Depression is a medical condition that affects the mind and body, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Antidepressants are the primary method used by traditional medicine to treat depression. Many people turn to other remedies for depression, as they want a more natural treatment approach or they have experienced unpleasant side effects from antidepressants. Zinc and magnesium show promise as a treatment for depression, but consult your doctor first.
Depression
Depression is more than feeling sad or down in the dumps. People with depression may also experience a loss of pleasure in enjoyable activities, feelings of hopelessness, sleeping difficulties, appetite changes, an inability to concentrate, feeling guilty or worthless and thoughts of suicide or death, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Many factors can cause depression, including biochemical changes in the brain, a genetic predisposition for depression, hormone changes and life events.
Zinc and Depression
Zinc is an element that is abundant in the body and is important for proper brain functioning. People with depression have lower zinc levels in their body than those without the condition, according to a study in the June 2004 issue of the "Journal of Affective Disorders." The study also found that more severe depression was related to lower zinc levels. These findings were also seen in another study that looked at zinc levels among women with post-partum depression, as reported in a 2008 issue of "Pharmacological Reports." Antidepressants may increase low zinc levels and taking zinc supplements may enhance the effectiveness of antidepressants, as reported in the "Pharmacological Reports" article. Although these results are promising, more research is necessary to determine whether zinc is related to depression and if supplements can alleviate symptoms.
Magnesium and Depression
Some studies indicate that magnesium is involved in depression, but more research is necessary. People with depression were found to have low levels of magnesium in their bodies, according to the "Pharmacological Reports" article. Taking magnesium supplements may help reduce symptoms of depression. An article in a 2006 issue of "Medical Hypotheses," described case studies of people who had decreased severity of depressive symptoms after taking magnesium supplements.
How Zinc and Magnesium Improve Depression
The exact mechanism for how zinc and magnesium improve depression is unknown. One possible mechanism is by regulating glutamate. Glutamate is a brain chemical that is involved in depression. Too much glutamate may cause depressive symptoms. Some newer antidepressants lower glutamate levels to help reduce depression. Zinc and magnesium may act like these newer antidepressants, as they seem to regulate glutamate levels, according to the "Pharmacology Reports" article. The authors of the article noted that more research is needed to determine the way zinc and magnesium improves mood.
References
- "Depression"; National Institute of Mental Health
- "Journal of Affective Disorders"; Hypozincemia in Depression; Michael, Maes, M.D., Ph.D., Patrick D'Haese, Ph.D., Simon Scharpe, Ph.D., Peter D'Hondt, M.D., Paul Cosyns, M.D., and Marc De Broe, M.D., Ph.D.; June 1994
- "Medical Hypotheses"; Rapid Recovery from Major Depression Using Magnesium Treatment; George Eby, and Karen Eby; 2006
- "Pharmacological Reports"; Antidepressant Activity of Zinc and Magnesium in View of the Current Hypotheses of Antidepressant Action; Bernadeta Szewczyk, Ph.D., Ewa Poleszak, Ph.D., Magdalena Sowa-Kucma, Ph.D., Marcin Siwek, Dominika Dudek, M.D., Beata Ryszewska-Pokraoeniewicz, M.D., Maria Radziwoñ-Zaleska, M.D., Wlodzimierz Opoka, Ph.D., Janusz Czekaj, M.D., Andrzej Pilc, M.D., and Gabriel Nowak, Pharm.D., Ph.D., 2008
