Zinc May Ease Female Anger and Depression
April 27, 2010 by Becki Baumgartner
Filed under Supplements
by Lee Swanson
Daily supplements of zinc may reduce measures of anger and depression in young women. That’s what Japanese researchers found in a current study.
A daily supplement of 7 mg of zinc as zinc gluconate was associated with significant decreases in measures of anger-hostility and depression-dejection, scientists from Daigaku Junior College and Seitoku University reported in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
On the other hand, multivitamin supplements did not affect the mood state of women who participated in the study.
“Although our findings are preliminary and should be interpreted with caution, they may prompt further investigations to evaluate the relationship between zinc nutriture and mood states in women,” wrote the researchers.
Zinc deficiency affects 30% of the world’s population, and mood swings are reportedly common symptoms of mild zinc deficiency. In order to test if zinc supplements could affect mood, the Japanese researchers recruited 30 young women and randomly assigned them to receive either multivitamins, or multivitamins, plus zinc, for 10 weeks.
The multivitamins were given to all to avoid vitamin deficiencies, and the supplement provided 50% of the Japanese recommended dietary allowances of vitamins A, D, B-1, B-2, B-12, niacin and folic acid.
At the end of the study, only women who received the additional zinc supplements showed significant increases in blood levels of zinc and reductions in scores of depression and anger.
Similar studies in lab animals showed that only females experienced increases in aggression levels when zinc-deficient, and the new data appears to support this anger-reducing effect in women following zinc supplementation, said the researchers.
“Our results suggest that zinc supplementation may be effective in reducing anger and depression,” they concluded.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 64(3):331-333, 2010
Source: Swanson, L. (April 2010.) Lee Swanson Research Update. “Zinc May Ease Female Anger and Depression.” Extracted verbatim with permission on April 27, 2010 from http://www.swansonvitamins.com/health-library/articles/nutrition/zinc-may-ease-female-anger-and-depression.html?SourceCode=INTHIR363
Note: This article references ORAL zinc supplementation, not zinc nasal spray. Zinc nasal sprays, such as Zicam have been shown to cause loss of smell. ”While zinc is critical for maintenance of normal smell function through its action as a cofactor in carbonic anhydrase VI, given directly into the nostrils at high concentrations, it can initiate direct toxic destruction of the olfactory epithelium with which it comes into contact in its spray form.” (http://www.tasteandsmell.com/apr04.htm)
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Disclaimer: The statements in this article are for educational purposes only and have not been evaluated by or sanctioned by the FDA. Only your doctor can properly diagnose and treat any disease or disorder. The remedies discussed herein are not meant to treat or cure any type of disease. The user understands that the above information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician or a pharmacist.
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