High Anxiety: Consumers Search for Supplements to Manage Stress and Support Mood

Anxiety rates have been on the rise since 2008, especially among young people, according to an analysis published in 2020 in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. From 2008 to 2018, rates among all adults rose from about 5.1% to 6.7%; but for 18 to 25 year olds the rate of anxiety went up from 8% to 14.7%.

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25%, according to a scientific brief released by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2022.

During 2022, according to a National Health Statistics Report from the CDC, about one in five adults age 18 and older reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety (18.2%) or depression (21.4%) in the past 2 weeks.

While the acute stress of the pandemic has subsided, the mental health of America has been on a concerning trajectory. Divisive politics, economic uncertainty, and a cost-of-living crisis continue to stress people out.

“Who isn’t stressed these days? With ongoing economic uncertainty, societal pressures, and political unrest, stress is affecting nearly every demographic, but especially young adults, working parents, and caregivers, who are juggling multiple responsibilities with limited support,” said Shaheen Majeed, global CEO and managing director, Sabinsa. “These groups commonly struggle with poor sleep, lack of focus, digestive issues, and mood imbalances, which are all interconnected symptoms of chronic stress.”

People are feeling the effects at work too. A survey of U.S. employees commissioned by Moodle, an online learning platform, showed that 66% of American workers are experiencing some sort of burnout in 2025.

Younger generations are facing significantly higher rates, with 81% of 18 to 24 year olds and 83% of 25 to 34 year olds reporting burnout, compared to just 49% of those aged 55 and older.

Across all age groups, 24% are stressed because they say they have more work to complete than time to do it; another 24% say they don’t have enough resources or the right tools to do their job properly; 20% cite a poor economy that’s impacting their well-being at work; and 19% have stress because they’re taking on too much work due to labor shortages in their industry.

The stress of modern life takes a toll on everyone, said Steve Fink, vice president of marketing, PLT Health Solutions, contributing to anxiety, health problems, poor relationships, and lost productivity at work. According to Gallup, 55% of Americans are stressed during the day. “This is 20% higher than the world average of 35%,” Fink noted. “U.S. businesses lose up to $300 billion annually due to workplace stress, driven by factors including absenteeism, reduced productivity, medical expenses, and workplace accidents.”

Consumers Search for Relief

A 2025 consumer wellness trends report from Kline + Company shows a clear shift in focus among consumers toward preventive health solutions.

Compared to Germany (29%), Japan (20%), and the U.K. (33%), U.S. consumers are most likely to take supplements to maintain or improve their health (39%). And nearly 8 in 10 U.S. consumers (77%) believe that relaxation is just as important as exercise to maintain physical and mental health.

The company’s market analysis, which includes social listening tools, revealed that “fear is becoming a more prevalent emotion in online U.S. political discourse. In the wake of this emotional shift, U.S. shoppers’ interest in stress management products, particularly supplements, is rising.”

According to Kline, a close comparison of social media mentions of U.S. tariffs and stress-relieving supplements showcased that there is a link between the two. Two weeks after the tariff discussion peaked this April, conversations about stress supplements ramped up.

“Our U.S. supplement consumer insights show that shopper intent has been climbing this year, illustrated by U.S. Google search popularity of stress-management supplements gaining 12.3% year-on-year,” Kline reported. “Americans are increasingly looking to biohack their bodies, seeking stress-relief strategies.”

Social media platforms have significantly boosted awareness of wellness trends, especially stress-related products. Shoppers discuss recommendations, product efficacy, and side effects on these platforms, particularly TikTok.

Kline’s analysis indicated that online chatter about stress products and supplements, which usually increases during winter months, soared this April and rose 71% overall since the beginning of the year, compared to the last months of 2024.

Calm gummies, sprays, and cortisol management supplements are being heavily advertised on TikTok, Kline noted, and a relatively high proportion of the 60 million average weekly views are paid.

Among other herbs, ashwagandha, bacopa, CBD, curcumin, Ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and valerian are being explored for their potential stress-management benefits. Notably, demand for ashwagandha supplements is particularly strong among younger consumers seeking natural anxiety solutions, Kline said.

Meanwhile, cortisol supplements, often featuring ashwagandha or magnesium, present a significant opportunity for brand owners. Search volume for “cortisol supplements” is rising sharply, yet no brand has established dominance in shoppers’ minds. U.S. consumers are not searching for specific brands in connection with “cortisol supplements,” leaving a competitive landscape for new market entrants to build a strong brand association.

