People with anxiety disorders may have lower levels of an important brain chemical called choline, according to a new study from UC Davis Health.
This discovery could help explain why anxiety affects so many people and open new paths for treatment.
The research, published in the journal *Molecular Psychiatry*, reviewed data from 25 studies that looked at brain chemistry in people with and without anxiety. In total, the team analyzed information from 370 people diagnosed with anxiety disorders and compared them to 342 healthy individuals.
The results showed that people with anxiety had about 8% lower levels of choline in their brains. This difference was especially clear in the prefrontal cortex, a region that helps control emotions, behavior, and decision-making.
“This is the first large-scale analysis to show a chemical pattern in the brains of people with anxiety disorders,” said Dr. Jason Smucny, co-author and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. “It suggests that nutritional approaches, like choline supplementation, might help restore healthy brain function.”
Choline is a nutrient that plays many vital roles in the body. It supports cell membranes, helps regulate mood, memory, and muscle control, and is involved in producing neurotransmitters—chemicals that send messages between brain cells.
While the body can make small amounts of choline, most of it must come from food. Good dietary sources include eggs, liver, fish, chicken, soybeans, and milk. Yet, research shows that most Americans do not get enough choline in their diets.
Anxiety disorders are extremely common, affecting about 30% of adults in the United States. They include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, and phobias.
People with these conditions often experience excessive fear, worry, or nervousness that can interfere with daily life. Despite their high prevalence, many people with anxiety do not receive effective treatment.
The brain regions most involved in anxiety include the amygdala, which detects threats and triggers the body’s “fight-or-flight” response, and the prefrontal cortex, which helps control emotional reactions.
When these areas don’t work together properly, the brain may overreact to minor stressors, creating feelings of overwhelming fear or worry. Scientists also know that imbalances in neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine play a role in anxiety disorders.
To explore the chemical changes in the brain, the UC Davis researchers used a technique called proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, or 1H-MRS. This noninvasive imaging method is performed using an MRI machine.
Instead of creating pictures of the brain, it measures the levels of various chemicals, or neurometabolites, within brain tissue. Using data from many studies, the team was able to confirm that choline levels were consistently lower in people with anxiety.
Dr. Richard Maddock, the study’s senior author and a psychiatrist at UC Davis Health, said the findings were surprising even though he expected to see lower choline levels. “An 8% difference might not sound large, but in the brain, it’s significant,” he said.
Maddock and Smucny believe that chronic activation of the body’s stress response in anxiety may increase the brain’s demand for choline, eventually depleting its levels.
While this discovery does not yet prove that taking more choline will reduce anxiety, the researchers say it highlights the importance of nutrition for brain health. “We still need more studies before recommending supplements,” Maddock noted. “But making sure you get enough choline through your diet is important for everyone, not just those with anxiety.”
Most Americans fall short of the recommended daily intake of choline, according to the National Institutes of Health. Foods rich in this nutrient include eggs—especially the yolk—beef liver, salmon, chicken, fish, soybeans, and milk. Maddock added that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like salmon may help the brain use choline more effectively.
This study provides new insight into the biology of anxiety. It shows that anxiety is not just a matter of mindset—it involves real chemical changes in the brain. The findings also open the door to future research exploring how diet and nutrient levels may affect mental health and whether improving nutrition could help manage anxiety symptoms.
Although more work is needed, this discovery adds to growing evidence that what we eat can influence not only our physical health but also our emotional well-being.
If you care about mental health, please read studies about how dairy foods may influence depression risk, and 6 foods you can eat to improve mental health.
For more mental health information, please see recent studies about top foods to tame your stress, and Omega-3 fats may help reduce depression.
The study is published in Molecular Psychiatry.
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