Science Explains 9 Deficiencies That Create Mood Disorders and Mental Illness
Science Explains 9 Deficiencies That Create Mood Disorders and Mental Illness
Health
By Power of PositivityPublished on March 01, 2018Last modified June 17, 2022
Everyone feels sad or irritable once in a while, but you know how debilitating it can be for your life if you suffer from a mood disorder. Mood disorders affect your ability to function at school, home, or work. If you struggle with a mood disorder, you may be low in certain nutrients.
Although eating foods rich in these nutrients won’t cure your mood disorder, they may help you feel better. Here are some nutrient deficiencies that can contribute to mood disorders.
What are the five common mood disorders?
Doctors use the term mood disorder to describe several types of depression and bipolar disorders. People of all ages have mood disorders, and the symptoms can differ depending on your age. So if this sounds like you, know that you are not alone.
These disorders can be difficult to diagnose, especially in kids.
However, some of the most commonly diagnosed types of mental illnesses include these mood disorders:
Depression: This type of depression affects all your activities. You may feel hopeless and sad for extended periods of time.
Dysthymia: This is depression mixed with irritability. To be diagnosed with this disorder, it must last more than 2 years.
Bipolar disorder: If you have bipolar disorder, you’ll have different periods of elevated moods and depression.
Certain health conditions: Health problems can lead to mood disorders such as cancer, infection, chronic illnesses, or severe injuries that can trigger mental health problems.
Substance-induced mood disorder: This is a mood disorder that resulted from drug abuse, alcoholism, toxin exposure, or effects of medication.
Who suffers from mood disorders?
Mood disorders and mental illnesses span across the entire globe. The National Institute of Health says that approximately 9.7% of adults in the United States have a mood disorder. Females were more likely to suffer from a mood disorder than males.
Can nutrient-deficient cause mood disorders?
Poor nutrition affects your overall health. Eating a diet high in fats, sodium, and processed foods will make you feel tired and sluggish.
This makes you feel worse if you already struggle with a mood disorder. Your diet plays a huge role in your good gut and brain health, which doctors say are connected to some disorders like depression. Because nutrient deficiency can lead to mental health issues, it’s good to know which vitamins and minerals you should include in your diet to help your mood disorder.
But here’s the excellent news–you can reverse these nutrient deficiencies by learning the root cause. Let’s take a look.
Nine nutrient deficiencies that can affect your mood disorder
Your family doctor can test you for these nutrient deficiencies. These vital data can help you plan how to recover and reclaim your mental health.
1 – Zinc
If you struggle with a mood disorder, you may experience waves of sadness and anxiety. In 2020, researchers noted a “significant connection” between zinc and depression.
Zinc is an essential mineral that helps your body’s immune system fights viruses and bacteria that attack your body. Your body also uses zinc to create protein and DNA in your cells. Studies have also found that people who lack zinc are more prone to depression and mood disorders.
Adding zinc to your diet might be what the doctor ordered to help reduce your depression symptoms. Eating foods high in zinc may help you find relief. Try adding these foods to your diet.
Oysters
Beef
Crabs
Beans
Nuts
Whole grains
Dairy products
Mushrooms
Spinach
Broccoli
Kale
Garlic
Most of your daily zinc intake should come from the foods you eat, so read food labels to find the foods highest zinc. You may want to add a zinc supplement to your diet to help you fight your mood disorder. Adults should take no more than 40 mg. a day.
Be careful if you’re already taking medications. The zinc may interact with them. Ask your doctor before you add a supplement to your diet if you’re on medication.
Other benefits of zinc include:
Keeps your skin healthy
Fight off colds by boosting your immune system
Fights off macular degeneration
Fights diarrhea
Healing of wounds
2 – Omega-3 fatty acids
Mood disorders can be debilitating, so it’s important to eat foods that give you the best nutrition to help your body. Omega-3 fatty acids are powerful anti-inflammatory resources. Studies show that omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies contribute to mood disorders.
Omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are important fatty acids. Your body doesn’t make these fatty acids, so you need to eat a diet high in certain foods.
Besides mood disorders, eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids helps reduce your chances of having inflammatory diseases such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, lung disease, and kidney disease.
Over the past couple of decades, researchers have realized the important role of omega-3 fatty acids benefits for those suffering from all kinds of mood disorders such as these:
If you’re low in omega3 fatty acids, you may have other health problems such as the following:
Extreme tiredness
Joint pain and cramping
Allergy symptoms
Heart problems
Skin, hair, and nail problems
Women can have menstrual cycle problems.
