org/10.20960/nh.03992.
Santos, E. B., & Vieira, T. R. (2022). Uso de psicoestimulantes entre acadêmicos da área da saúde (Monografia de bacharelado). Universidade de Uberaba, Uniube.br. http://dspace.uniube.br:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/1899.
Sezini, A. M., & Gil, C. S. G. do C. (2014). Nutrientes e depressão. Vita et Sanitas, 8(1), 39–57. https://unigoyazes.edu.br/revistas/index.php/VitaetSanitas/article/view/29.
Silva, J. M. C., Silva, I. A., Silva, P.F., Galdino, F. S., & Carvalho, B. M. (2019). Transtorno de ansiedade: a importância da nutrição na prevenção e tratamento. Anais IV CONAPESC. Campina Grande: Realize Editora. https://www.editorarealize.com.br/editora/anais/conapesc/2019/TRABALHO_EV126_MD1_SA10_ID1354_18072019193458.pdf.
Snyder, H. (2019). Revisão de literatura como metodologia de pesquisa: uma visão geral e diretrizes. Journal of business research , 104 , 333-339.
Sonali, S., Ray, B., Ahmed Tousif, H., Rathipriya, A. G., Sunanda, T., Mahalakshmi, A. M., Rungratanawanich, W., Essa, M. M., Qoronfleh, M. W., Chidambaram, S. B., & Song, B.-J. (2022). Mechanistic Insights into the Link between Gut Dysbiosis and Major Depression: An Extensive Review. Cells, 11(8), 1362. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11081362.
Sousa Júnior, D. T., Verde, T. F. C. L., & Landim, L. A. S. R. (2021). Alimentos ricos em triptofano e seu efeito na liberação da serotonina e possíveis benefícios no transtorno de ansiedade. Research, Society and Development, 10(14), e471101422190. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i14.22190.
Souza, D. T. B., De Morais Lúcio, J., & Araújo, A. S. (2017). Ansiedade e alimentação: uma análise inter-relacional. In II Congresso Brasileiro de Ciências da Saúde. https://www.editorarealize.com.br/editora/anais/conbracis/2017/TRABALHO_EV071_MD1_SA6_ID1109_02052017134105.pdf.
Torabynasab, K., Shahinfar, H., Effatpanah, M., Jazayeri, S., Azadbakht, L., Abolghasemi, J., & Jamali, S. (2023). Association between empirical dietary inflammatory index, odds, and severity of anxiety disorders: A case–control study. Food Science and Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.3573.
Vasconcelos, A. N., Sousa, P. K. A. de, Barroso, W. A., & Serra, M. B. (2024). Influência da microbiota intestinal e vitamina D sobre a depressão. Revista Eletrônica Acervo Saúde, 24(10), e16561. https://doi.org/10.25248/reas.e16561.2024.
Vedovato, K., Trevizan, A. R., Zucoloto, C. N., Bernardi, M. D. L., Zanoni, J. N., & Martins, J. V. C. P. (2015). O eixo intestino-cerébro e o papel da serotonina. Arquivos De Ciências Da Saúde Da UNIPAR, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.25110/arqsaude.v18i1.2014.5156.
Xiong, R.-G., Li, J., Cheng, J., Zhou, D.-D., Wu, S.-X., Huang, S.-Y., Saimaiti, A., Yang, Z.-J., Gan, R.-Y., & Li, H.-B. (2023). The Role of Gut Microbiota in Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Disorders as Well as the Protective Effects of Dietary Components. Nutrients, 15(14), 3258. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15143258.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Francilene dos Santos Sousa; Simone Gonçalves de Almeida
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
