Abstract
The rapid global increase in anxiety disorders, chronic stress, and emotional dysregulation has intensified scientific interest in integrative and preventive approaches to mental health. Within this context, psychonutrition has emerged as a rapidly developing interdisciplinary field examining the relationship between nutrition, neurobiology, and emotional functioning. The present study provides a theoretical and neurobiological analysis of nutraceutical interventions as potential modulators of anxiety, stress resilience, and emotional regulation. Particular attention is devoted to the mechanisms through which nutraceutical compounds influence neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, neurotransmitter synthesis, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity, mitochondrial functioning, and gut–brain axis communication.
The article synthesizes contemporary findings from nutritional psychiatry, affective neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, and behavioral medicine published between 2020 and 2025. The review focuses on evidence supporting the psychophysiological effects of magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, L-theanine, probiotics and psychobiotics, glutathione, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), vitamin D, S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), adaptogens, and tryptophan-related compounds. Emerging evidence suggests that these nutraceutical interventions may contribute to improved emotional stability, reduced anxiety symptomatology, enhanced stress adaptation, and increased resilience through the modulation of inflammatory pathways, cortisol responses, serotonergic and GABAergic signaling, neuroplasticity, and autonomic nervous system regulation.
Special emphasis is placed on the role of chronic digital stress, emotional overstimulation, sleep disruption, and social-media-related anxiety in shaping modern patterns of psychological vulnerability. The study proposes an integrative conceptual framework linking psychonutrition, emotional regulation, and resilience within contemporary high-stress environments. In addition, the article critically examines the methodological limitations of current nutraceutical research, including variability in formulations, placebo effects, self-medication practices, and inconsistencies in clinical evidence.
The findings support the growing relevance of psychonutrition as a complementary approach in mental health prevention and intervention strategies. The article argues that nutraceutical-based modulation of neurobiological stress mechanisms may represent a promising direction for personalized and preventive psychiatry. Future research should prioritize longitudinal clinical trials, biomarker-driven interventions, and individualized psychonutritional models capable of integrating genetic, microbiome-related, and psychosocial factors into precision mental health frameworks.
Keywords: psychonutrition; emotional regulation; nutraceuticals; anxiety; stress resilience; nutritional psychiatry; gut–brain axis; neuroinflammation; oxidative stress; emotional dysregulation.
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