Cortisol is a hormone released by the adrenal glands in response to stress, noted Cal Bewicke, CEO, Ethical Naturals Inc. “While normal levels of cortisol play an important role in regulating metabolism, blood sugar levels, and the immune response, chronic elevation of cortisol is implicated in multiple health concerns,” including: 

• High blood pressure, which negatively affects all aspects of cardiovascular health;
• Mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and memory problems;
• Poor sleep: Elevated cortisol disrupts the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, leading to insomnia and fatigue;
• Weakened immune function: Chronic stress undermines the immune system, making people less able to fight off infections and viruses; and
• Weight gain and metabolic issues: High cortisol has been associated with increased abdominal fat, insulin resistance, and a higher risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Understanding of how stress affects the body has grown significantly in recent years, said Majeed. “We now know that chronic stress impacts nearly every system, including immune function, cognition, digestion, cardiovascular health, and hormonal balance. It can weaken the immune response, disrupt digestion, impair memory and decision-making, and contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease. Chronic stress also negatively affects overall quality of life and significantly increases long-term cardiovascular risk.”

Consumers are increasingly aware of how stress impacts their health, which is driving sustained demand for stress and mood support supplements. “To meet these needs,” Majeed said, “brands can stand out by offering science-backed formulations made with clinically studied ingredients at effective doses that are clearly communicated for transparency and trust. Thoughtful, evidence-based product design is key to truly supporting stressed consumers in a meaningful way.”

Chronic stress continues to emerge as a significant health concern in the U.S., Bewicke said. For example, a 2022 publication from the American Psychological Association (APA) found that three-quarters of adults (76%) said they had experienced health impacts due to stress in the last month.

Stress is a “widespread concern touching all demographics,” he added. “The APA publication discusses many reasons why people today experience higher levels of stress. These include concerns for the future, our civil liberties, the racial climate, money and inflation, and political anxiety.”

In general, the stress levels that surged during Covid, have not abated, Bewicke said. “Product demand growth coincided with consumers seeking cognitive support supplements in higher numbers, suggesting that the inability to focus that so often accompanies high stress is very much a problem.”

Supplements can certainly help people manage the impact of that stress, he added, as well as their ability to focus. “Their role is also significant because many of the current drug treatments for stress and depression come with undesirable side-effects and are only recommended for short-term use.”

Research Reviews Supplements for Depression

According to a review of 209 available clinical studies published in Frontiers in Pharmacology in July, a variety of supplements, including omega-3s, St. John’s Wort, saffron, and probiotics, may help address depressive symptoms.

“There has been an abundance of evidence evaluating OTC products for depression over the last few years, particularly products such as St. John’s Wort and omega-3 supplements,” the authors said, and omega-3s, St. John’s Wort, and saffron “have relatively conclusive separate systematic reviews and meta-analyses.”

The researchers carried out reviews of all available studies on Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Amed, and Central journals, from inception to December 2022, including all studies involving participants with symptoms of depression or a formal diagnosis at baseline. Reviews were then summarized by the product and volume of evidence available.

According to the authors, the largest volume of evidence that supplementation may improve depressive symptoms included omega-3s, St. John’s Wort, saffron, probiotics (mainly multi-strain), and vitamin D.

There was also promising but limited evidence for several herbs and botanicals, including lavender, lemon balm, chamomile, and Echium; however, for the 41 products reviewed, only one clinical study was available for each.

“Limited but promising evidence” was also available for folic acid, zinc, tryptophan, and Rhodiola, but more research is needed, the authors wrote.

St. John’s Wort. According to the authors, St. John’s Wort was the most commonly studied herbal product, and the review only included studies on people formally diagnosed with depression. St. John’s Wort was compared to placebo in 26 trials, to an active drug in 10 trials, and to a lower dose in one trial.

The evidence mostly favored St. John’s Wort, with 16 positive versus nine negative placebo-controlled trials. In studies comparing it to antidepressants, St. John’s Wort was found to have similar effects in 11 studies, greater effects in four studies, and worse effects in one study.

Saffron. The studies encompassed a range of extracts which included stigma, crocin, petals, a mix, or unspecified plant parts. Saffron was evaluated across a wider range of comorbid conditions than St. John’s Wort, including heart disease, postpartum, menopause, and type 2 diabetes.

