A Study on the Correlation Between Vitamin C and Stress: Analysis

This report investigates the correlation between Vitamin C consumption and stress levels, examining the impact of diet on mental well-being. The study utilizes both primary and secondary data, including questionnaires, books, and articles, to analyze the relationship between stress and Vitamin C intake. Statistical tools such as cross-tabulation, multiple regression, and ANOVA tests are employed to establish scientific correlations. The findings suggest that a diet rich in Vitamin C, particularly through the consumption of fruits and vegetables, can effectively reduce stress levels and improve overall health. The report emphasizes the importance of incorporating vitamin-rich foods into a balanced diet to enhance life expectancy and mitigate the risks associated with stress and diseases. The study highlights the interconnectedness of stress and diet, advocating for dietary strategies that prioritize low-fat, high-fiber, and carbohydrate-rich foods to promote both mental and physical well-being. The research provides a comprehensive analysis, offering valuable insights into the role of nutrition in stress management and overall health.

The effect of Vitamin C
on
Stress

ABSRACT
In this modern world people are highly health conscious and they focus on
consumption of food products that enable to get all the required vitamins. However, there is
condition in which when there is not proper diet followed, then it has negative impact over
the health and it increases the rate of stress and diseases. Present research is focused on
understating the causes due to which the rate of stress gets affected when there is lack of
consumption in vitamin C.
In order to gather relevant information, both primary and secondary data are
considered. Primary data is collected with help of developing questionnaire and secondary
with the help of books, journals, articles, etc. Further, the analysis is done by making use of
cross tabulation test and this has helped in understating the relationship between stress and
vitamin C. Later, statistic tools like multiple regression and ANOVA tests were run to
establish correlation scientifically between diet and stress. The graphical presentations have
also been used to put across the results more continently.
As per the results that were identified, it can be stated that proper diet plan should be
developed in which all type of vitamins rich food and fruits should be included. This is
effective enough to increase the life expectancy rate and to reduce the rate of diseases and
stress level.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................1
Overview of the topic..........................................................................................................................3
Background of the study......................................................................................................................3
Significance of the study......................................................................................................................4
Relationship between diet and stress...................................................................................................4
Impact of unhealthy diet on stress and its disadvantages....................................................................5
METHODS..............................................................................................................................................6
Participants...........................................................................................................................................6
Data collection.....................................................................................................................................7
Materials and procedures.....................................................................................................................7
Ethical consideration............................................................................................................................8
RESULTS................................................................................................................................................8
DISCUSSION........................................................................................................................................29
CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................................34
REFERENCES......................................................................................................................................35
APPENDEX...........................................................................................................................................37

INTRODUCTION
Stress and diet are correlated with each other (Mark and et. al., 2014) and therefore it
is essential for individuals to carry out effective dietary strategies regarding what to eat and in
how much quantity. However, at the time of stress, individual often prefers to consume foods
with high elements of fat like cheese, ice cream and pizza, etc., (Martin, 2014). Thus, such
high fat foods are usually the worst possible way because of which individual feel lethargic
and less able to overcome stress (Berger, 2017). Also, stress could result into high blood
pressure that in turn makes a negative impact on the physiological mechanism of stress in
individuals (Mash and Barkley, 2014). This consequently impacts upon the homoeostatic
mechanism of the individuals suffering from stress by imbalancing their hormonal enzymes
as such cytochrome P450 in the zona fasciculate of the adrenal cortex (Mark, and et. al.,
2014). Thus, bad eating habit could result in arteriosclerosis, which may leads to
hypertension and as a result it could increase the risk of myocardial infarction (Martin, 2014).
Therefore, the best solution of healthy diet is low fat, high fibre, carbohydrate rich diet which
should involve more of fruits and vegetables. Thus, it helps individual to rebuild individual's
energy and boost their immune system by together reducing the stress level. However, in
order to overcome stress, individuals need to follow effective diet and involve food which
possess high fibre and carbohydrate rich diet where this will not only assist them in getting
rid of their strain but will also result in the well-being of both their mental and physical state.
It has been identified that carbohydrates cause the brain to produce more serotonin, which is a
hormone that helps in relaxing individual and help them in releasing stress. For instance,
there are certain examples of healthy comfort food which involves baked sweet potatoes,
salted vegetables over rice and soup (Kristeller, Wolever and Sheets, 2014).
Stress can be determined to be a state in which people fail to have proper focus on
what they have to act. In other words, the mental state of an individual is not stable and they
feel uncomfortable to focus. Further, it can be also be stated as a type of condition in which
individual does not take in sufficient oxygen and when supply of oxygen is low, then it
creates issue to focus in effective manner. There are different type of stress it includes
perceived stress which is widely used psychological instrument in order to measure stress
perception (Ezzati and et. al., 2014). Further, it focuses on measuring degree of situation of
the rate of stress that is faced by individuals. Another type of stress is acute stress; this is a
common form of stress. It generally occurs due to pressures and demands of past. This is for
short period of time and it becomes normal when the time in which individuals presently live
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in. some of the stress is for life long and it cannot be reduced for example, poverty,
disabilities, etc.
