Supplements for stress management

This chapter covers all the important supplements for balancing stress, the autonomic nervous system, and the HPA axis.

Phosphatidylserine

Phosphatidylserine reduces the production of cortisol in stress and speeds up physical recovery (dose 600 mg per day)
Improves cognitive function after cognitive exercise (200 mg daily)
In depression (100 mg dose) used in combination with omega-3 fatty acids (EPA 70 mg and DHA 119 mg) reduces cortisol levels and normalizes cortisol daily rhythm within 12 weeks
Enhances memory and prevents memory deterioration
Curbs the production of cortisol under strain and speeds up recovery from physical strain

Optimal dosage:

150 mg 1–3 times per day
600–800 mg as a single dose for acute stress and after a heavy workout

L-theanine

Can help with relaxation
Reduces stress and increases alpha waves in the brain
Can lower heart rate and saliva IgA concentration during acute stress. This suggests a decrease in sympathetic nervous activity.
Able to pass through the blood-brain barrier and thus has a direct impact on the brain
Enhances memory and observation skills when consumed together with green tea
Increases the frequency of alpha waves in the brain; enhances observation skills and cognitive functions when consumed together with caffeine

Optimal dosage:

200 mg 1–3 times per day
Use especially with coffee

Creatine Monohydrate

Lowers the production of cortisol in high-intensity training
Can improve general well-being and cognitive functions as well as mood in long-term sleep deprivation and stress
Might prevent depression and help treat depression
Enhances general brain performance
May improve short-term memory and intelligence of stressed individuals and/or healthy individuals with the biggest potential of agingOptimal dosage:
3–5g per day

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an indispensable cofactor in the body in numerous enzymatic reactions such as the biosynthesis of collagen, carnitine, and catecholamines (certain brain mediators), and as the most important water-soluble antioxidant. Humans cannot produce ascorbic acid in the body - it is needed and regularly obtained from food.

The adrenal glands consume a lot of vitamin C for their weight. Long-term stress can particularly cause vitamin C in the adrenal glands, which secrete vitamin C into the bloodstream due to increased pituitary ACTH secretion. They secrete vitamin C in the bloodstream due to the pituitary's secretion of ACTH.

In case of prolonged stress, taking vitamin C several times a day 500–1,000 mg in single doses may be helpful. A typical recommendation is 1000 mg three times a day. Vitamin C can cause some people to have stomach problems. This can be prevented by using esterified vitamin C.

Slow-release vitamin C has been shown to lower blood pressure and cortisol levels in subjects during the two-week trial period and relieve subjective stress. According to a meta-analysis published in 2012, regular use of vitamin C decreases blood pressure. According to animal studies, Vitamin C also has preventive effects on stress-induced depression.

Optimal dosage:

500–1000 mg 1–3 times per day

Magnesium

Magnesium and zinc are some of the most important minerals in the body. It is also a vital electrolyte for the body in addition to sodium, potassium, and chloride. Magnesium plays an important role in developing neuromuscular impulses, DNA synthesis, energy metabolism and the activity of numerous enzymes. It also controls the metabolism of calcium, potassium, and sodium, and is involved in more than 300 biochemical processes in the body. The human body has about 20–30 grams of magnesium, most of which is inside the cells in the bones (about 50 %), muscles (about 30 %) and soft tissues (about 20 %).

Nearly three-quarters of adults are estimated to get too little magnesium from their diet. Mild magnesium deficiency has increased significantly over the past decades. According to extensive meta-analysis, inadequate magnesium intake is also clearly associated with the increased silent inflammation of the body.

Researchers have suggested already in 1964 that the optimal magnesium intake would be 7–10 mg/kg body weight. Based on this study, for example, a massive 100 kg person could need up to 1000 mg of magnesium daily. The same review also estimated that less than 6 mg of magnesium per kilogram of body weight may lead to magnesium deficiency.

Taking magnesium as a supplement can make it easier to ease experienced stress and anxiety. In fact, magnesium reduces the overactivity of the HPA-axis and reduces the secretion of cortisol into the bloodstream. Further, excessively high level of adrenaline in the bloodstream decreases the concentration of magnesium in the body. This means, in its entirety, that inadequate intake of magnesium can predispose to anxiety and regulatory disorder of the HPA-axis.

The most potent forms of magnesium for stress and anxiety relief in bioavailability and mode of action are magnesium-glycinate and -taurate.

Optimal dosage:

6–10 mg per kg of body weight

Taurine

Taurine is an amino acid-rich in sulfur. To some extent, the body can form taurine from methionine and cysteine. However, the physiological needs of the synthesis process are quite slow. Therefore, getting enough of the taurine from the diet is good. Taurine is rich in meat, fish, crustaceans, and mushrooms.

Taurine does not have a daily intake recommendation, but it is considered in many respects to be highly necessary (if not essential) amino acid. Taurine deficiency has been found to be prone to depression, various neurological disorders, and brain dysfunctions. Taurine is very abundant in the brain and is therefore thought to act as a mediator. Taurine-related receptors have also been found to be located across the central nervous system.

Taurine has also been found to be a very strong antioxidant. However, it differs from other antioxidants in that it does not directly affect free oxygen radicals, but rather affects the regulation of oxidation. For example, taurine inhibits the excessive production of free oxygen radicals in mitochondria (cellular energy centers).

Taurine acts in the brain along with GABA and glycine as major inhibiting neurotransmitters. The effects of taurine are largely mediated through the GABA-ergic and glycinergic systems. Based on animal experiments, taurine has been shown to reduce anxiety. In human brain cell culture (in vitro), taurine has been found to stimulate the development of new brain cells.

Optimal dosage:

500–1000 mg 1–3 times per day

Vitamin B12

In addition to the hugely important Vitamin B12, also other B vitamins are often depleted in chronic stress. If that is the case, you might want to consider supplementing with Complex B Vitamins, which contain all the B vitamins in bioactive form.

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and its various active forms ie. coenzymes (hydroxycobalamin, methylcobalamin, and adenosylcobalamin), are dietary, water-soluble vitamins essential to the body, including the metabolism of each cell. Vitamin B12 has a role in DNA synthesis, neuronal function, fatty acids and amino acids metabolism, and methylation. In addition, vitamin B12 has been found to reduce the level of harmful homocysteine (a sulfur metabolite) in the body.

In healthy people, prolonged stress, severe physical exertion, and general illnesses increase the need for vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency (serum vitamin B12 content below 156 pmol/l) is associated with increased oxidative stress in the body and, on the other hand, with reduced antioxidant capacity (TAC). According to a study published by the University of Turku in 2006, up to 32 % of Finns over 65 are on the verge of vitamin B12 deficiency.

Prolonged stress and illnesses thus increase the need for vitamin B12, and its intake isn't optimal for many people in terms of health. Therefore, measuring the active form of vitamin B12, the so-called holotranscobalamin (S-B12-TC2), makes sense.

Optimal dosage:

In deficiency 1–2 mg/day
As a supplementation regimen 500 microg. / day