Juicing for Anxiety or Depression: Can It Really Help?

Juicing is an effective and convenient way to add more nutrients from fruits and vegetables to your diet. As such, it may help aid anxiety and depression.

Healthy dietary patterns, including higher intakes of whole foods, fruits, and vegetables and a limited intake of processed foods, are associated with a lower risk of mood disorders.

Researchers believe that vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds from different fruits and vegetables — which you can get from many types of juice — may offer protective effects on mental health.

For example, one 2023 study in Korean adults found that including fruits and vegetables, among other components, as part of a high quality diet was associated with a lower risk of stress and depression and a better quality of life.

Additionally, evidence suggests that certain vitamins — including magnesium, zinc, and vitamin C — may improve anxiety and depression symptoms.

For example, past research has found low dietary intakes of magnesium and zinc are associated with an increased risk for depression. Other research suggests that vitamin C may offer antidepressant-like effects. These nutrients may stabilize:

• mood in episodes of mania
• feelings of despair
• average heart rate

There’s no one-size-fits-all remedy or treatment when it comes to mental health. Be sure to consult with a healthcare professional if you have any concerns about your treatment.

Summary

Juicing is a simple way to get more nutrients from fruits and vegetables, which may improve symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Juice is full of nutrients like:

• antioxidants
• magnesium
• B vitamins
• vitamin C
• zinc

All of which may have positive effects on anxiety and depression symptoms.

Antioxidants

Anxiety and depression are associated with increased brain oxidative stress.

Research suggests oxidative stress occurs when harmful molecules called free radicals build up in your body and damage tissues and cells due to an impaired antioxidant defense system.

According to some research, oxidative stress is a major component of inflammation processes related to depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors.

Studies have also found that low levels of antioxidants are associated with more oxidative damage in the brain.

Having low levels of antioxidants is especially true for the Western diet, which is high in highly processed foods.

Studies have found Western diets in adolescents are associated with an increased risk for depressive symptoms, while the opposite was true for the Mediterranean diet. A key difference is that the Mediterranean diet is characterized by high consumption of fruits and vegetables, both of which are potent sources of antioxidants.

An antioxidant-rich diet can help remove free radicals and protect against oxidative stress-induced damage in the brain, which research suggests may help lessen anxiety symptoms.

Magnesium

Magnesium plays a key role in brain function and mood. In fact, research has linked low magnesium diets with depression and anxiety.

There are two potential ways that magnesium has antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects.

First, past research suggests magnesium deficiency leads to an up-regulated stress system caused by an impairment of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

The HPA axis plays a big role in your:

• mood
• emotions
• how you react to stress

So, impairing the HPA axis can affect how you process stress. This, in turn, may promote the development of anxiety disorders and depression.

Second, magnesium modulates your serotonergic, noradrenergic, and dopaminergic chemical systems.

These systems affect:

• mood
• motivation
• reward

As such, they’re often the target of traditional antidepressant drugs.

Combined, this means that magnesium may improve anxiety and depression symptoms by regulating both the HPA axis activity and influencing your brain’s chemical systems.

Evidence also suggests that magnesium may be an effective therapy when combined with antidepressant drugs.

B vitamins

Low levels of vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2, B6, and B12 have been linked to a higher risk of depression in past research.

Vitamin B6 is essential for converting the amino acid tryptophan into serotonin, also known as the happiness hormone. As such, it may have mood-enhancing effects.

Plus, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and B12 (cobalamin) deficiency prevent serotonin from being produced from an amino acid known as homocysteine. This leads to elevated homocysteine levels, which may worsen depression symptoms.

Another B vitamin, vitamin B9 (folate), and B12 work together to control homocysteine levels. Research has associated elevated levels of homocysteine with more oxidative stress.

It’s worth noting, though, that one 2020 study observed these beneficial effects only when folate came from natural sources like fruits and vegetables. Folate from fortified foods didn’t appear to offer the same results.

Vitamin C

Research has also found an inverse relationship between vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and stress-related disorders, including anxiety and depression. This means that low levels of the vitamin may increase the risk of depression, while high levels are associated with improved mood.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which is why it may combat:

• anxiety
• depression
• other stress-related disorders

Just like magnesium, vitamin C appears to participate in the serotonergic, noradrenergic, and dopaminergic chemical systems. If dysregulated, these systems are believed to contribute to depression.

Past animal studies show that supplementing with vitamin C may have antidepressant-like effects and improve mood.

Zinc

Zinc is a micronutrient with antioxidant-like properties that contributes to the oxidative defense mechanism similar to some B vitamins.

Supplementation with zinc has also been linked to a decrease in depression-like symptoms in past studies.

Other studies suggest that zinc supplementation, taken in combination with or without antidepressants, may help reduce depression symptoms. Animal studies on zinc supplementation observed it may reduce depressive-like behaviors.

Combining zinc supplementation with antidepressant therapy was found to reduce depression symptoms in a 2021 research review.

Summary

Juicing can help you increase your intake of antioxidants, magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin C, and zinc, which may reduce anxiety and depression symptoms and improve the efficacy of antidepressant drugs.

A benefit of juicing is that you can add just about any fruit or vegetable you can think of.

If you’re considering juicing to improve anxiety and depression symptoms, try to choose ingredients that provide antioxidants, magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin C, and zinc.

But juicing can be high in sugar, which can lead to weight gain and other complications. Try juicing with vegetables and adding a small amount of fruit for sweetness to avoid this.

Here are some ingredients with these nutrients to start you off:

• Antioxidants: broccoli, celery, cabbage, beets, kale, berries
• Magnesium: kale, cabbage, green leafy vegetables
• B vitamins: broccoli, spinach, cabbage, eggs, low fat milk, yogurt, sunflower seed butter
• Vitamin C: broccoli, celery, cabbage, kale, bell peppers, zucchini, citrus fruits
• Zinc: kale, beet greens

You can even mix and match these ingredients when preparing your juice to ensure a nutrient variety.

Summary

Include various fruits and vegetables in your juice to ensure you get the desired nutrients.

Juicing is an effective and natural way to add more vitamins, antioxidants, and beneficial plant compounds from fruits and vegetables to your diet. This may improve depression and anxiety symptoms.

Increasing your intake of antioxidants, magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin C, and zinc may improve your symptoms or the efficacy of certain prescription medications.

However, keep in mind that juicing is meant to accompany the treatment prescribed by your doctor, not replace it.

Be sure to talk with your doctor before making any dietary changes.