September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day – How could nutrients help, and what effects do they have on our mood? |
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Nutrients Shown to Improve Mental-Emotional Wellness |
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Greetings!
“One in every 100 deaths worldwide is the result of suicide.”
World Suicide Prevention Day is observed on September 10th to bring awareness to what can be done to help reduce the instances of suicide and suicide attempts around the world. Suicide is a complex issue, and addressing the problem may require multiple interventional and therapeutic options, as well as a personal approach. While the factors and causes that contribute to the risk of suicide are many, mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression can be among those that make a person more vulnerable to suicide.
An estimated 50% of Americans and Canadians are diagnosed with a mental disorder at some point in their lifetime, however, the crisis has been even greater during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an observed increase in incidence of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide.
Today, we review how certain nutrients and lifestyle interventions may reduce the risk of both anxiety and depression, to help improve overall mental health and wellbeing.
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Vitamin D is Biologically Linked to Emotional Well-Being, Mood, and Better Mental Health Overall |
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Vitamin D
- plays an essential role in the health of the brain and nervous system, and has been shown to have beneficial effects on depression, stress, anxiety and sleep
- in combination with omega-3s, can contribute to especially significant improvements in depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep scores; one study showed those supplementing with both vitamin D and omega-3s experienced the greatest improvements in depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep scores at the end of the study compared to all other groups
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Omega-3s Significantly Improve Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety |
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EPA and DHA, two especially important omega-3 fatty acids, play a key role in several aspects of brain health;
- the world’s largest review (called a meta-synthesis) of nutrient supplements and mental disorders showed that omega-3s (with an average dose of 1422 mg/day of EPA) reduced symptoms of major depressive disorder with benefits beyond those of taking antidepressants alone; the strongest effect was seen with omega-3 supplements that contained at least 50% EPA
- another meta-analysis found that clinical anxiety symptoms were more likely to improve among those who took omega-3 supplements versus placebo; the greatest effect was seen for those taking at least 2,000 mg per day of omega-3 fatty acids (at least 60% EPA)
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Magnesium Can Rapidly Lower Severe Stress |
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Magnesium is another nutrient that seems to have a major effect on stress, in part due to its role in the operation of over 300 enzymes. Research has shown that magnesium
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supplementation helped improve depression and anxiety symptoms within two weeks, with significant improvement, whereas no improvement was seen in those without magnesium supplementation
- among individuals with moderate to severe stress, treatment with magnesium demonstrated rapid and significant reductions in stress with a 24% greater improvement in stress in those receiving magnesium with vitamin B6 (for those who had severe or extremely severe stress)
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Zinc Deficiency May Cause Emotional Instability, Irritability, and Depression |
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Studies on zinc have found
- an increased incidence of zinc deficiency among individuals with anxiety and depression
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prolonged zinc deficiency may cause emotional instability, irritability, and depression, with significantly higher levels of copper and copper:zinc ratio, combined with lower levels of zinc, found in those with anxiety
- improvements in anxiety symptom ratings and serum zinc levels for participants diagnosed with anxiety who were given 8 weeks of zinc and vitamin B6 supplementation; from pre-treatment to post-treatment measurements, anxiety symptom ratings decreased by 31% while zinc serum levels increased by 25%
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Lower Your Levels of Inflammation and hsCRP to Help Improve Emotional Wellness |
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Mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and schizophrenia, have been associated with chronic inflammation as well as vitamin D deficiency, low omega-3s, and other nutrient deficiencies. The findings of one meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in depression and improved quality of sleep after vitamin D supplementation, as well as a significant reduction in CRP (a measure of inflammation levels in the body). |
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USE THE CODE HAPPY FOR 15% OFF ANY BLOOD SPOT TEST KIT ORDER OF $150 OR MORE
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Test to See How These Nutrients Might Improve Your Mental-Emotional Health |
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Having and maintaining healthy vitamin D levels can help improve your health now and for your future. Choose which to measure, such as your vitamin D, omega-3s, and essential minerals including magnesium and zinc, by creating your custom home test kit today. Take steps to improve the status of each of these measurements to benefit your overall health. With measurement you can then determine how much is needed and steps to achieve your goals. You can also track your own intakes, symptoms and results to see what works best for YOU. |
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What does the Research Say about Vitamin D & COVID-19? |
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The eBook, Vitamin D & COVID-19, A Summary of Published Research, is a condensed and concise compilation of much of the published research on vitamin D and COVID-19, easy to read and share as a downloadable, printable PDF. Your purchase helps to further public knowledge and education of this invaluable research! Be sure to educate yourself on the benefits and importance of vitamin D for immune health, and take steps to ensure you and your loved ones are getting enough. |
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What Does it Take YOU to Get Your D to 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L)? |
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Did you know that everyone responds differently to vitamin D supplement amounts - by up to 6 times!? Your health could be greatly affected by making sure you have a vitamin D level of at least 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L). Help us help you. |
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Children with Diabetes Research Foundation |
The mission of CWDRF is to fund research leading to the cure and prevention of Type 1 diabetes. For over 20 years, they have been the venture capitalists of diabetes research, getting new, clinically relevant, innovative research off the ground.
CWDRF is currently funding the D*action Type 1 Diabetes Prevention project with GrassrootsHealth.
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Sperti Vitamin D Sunlamps |
The Sperti Vitamin D Sunlamp, model D/UV-F, provides the special UVB rays needed for your body to produce Vitamin D. It is the only FDA recognized ultraviolet product for Vitamin D production in the human body, and independent studies have verified its effectiveness.
See how it works for you.
Look for our special project enrollment opportunity with Sperti!
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The Helen Knoll Foundation |
The Helen Knoll Foundation (HKF) mission is to prevent breast cancer by empowering young women through risk awareness education, advocacy and access to age appropriate screenings. HKF with GrassrootsHealth is launching the Know YOUR Number campaign to help Stop Breast Cancer Before it Starts by working with local groups to provide vitamin D blood spot testing and project enrollment events. |
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Have a beautiful and HEALTHY day.
Text-to-give: Text Daction to 44321
Onwards,
Carole Baggerly
Director, GrassrootsHealth
A Public Health Promotion & Research Organization Moving Research Into Practice NOW!
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315 S. Coast Hwy 101, Suite U-87
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 579-8141
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