Scientists find hidden brain nutrient deficit that may fuel anxiety
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Scientists find hidden brain nutrient deficit that may fuel anxiety
Scientists discovered a striking brain chemistry difference in people with anxiety — and it may be linked to a nutrient most Americans don’t get enough of.
Date:
May 16, 2026
Source:
University of California - Davis Health
Summary:
A major analysis of brain scans found that people with anxiety disorders have noticeably lower levels of choline, a nutrient crucial for healthy brain function. The strongest evidence appeared in the prefrontal cortex, the region tied to emotional control and decision-making. Researchers say the discovery is the first clear chemical brain pattern linked to anxiety and could eventually lead to new nutrition-based treatments.
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Researchers found that people with anxiety disorders have significantly lower levels of choline in key brain regions involved in emotion and stress control. The discovery hints that nutrition may play a bigger role in anxiety than previously thought. Credit: Shutterstock
People with anxiety disorders may share a measurable change in brain chemistry involving choline, an essential nutrient tied to memory, mood, cell structure, and nerve signaling.
Research from UC Davis Health found that people diagnosed with anxiety disorders had lower levels of choline in the brain than people without anxiety. The finding comes from a study published in Molecular Psychiatry, a Nature journal, and offers a rare look at the chemistry that may be connected to anxiety across several different diagnoses.
The researchers reviewed data from 25 previous studies that measured neurometabolites, the chemicals involved in brain metabolism. Altogether, the analysis included 370 people with anxiety disorders and 342 people without anxiety.
A Consistent Chemical Signal in the Brain
The standout finding was choline. People with anxiety disorders had about 8% lower levels of this nutrient in the brain compared with those in the control groups. The pattern was especially clear in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region that helps regulate thought, emotion, decision making, and behavior.
"This is the first meta-analysis to show a chemical pattern in the brain in anxiety disorders," said Jason Smucny, co-author and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. "It suggests nutritional approaches -- like appropriate choline supplementation -- may help restore brain chemistry and improve outcomes for patients."
Choline (pronounced kō-lēn) plays several important roles in the body. It helps form cell membranes and supports brain functions involved in memory, mood regulation, and muscle control. Although the body can make a small amount on its own, most choline must come from food.
Why Anxiety Disorders Matter
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in the United States. Richard Maddock, senior author of the study, is a psychiatrist and research professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is also a researcher at the UC Davis Imaging Research Center, where scientists use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to study brain health.
Maddock has spent decades treating people with anxiety disorders and studying how these conditions affect the brain.
"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," Maddock said.
Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorders, and phobias.
How the Brain Processes Fear and Stress
Anxiety disorders are connected to the way the brain responds to stress, danger, and uncertainty. Two key regions are often involved: the amygdala, which helps shape the sense of safety or threat, and the prefrontal cortex, which supports planning, decision making, and emotional control.
When this system is working well, the brain can usually separate manageable problems from serious threats. In anxiety disorders, that balance can shift. Everyday concerns may feel overwhelming, and the body's stress response can become difficult to calm.
Brain chemistry also plays a role. Anxiety disorders have been linked to changes in neurotransmitters, including norepinephrine, which is part of the body's "fight-or-flight" response. Norepinephrine is often elevated in anxiety disorders, and the UC Davis researchers suggest that this heightened arousal may increase the brain's demand for choline.
In generalized anxiety disorder, for example, people may worry excessively about ordinary events and struggle to control nervousness or fear.
Measuring Brain Chemicals Without Surgery
Maddock and Smucny have long studied how brain chemistry is connected to mental illness using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, also known a