A new study reported in Molecular Psychiatry has shown that people with anxiety disorders tend to have lower levels of a nutrient known as choline in their brains, compared to people unaffected by anxiety disorders. This study used data from 25 other research reports to compare the levels of various molecules called neurometabolites, which are generated by the brain during normal metabolic processes.
In this work, data from 370 individuals with anxiety disorders was compared to data from 342 unaffected individuals. The researchers determined that choline levels were an average of 8% lower in people who had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. The change was particularly notable in a region of the brain called the prefrontal cortex, which is related to behavior, cognition, and emotions.
"This is the first meta-analysis to show a chemical pattern in the brain in anxiety disorders," said study co-author Jason Smucny, an assistant professor at the University of California Davis (UC Davis). "It suggests nutritional approaches like appropriate choline supplementation may help restore brain chemistry and improve outcomes for patients."
The body uses choline as a component of cell membranes. It is also related to certain brain functions like controlling muscle movement, forming memories, and regulating emotions. The body can produce a little choline, but most of what we need has to be ingested in foods.
"Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting about 30% of adults. They can be debilitating for people, and many people do not receive adequate treatment," noted senior study author Richard Maddock, a psychiatrist and UC Davis professor, among other appointments.
Anxiety disorders can include: generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorders and phobias, and social anxiety. They have been associated with problems with how the brain reacts to potential threats or stress. Anxiety disorders have also been connected to dysregulation in neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which is related to the fight-or-flight response, tends to be present at unusually high levels in the anxious brain. Threats that should be considered manageable become overwhelming in anxiety disorders.
Maddock had previously noted that patients with panic disorders tended to have low choline levels. This observation was made possible with a tool called proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, (1H-MRS), which can reveal information about the chemicals that are present in a particular tissue.
While choline levels are only about 8% lower in those with anxiety disorders compared to unaffected people, that level could be causing significant changes, the researchers suggested.
"We don't know yet if increasing choline in the diet will help reduce anxiety. More research will be needed," Maddock said.
It is far too soon to recommend that anxiety patients start taking more choline, and more research will be needed to confirm these findings. But choline levels are often low in Americans, and choline can be found in a variety of foods like soybeans, potatoes, fish, milk, chicken, eggs, and beef.
"Someone with an anxiety disorder might want to look at their diet and see whether they are getting the recommended daily amount of choline. Previous research has shown that most people in the US, including children, don't get the recommended daily amount," Maddock said. "Some forms of omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in salmon, may be especially good sources for supplying choline to the brain."
Sources: University of California Davis, Molecular Psychiatry