When different types of food are consumed, then changes take place at slow rate.
There are conditions in which individuals prefer to have certain type of food products and
when these are satisfied, and then it becomes favourable enough to fulfil physiological
aspect. On the other hand, when behavioural changes contains variations made in different set
of food products (Katterman and et. al., 2014). When healthy diet is taken, then it enables to
increase the level of hormones.
The type of food that is consumed can have negative or positive impact over health. In
this context, when fruits are consumed, then it contains high rate of vitamin C. With this
respect, the products that has high rate of vitamin C, then it enables to reduce the stress level.
Further, excess consumption can increase the rate of fat. Further, consumption of chocolate is
highly effective enough to reduce the rate of stress. Similarly, coffee enables to generate
energy and also helps in reducing stress at high rate.
At the time of stress, people generally prefer to consume foods that are easily
available. In this context, it includes fast food and it contains high rate of fat that causes
health related issues. Further, at the time of stress, the rate of consumption of food product
increases (Mark, A.B. And et.al., 2014). Further, individuals generally consume products that
are highly preferred by them.
Also, it has been assessed that chronic stress affects individual ability to fight against
disease. Therefore, nutritionists suggest people to consume more amount of fruits and
vegetables that helps in boosting immune system. All the citrus fruits obtain high amount of
vitamin C which is another stress busting antioxidant. However, stress and diet are
interconnected with each other and therefore it is essential for individual to avoid several
food items that would impact upon their health (Xiao and Tipoe, 2014). There are several
high fat foods that need to be avoided by people such as meat, cheese dishes and various
baked food items. All such food items affect the metabolism people and affect their diet
which ultimately results in increasing stress. However, high fat meal could increase the risk
of heart attack. Thus, caffeine is another food type that needs to be avoided by individual as it
is a stress induced lack of sleep by turning to coffee, tea and other similar beverages.
(Katterman and et. al., 2014).
The main aim of this research is to identify the impact of Vitamin C in reducing the rate of
stress. This will helpful enough to understand the benefits that individuals get when food
products that contains high rate of vitamin C is highly beneficial or not. However, there are
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different components of vitamin C that help releasing stress levels. Further, main causes can
be identified due to which the rate of stress increases can also be identified.
Overview of the topic
According to, (Xiao and Tipoe, 2014), stress is considered as the challenge and
therefore creates such organism in the body that impacts upon the body of stressor. Eating
habit is considered as the experiencing drive to eat so that in the absence of true calorie need
it is common but is subject to large individual differences. Hence, it is being assessed that
risk for stress induced that it impacts upon the health and diet of people (Katterman and et.
al., 2014). Therefore, by providing proper options for eating which results in overcoming the
challenges results in maintaining stress level because otherwise it impacts upon the health
condition of people. Hence, it is significant for them to undertake effective practices and thus
provide proper diet and stress related metabolism so that it does not affect the health of
individual.
It is assessed that mainly in young people stress is being found more, therefore it is
essential for them to identify the relationship between stress and diet so that effective
practices result in carrying out effective health behaviours (Prochaska, 2013). Furthermore, if
a stressful environment is created, then it might impact upon the condition of individual as a
way of dealing with this stress. It also helps in determining that if there was a correlation
between the number of stressors and consuming vitamin C helps in association with lower
perceived stress (Hou and Mercer, 2014). Therefore, it is essential for researcher to identify
the level of adopting dietary habit among individuals and thus consume healthy diet so that
positive correlation between stress and diet could be found.
Background of the study
The current research identifies that stress and diet are correlated with each other and
thus experiences that in a stressful condition individual might evaluate that their diet might
impact upon the stress level. For instance, in regard to determine the behavioural
consequences of stress, most of the individual are linked to the alteration of eating habits with
chronic stress (Olpin and Hesson, 2015). Thus, releasing chronic stress assesses that at the
time of causing health effects and therefore it is significant for individual to identify the
effect of stress upon diet and thus lower down eating habits so that it does not affect the
individual's eating habits. Also, by creating stressful environment results in identifying that
often people eat as a way of dealing with stress or as a way to calm themselves.
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There is an effective connection between diet and stress and thus it helps in usually
carrying out wise choices so that diet and stress does not impact upon the health and
behaviour of individual (Tomiyama, 2014). Also, individuals need to make food choices as it
helps in identifying the perceived stress level so that nutritional deficiencies might cause
stress among individuals. Therefore, it is essential for individual to assess the greater demand
of balanced diet which results in providing proper diet options so that health benefits could be
provided to individuals (Thompson, 2014). It is essential for individuals to maintain their
eating habits and thus for that they need to undertake effective practices which results in
carrying out desired outcomes. Also, adopting effective responsibilities help in improving the
different dietary habits so that regular meals could not impact upon the health of individual as
well as does not carry out stress condition. Thus, carrying out proper planning helps in listing
different vitamin C food products so that it helps in releasing stress level and therefore does
not affect the health condition of individual (Montonen and et. al., 2013).
