This study by T Sawada, K Yokoi, provided 30 women with a daily multivitamin. During the ten weeks, half the women received a multivitamin only while the other half received the multivitamins plus Zinc. It’s no surprise that Zinc supplementation resulted in increased zinc serum levels for those individuals that supplemented with 7mg of Zinc per day. It is noteworthy though that the group of 15 women that supplemented with Zinc did show significantly lower scores on anger-hostility assessments as well as lower scores on depression evaluations.

Another study at the Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch University found that there is a link between Zinc absorption and Vitamin A and D levels. Inadqeuate intake of those two vitamins can negatively affect Zinc absorption and result in a secondary deficiency of Zinc. It might therefore be beneficial to find a supplement that provides Vitamin A and D in addition to Zinc.

In summary, if you are suffering from some sort of depression you might want to evaluate your zinc serum levels and add a Zinc supplement to your diet for mood benefits. Doing so with a supplement such as MoodBoost Drink that also provides Vitamin A and D3 (Cholecalciferol) could further enhance Zinc absorption and provide additional mood enhancing benefits.

Research Studies:

T Sawada, K Yokoi.  “Effect of zinc supplementation on mood states in young women: a pilot study.” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 64, 331-333, 20 January 2010; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2009.158.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17171460

…or does depression make you eat more chocolate?

A recent study found that people that are depressed eat more chocolate. However, the study did not reveal why that is the case.

The results:

“Subjects who screened positive for depression, defined as a CES-D score of 16 or higher, reported consuming significantly more chocolate than those not screening positive for depression (8.4 vs 5.4 servings per month; P = .004).”

It could be that depressed individuals crave more chocolate for its endorphin boosting properties; or it could be that that individuals that are predisposed to eat more chocolate are also at a greater risk of being depressed.

One serving can help you lift your mood by providing your body with natural ingredients such as rhodiola rosea, gingko biloba, magnesium, chromium, and more. The MoodBoost Drink also comes with lots of vitamins and essential minerals.

This all naturally flavored mood enhancer drink is low in calories (only 20 calories per serving) and makes for a healthy alternative with a twist of energy. For more information about this supplement you can visit www.moodboostdrink.com. It might be your energy and “anti-depressants drink“.

“Perinatal depression: prevalence, risks, and the nutrition link–a review of the literature,” Leung BM, Kaplan BJ, et al, J Am Diet Assoc, 2009; 109(9): 1566-75.

“The American Academy of Family Physicians estimates that as many as half a million people in the United States suffer from winter-onset depression and that another 10-20 percent may experience mild SAD. According to Mental Health America, women suffer from SAD three times more often then men, as do those in colder climates and people who work for extended periods without sunlight or work the night shift.”

• Let there be light
• Your daily dose of Vitamin D
• Work it out
• Mix & mingle
• Be good to yourself

Here are some paragraphs from that article, for the full lenght article visit the WSJ directly to read the article titled “Bright Ideas for Treating the Winter Blues”

“Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, affects an estimated 6% of Americans, causing depression, lethargy, irritability and a desire to avoid social situations. It can also create an urge to overeat, particularly carbohydrates. As many as 15% of people in the U.S. may have a milder version that includes only some of these symptoms. The incidence rises along with the distance from the equator: Roughly 8% of Canadians, 10% of Britons and as many as 20% of Scandinavians suffer from SAD this time of year.”

“If light therapy isn’t sufficient to alleviate SAD symptoms, some patients find relief from antidepressants, particularly selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. A multicenter study in Canada that followed 96 patients over three winters found that those subjects randomly assigned to take fluoxetine (Prozac) and a placebo light therapy fared just as well as those taking 10,000-lux light therapy and a placebo capsule. The light therapy worked faster, and had fewer side effects, according to the study, published in 2006 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.”

There here are healthy natural alternatives to Prozac and other prescription antidepressant. St.John’s Wort act as natural SSRI and increases serotonin levels by similar mechanisms as certain prescription medicine.

““We’re facing a bad-mood epidemic”

“Of course, neither amino acids nor antidepressants work for everyone, but a 1991 head-to-head comparison published in the medical journalPsychopathology found that the amino acid 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) actually outperformed the antidepressant Luvox in ratings of improvement for depression (66 percent versus 62 percent) and anxiety (58 percent versus 48 percent) following six weeks of treatment. Adds Ross: “At our clinic we’ve seen a 98 percent success rate using the targeted amino acids to treat mood disorders, and there are virtually no side effects when they’re used properly.””

For the full length article click here

SAD is a depression that occurs each year at the same time,starting in fall or winter and ending in spring or early summer.”

For full article, click here.

“About 70 percent of the population of the United States has insufficient levels of vitamin D, a U.S. researcher says.

The report, published in Future Microbiology, says vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency is a worldwide public health problem in both developed and developing nations and nearly 1 billion people are deficient.”

For the Full lenght UPI article, click here.