Eight studies reported positive effects, while three studies reported negative effects when saffron was compared to a placebo. In studies comparing it to prescription medications, six studies found it had similar effects, while two studies found that different saffron products exhibited similar effects.

Probiotics. Probiotics were evaluated as multi-strain species in 13 of the 16 studies included. Eight studies were conducted on people diagnosed with depression, while the other eight included self-reported symptoms.

A range of comorbidities were included, and probiotics were evaluated as an adjunct to antidepressant therapy in seven studies. A majority of studies favored probiotics over placebo with similar results to other OTC products.

Vitamin D. Vitamin D studies involved a wide variety of dosing regimens (daily to weekly) and levels (1,000 to 100,000 IU).

Nine trials were conducted in people with a depression diagnosis, while six studies involved people with self-reported symptoms.

In eight of 14 cases, vitamin D was tested as an adjunct to prescription medication or cognitive behavioral therapy. It was mostly compared to a placebo (nine of 14 studies) and most studies involved people with a vitamin D deficiency. Comparisons against placebo mostly favored vitamin D (six positive versus three negative), but other types of comparisons showed mixed results.

The authors noted that they found 34 ongoing clinical studies evaluating dietary supplements in people with depression or its symptoms that have not been published; 17 involve probiotics, four involve vitamin D, and three involve omega-3s.

They noted that there were no safety issues in most of the studies involved, with just a small number of mild adverse events reported.

“What we have is relatively conclusive evidence for some products,” said Rachael Frost, first author of the study and senior lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University. “When we looked at surveys of what people commonly take, chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, and echium emerged as commonly consumed products with an emerging evidence base, which we recommend to be studied further … Our study has pioneered an exploration into what research is needed to further assess such widely used health care products.”

Probiotic Potential

New research points to the use of specific probiotic strains to help manage stress and mood. For example, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial demonstrated that daily supplementation with a GABA-producing probiotic strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, LP815 from Verb Biotics, significantly reduced anxiety levels in adults with mild to moderate anxiety. Results were published in Beneficial Microbes.

The six-week study evaluated the effects of LP815 compared to placebo on anxiety, mood, sleep, and quality of life. The trial drew a diverse group of participants, 63% of whom were women. Participants who received 5 billion CFU per day experienced a clinically meaningful reduction in anxiety, with 68% improving by more than one category on the GAD-7 anxiety scale by week six, compared to just 26% in the placebo group.

The study, conducted through People Science’s digital clinical trial platform Chloe, reflects a broader mission to make research more accessible.

“This trial is a major step forward in understanding how GABA-producing probiotics can influence mood and mental well-being through the gut-brain axis,” said Todd Beckman, CEO of Verb Biotics. “Partnering with People Science allowed us to deliver a high-quality, real-world clinical study and further validate the potential of LP815 as a safe, effective solution for supporting mental well-being.”

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, playing a critical role in regulating mood and sleep. By delivering functionally focused health solutions like LP815, Verb Biotics is pioneering a new era of gut-brain health designed to meet the growing consumer demand for natural, science-backed mental wellness support.

The findings contribute to a growing body of evidence that gut microbiome interventions, particularly those leveraging the gut-brain axis, can unlock new frontiers in accessible mental wellness solutions. Building on these results, Verb Biotics is preparing to launch a new clinical study focused specifically on how LP815 may impact sleep quality.

Meanwhile, a probiotic marketed by Kaneka Probiotics and AB-BIOTICS as Innerim, and also known as KABP Mature Immune Defense, appeared to improve constipation and measures of stress relief in a clinical study on older adults. The findings, published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements, add to previous research demonstrating the probiotic blend’s role in supporting other measures of gastrointestinal health, immunity, and quality of life in older people.

“The metabolic and physiological processes that drive digestion slow down with age, which means that altered bowel function, including constipation, is a common health concern for older or elderly people,” said Maria Rodriguez-Palmero Seuma, PhD, medical director at AB-BIOTICS and co-author of the study. “This can have negative impacts on the quality of life for many older adults and put strain on both social and healthcare systems. As the findings of this new study demonstrate, probiotics such as our Innerim blend offer an attractive, safe, and effective alternative for older people managing altered bowel habits.”