Researchers aren’t sure if taking a fish oil supplement is as beneficial as eating foods high in these nutrients.
3 – Vitamin D
Some call Vitamin D the sunshine vitamin because the sun’s rays are a great source of this vitamin. Vitamin D helps individuals with mood disorders and other types of depression. Studies found that individuals who suffer from depression have fewer vitamin D levels than other people. Your body gets vitamin D from sunshine, and certain foods, including the following:
Cod liver oil
Cheese and dairy foods
Egg yolks
Fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon, or tuna
Beef liver
Try taking a vitamin D supplement every day to boost your levels. Be sure to buy a good quality brand of vitamin and keep your does at around 600 to 800 IU per day. Too much vitamin D will cause nausea.
4 – Vitamin B12
Nutrient deficiencies can distort your moods, causing you to feel sad and irritable one minute and happy. It may feel like there’s nothing you can do to control your emotions.
In fact, a 2016 study noted a possible link between Vitamin B12 and the neural pathways in the brain leading to depression.
Fortunately, many nutrients can help you find relief from mood disorder symptoms. B-12 vitamins and folate are two important vitamin-mineral combinations that can help you feel better. Add foods that are rich in these nutrients, including these:
Eggs
Dairy products
Seafood
Fortified cereals
Like all vitamins and minerals, it’s best to get these from your food. If you can take a supplement, be careful not to take too much. If you take too much, B 12 can have an adverse effect causing anxiety, worry, and restless sleep.
5 – Folate
Similar to vitamin B12, folate is essential to help fight mood disorders like anxiety. Choose foods rich in folate to boost your levels, such as
Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and collard greens
Beans like pinto beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas
Fortified cereals
Citrus fruits
6 – Iodine
Iodine is essential for the proper function of your thyroid gland. Low iodine levels can cause thyroid problems, leading to mood swings and your metabolism not working well. Kids that don’t get enough iodine have poor brain development.
Fortunately, in the United States, iodized table salt has iodine added to it to guard against low iodine levels in kids and adults. If you don’t use table salt, you’ll need to develop a way to increase the iodine levels for your family. Add foods to your diet that contain iodine, like these:
Tuna
Seaweed
Shrimp and other seafood
Dairy products like cheese, milk, and yogurt
7 – Protein
Your body needs protein to function properly. Protein contains important amino acids that promote good brain health. Amino acids have been found to help treat depression. Add protein-rich offerings to your diet, such as these five foods:
Chicken
Beef
Dairy products
Nuts and seeds
Beans and legumes
Try to add more protein like plant or meat protein to your diet to improve your moods and emotions. Lack of protein has been linked to disorders like
Depression
Anxiety disorders
ADHD
Epilepsy
Certain types of autism
8 – Iron
Low levels of iron can also affect your mood, according to an article in BMC Psychiatry. To avoid certain types of depression and mood disorders, try to add these iron-rich foods to your diet, including
Lean meats
Fruits like raspberries and dried apricots
Chicken and turkey
Seafood
Legumes like peas and green beans
Nuts and seeds
Beans
Whole grains
Leafy greens like spinach, asparagus, and leeks
As always, it’s best to get your iron from the foods you eat. You can take an iron supplement, but taking too much can result in constipation and other problems.
9 – Selenium
Low levels of selenium can worsen your mood. It’s an important nutrient for good thyroid health, DNA production and acts as an anti-inflammatory. If you’re low in selenium, you will have poor brain function. Add selenium-rich foods to your diet every day, including foods like
Poultry
Eggs
Dairy products
Seafood
Beef
You shouldn’t take selenium supplements unless recommended by your doctor because of the risk of selenium toxicity.
Final thoughts on the nine nutrient deficiencies that might cause mood disorders
Mood disorders can change your life, making it hard for you to function at work, school, and home. If you suffer from a mood disorder, you know the challenges of learning how to live with it. If you have a mood disorder, be sure to get the help you need, plus add these important nutrients to your diet. Although they won’t eliminate your mood disorder, they can help with some of your symptoms.
Try to avoid a diet high in sugar, fat, or processed foods. This type of food makes you feel sluggish and tired, which will only add to your mood disorder’s struggles. Eating a healthy diet, exercise and finding helpful counseling can all be tools to help you feel better and lead a happier life.
Our passion is to serve and bring the best possible positive information, news, expertise and opinions to this page. We want to help our community find and shine their inner light - the truth of love, light, and positivity that is within us all! Read more about Power of Positivity...
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.