Anxiety or Depression? Previous Recommendations for Anti-anxiety Medications May Need Reconsideration in Favor of This Alternative, Suggests a Recent Study.
While it’s normal to experience feelings of sadness or anxiety occasionally, persistent and severe emotional distress can indicate the presence of a mental health condition requiring intervention.
A team of scientists at Reading University in the UK embarked on a study to investigate the possible impacts of vitamins B6 and B12 on levels of anxiety and depression.
Typically found in foods like chickpeas and tuna, these vitamins were tested at significantly higher doses than the levels naturally occurring in food.
The research results were shared in the Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental journal.
Mood and anxiety disorders are not age-specific and can affect anyone from youngsters to seniors. These disorders encompass several variants, such as panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder.
As per the data from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), approximately 31% of adults in the U.S. suffer from some form of anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime. Similarly, the same percentage of adolescents (aged 13-18) encounter an anxiety disorder.
The NIMH also reveals that about 8.4% of all U.S. adults had a depressive episode in 2020, making depression one of the most common mental health issues.
Often, healthcare professionals choose to manage anxiety and mood disorders with a blend of therapeutic interventions and medication. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy are among the most commonly adopted therapeutic approaches.
Various prescription drugs, including benzodiazepines (such as Xanax or Ativan) and buspirone, are used for managing anxiety. Certain antidepressants are effective in treating both anxiety and depression, which include SSRIs (such as Lexapro or Zoloft) and tricyclics (such as Anafranil or Tofranil).
Sometimes, individuals with depression and anxiety opt for natural treatments to alleviate their symptoms, using herbal supplements like ashwagandha and valerian.
The objective of the researchers was to understand the potential influence of vitamins B6 and B12 on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) processing. GABA, a neurotransmitter with calming effects on the nervous system, is speculated to play a role in the onset of anxiety or depression.
“The functioning of the brain relies on a delicate balance between the excitatory neurons that carry information around and inhibitory ones, which prevent runaway activity,” explains lead author Prof. David Field.
Imbalances in inhibitory and excitatory neuronal activities in the brain have been associated with conditions like anxiety, depression, autism, and schizophrenia. Moreover, the study authors point out that numerous individuals with these mental health issues might also experience disturbances in vision and other sensory perceptions, believed to be tied to such imbalances in the visual cortex.
The researchers explain that vitamin B6 participates in several pathways likely to reduce neural excitation. Vitamin B12 also shares a couple of these pathways, thus prompting the team to examine its effects as well.
The study began with a total of 478 participants, all of whom self-identified as experiencing anxiety and/or depression. They were randomly assigned to receive either vitamin B6, vitamin B12, or a placebo.
The vitamin B6 tablets were composed of 100 milligrams of B6, while the B12 tablets contained 1,000 micrograms of B12. Both dosages significantly surpassed the daily intake recommendations set by the Food and Drug Administration, which suggest 1.7mg for B6 and 2.4mcg for B12.
Before and after the administration of the vitamin or placebo, the participants’ levels of anxiety and depression were evaluated using the Screen For Adult Anxiety Related Disorders (SCAARED) and Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ).
Upon concluding the study, the participants were subjected to visual and tactile tests.
Findings from the research suggested that vitamin B6 could aid in alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression. Those who were given vitamin B6 recorded notable reductions in their SCAARED and MFQ tests scores compared to the placebo group.
“Vitamin B6 helps the body produce a specific chemical messenger that inhibits impulses in the brain, and our study links this calming effect with reduced anxiety among the participants,” adds Prof. Field.
“Additionally, in testing at the end of the trial, the B6 group showed an increase in “the surround suppression of visual contrast detection.”
According to the authors, this outcome suggests the possibility of an inhibitory GABA-related mechanism at play.
While a minor improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms was noted in participants who received vitamin B12 compared to those in the placebo group, they did not regard this change as significant.
The authors speculated that the duration of the study, which spanned one month, might have been inadequate to fully capture the effects of B12 supplementation.
“It is possible that the 1-month supplementation period in the present study was insufficient for the effects of B12 supplementation.”
According to Dr. Tom MacLaren, a consultant psychiatrist at Re:Cognition Health based in London, “This could be a breath of fresh air for people with anxiety disorders who have not had the options of new treatments for a long time.”
“B6 vitamins are very widely available, and many people take them regularly, so it could be an easy way to boost treatments that they are already taking.”
Dr. David A. Merrill, a psychiatrist and director of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Pacific Brain Health Center at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, told Medical News, “The authors highlight the role of vitamin B6 as a coenzyme in the synthesis of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA from glutamate. This makes sense and becomes an important way to explain the findings to patients and perhaps those who have not sought out treatment but are struggling with high anxiety.”
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