Stress and magesium, zinc, and iron depletion

Stress diverts resources meant for energy, muscle health, vision, immune system, skin, and more to its own response. Notice how your energy, skin, and immune system take a hit when you’re stressed? That’s why. Fewer nutrients — like magnesium, zinc, and iron — in the cells mean fewer resources to power vital processes. Learn why it happens and how to replenish your cells.

Why stress depletes minerals

When you’re stressed, your body changes to meet the demands of the internal or external causes of physical or emotional stress.

Stressors can be singular events (like running a marathon or taking an exam) or prolonged, difficult situations (like poverty, a bad relationship, caring for an ill loved one, or being in a combat zone). Stressors can be real or imagined. They can be emotional or physical. And the physiological effects of stressors can vary by person.

How stress depletes minerals

Elevated hormones

The body responds to stressors in a series of reactions that includes releasing hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. High levels of these hormones (particularly cortisol) can disturb the body’s normal physical or mental state.¹

Oxidative stress

Stress unleashes unstable substances (free radicals), which can damage the cells like rust if not enough antioxidants are around.

Increased excretion

Stress causes your body to excrete these nutrients before they ever reach your cells. 

Digestive issues

The stress response deprioritizes digestion. That can interfere with how your body processes nutrients from food, leaving less for your cells.

After maybe some digestive issues and the like, the body recovers from the short-term stress of the marathon. Chronic elevation, on the other hand, can impair cells and tissue, disturb other hormonal systems, and cause oxidative damage.

What minerals does stress deplete?

Magnesium

Involved in more than 300 processes in the body, magnesium is critical for sleep, cognitive function, energy production, muscle health, and a whole lot more. It’s essential, meaning your body can’t produce it and you need to consume it in food and supplements.

How to replenish magnesium

These foods are among the highest in magnesium:

• Nuts
• Seeds
• Legume
• Whole grains
• Leafy greens
• Milk
• Yogurt

Food alone is no longer a reliable way to meet your magnesium needs, with the mineral content in these foods on the decline. That’s why magnesium is such a popular supplement, but not all options are worth the money. Here’s why:

• Your body can only absorb a limited amount of magnesium from pills, powders, and gummies at once
• Magnesium is water-soluble, so everything you don’d absorb ends up in the toilet
• Magnesium compounds have varying degrees of bioavailability (how well your body can use it)

Liposomal magnesium supplements deliver the mineral to the cells for efficient absorption and magnesium your cells can use for sleep, muscles, and more.

Zinc

Zinc is critical for the immune system, eye health, maintaining healthy testosterone, and skin healing. It’s also an antioxidant, so stress-induced depletion can leave cells susceptible to oxidative damage. Like magnesium, zinc is essential.

How to replenish zinc

These foods are solid zinc sources:

• Oysters
• Meat
• Fish
• Poultry
• Whole grains
• Dairy
• Nuts
• Beans
• Eggs

The zinc from meats and seafoods is much more available for your cells than the zinc from plant foods. Those often contain antinutrients that interfere with zinc absorption. Particularly for plant-based diets, zinc supplements provide a reliable way to support skin, hormone, eye health, and more. Look for a liposomal supplement — like Lypo-Spheric® B Complex Plus — to support absorption of this water-soluble nutrient.

Iron

Also an essential mineral. iron is responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs through the body.

How to replenish iron

These foods are some of the top iron sources:

• Oysters
• Beans
• Beef
• Lentils
• Spinach
• Tofu

Like zinc, iron from meats is easier for your body to use. You can help your body absorb more iron from plant foods by eating them with vitamin C or adding a vitamin C supplement.

What We Learned

Iron, zinc, and magnesium are vital to health, but stress prevents them from getting into your cells in the amounts you need. A diverse, whole foods diet paired with smart supplements for cellular absorption and stress management strategies help get these nutrients into your cells where they do their work.

References

¹Lopresti AL. The Effects of Psychological and Environmental Stress on Micronutrient Concentrations in the Body: A Review of the Evidence. Adv Nutr. 2020 Jan 1;11(1):103-112. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmz082. PMID: 31504084; PMCID: PMC7442351.