In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, researchers recruited 70 healthy adults between the ages of 50 and 80 who experienced straining during defecation and hard stool consistency. The participants received either a daily dose of the two probiotic strains (L. plantarum KABP 031 and L. plantarum KABP 032) per day or a placebo, for 84 days. All participants also took a daily multivitamin and kept a diary to track bowel habits and levels of stress and well-being, with diary data collected and analyzed at baseline, 42 days, and 84 days.

Those in the probiotic group had increases in bowel movement frequency by 2.08 ± 2.52 and 2.07 ± 2.93 movements per week on days 42 and 84, respectively, which was significantly improved compared to the placebo group by day 42, which saw no improvements in stool consistency. Further, by day 42, the probiotic group experienced a significant decrease in the number of bowel movements per week that were classed as constipation.

Stress levels were also measured using the Perceived Stress Scale, as emerging evidence suggests that stress can negatively impact the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota, and probiotic supplementation has been reported to improve perceived stress scores.

In the current study, probiotic supplementation led to significant improvements in PSS scores by day 84, and the proportion of participants in the probiotic group with moderate stress scores was significantly lower than in the placebo group (9.4% versus 37.9%).

Looking ahead, Majeed said, growing interest in how the gut-brain axis and inflammatory pathways influence mood and stress opens the door for ingredients that support microbiome balance and systemic inflammation reduction.

“Polyphenols, adaptogens with dual activity (e.g., anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective), and ingredients that target mitochondrial function are gaining traction,” he said. “As research deepens, the future of stress support may lie in multi-pathway approaches that address both immediate symptoms and underlying physiological imbalances.”

Formulation Trends

Bewicke noted that natural stress-relief formulas will continue to gain traction with consumers. “There are a few well-studied ingredients that have demonstrated stress-relief and mental acuity benefits in published clinical studies. One of these is Ethical Naturals’ AlphaWave L-Theanine.”

The ingredient has been used for over 10 years, as scientific evidence for its stress-relief and mental acuity benefits has been established through clinical studies, leading to increased market demand.

Alpha Wave L-Theanine is widely used in dietary supplements, he added, but it’s also ideal for beverage formulations because it’s fully water soluble, has a neutral flavor, and is stable at a wide range of pH conditions and temperatures. “Today it is a key ingredient in a number of alternative, functional coffee brands,” Bewicke said.

Published clinical studies with AlphaWave demonstrate its ability to significantly increase the alpha brainwave activity associated with relaxed wakefulness and a reduction in anxiety and stress, he added. “In nature, L-Theanine is found with caffeine in green tea, accounting for the soothing alertness of that beverage.”

A study on AlphaWave published in Neurology and Therapy in 2021 found there was a significantly greater decrease in salivary cortisol at 1 hour post-dose and following the MAT test, when participants were administered a single dose of AlphaWave L-Theanine as compared to placebo.

Product formulations continue to move toward alternative delivery formats, as more consumers seek options beyond capsules and tablets, said Majeed. “Beverages, stick packs, powders, and gummies are all gaining traction, but each comes with its own set of formulation challenges. For example, beverage formats present very different stability, solubility, and taste considerations compared to gummies or capsules.”

When developing products in these alternative formats, it’s essential to partner with an ingredient supplier that understands the material and its functional characteristics, he added. “A knowledgeable supplier can provide critical support to ensure smooth manufacturing, compliance with testing standards, and, most importantly, a product that delivers the promised benefits.”

PLT Health Solutions recently began marketing Vanizem, a proprietary selection and extraction of the West African flowering plant Aframomum melegueta (Grains of Paradise) with standardized bioactives. In a clinical study, Vanizem was shown to provide improvements in self-reported tension scores (POMS) and significant improvements in sleep quality score (LSEQ) along with improvements in mood, vigor, ease of falling asleep and easier morning awakening, said Fink.

The patent-pending extract targets the endocannabinoid system by inhibiting fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), thereby maintaining anandamide levels, which may regulate mood and anxiety without psychoactive or sedative effects.

The Proactive Path

In an era marked by rising anxiety, widespread burnout, and chronic stress, the search for effective, natural solutions is more urgent than ever. Consumers are increasingly turning to innovative, science-based dietary supplements and functional foods and drinks not just to manage stress and anxiety, but to support overall mental wellness and
cognitive function.

As awareness grows and the market for preventive mental health solutions expands, nutraceuticals offer an attractive avenue for individuals seeking simple solutions that can help them navigate the pressures of modern life.