Significance of the study
The present study is being carried to test the association between the intake of nutrients
rich in vitamin C and the perceived level of stress in individuals. It is basically in regard to
identify the connection between stress and diet, so that proper test is being applied in relation
to identify the particular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C which is linked with lower
perceived stress. Therefore, it is essential for them to assess the lower perceived stress level
and thus identify the consumption of food products that are rich in vitamin C so that it is the
best way through which consuming food products results in overcoming the stress from life
(Ajiboye and et. al., 2017).
Thus, identifying the vitamin C food products help in providing proper diet control
habits to consumers so that it results to avoid stress condition. Thus, in this study, connection
need to be addressed between diet and stress in relation to identify the particular consumption
of foods that are rich in vitamin C and thus linked with lower perceived stress and thus
improve the eating habits of people(Liu and Liu, 2014).
Relationship between diet and stress
Diet and stress have effective connection and therefore it is essential for people to
manage their diet in such a manner so that they could overcome their stress issue. They
should eat dark chocolate, bananas, protein, coffee etc. in order to overcome stress. Thus,
maintaining such effective diet results in overcoming stress and therefore helps in improving
dietary habits among people. For instance, if any individual is facing stress then they are
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required to consume dark chocolate which helps in boosting mood and help individual to
overcome from stress or depression (Prochaska, 2013). Also, protein is considered as a good
source of energy and thus it helps in maintaining blood sugar level steady so that it increases
energy and mood. Therefore, the nutritionists decide to provide such food item in diet so that
stress of individual could be maintained. Bananas are another major dietary food which helps
in boosting individual mood and thus involves vitamin so that it is linked with positive mood
(Hou and Mercer, 2014).
Another food product is coffee that appears to affect a number of neurotransmitters
related to mood control therefore drinking a cup of coffee in morning could result in
overcoming stress. Thus, it identifies that stress and diet are interlinked with each other and it
helps in producing new neurons and improving the health of brain (Liu, M. and Liu, F.,
2014). Diet of an individual plays a crucial role in stress management but through using
energy psychology tools such as emotional freedom techniques results in developing
reprogram individual body's reactions to the unavoidable stressors or everyday life and thus
results in reducing the chances of experiencing adverse health effects so that regularly energy
could be flowed and release stress (Olpin and Hesson, 2015).
Furthermore, for identifying the relationship between diet and stress helps in adopting
effective measure so that stress could be released (Tomiyama, 2014). However, there are
various other measures as well which helps in improving the diet and overcoming stress
situation. It can be identified that there are various ways through which stress could be
reduced through adopting diet and nutrition choices and thus make the stress level go up or
down. There exist various type of foods that result in providing comfort and actually enhance
level of hormones. While, there are similar other foods as well that decreases the stress by
lowering the level of hormones in human body (Thompson, R.A., 2014)
Impact of unhealthy diet on stress and its disadvantages
It can be assessed that stress has been linked with biochemical changes so that it could
trigger obesity. It has been identified that people have suspected stress and obesity are linked
so that doctors understand the proper reasons that they may be better able to address the
obesity disease (Montonen and et. al., 2013). It has been evaluated that stress is connected
with diet as people do not follow proper dietary habit which results in affecting the health of
individual. For instance, vitamin C is considered to be the useful food item that helps in
overcoming stress among people, and release such hormones that maintain body level and
thus assess smart food choices (Ajiboye and et. al., 2017). There are several researches
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carried out in relation to assessment that chronic stress could cause the body to release excess
cortisol, a hormone that helps in managing fat storage and energy so that it uses in the human
body. Therefore, by consuming such food results in obtaining lower perceived stress. Also, it
has been identified that individual body might process food in a different way when person is
in stress condition. However, at the time of stress, nerve cells of individual release's molecule
i.e. neuropeptide therefore, they are encouraging fat accumulation and thus promote healthy
diet. Stress and diet are interlinked and therefore it assesses that when individual feels too
hungry at that time and thus increases the level of blood sugar, so that it increases the chances
of heart attack (Liu and Liu, 2014). It is also advised that eating healthy snacks i.e. protein
and carbohydrates helps individual body digests them more slowly and thus allow them to
feel healthy (Mash and Barkley, 2014).
METHODS
Research methodology is the use of certain tools to collect data for the purpose of research.
This study will use the mix of two research methods to collect research data, namely
qualitative and quantitative. The former is mostly of exploratory nature trying to know
people’s motivations, reasons and their opinions. In this study the qualitative approach will
be used in the form of setting questionnaire to 100 people to get primary data. This
methodology will set the platform for quantitative methodology, which will then be
employed, in the form of linear regression and ANOVA, to process that data to find
relationship between diet and stress as two independent and dependent variables respectively.
Participants
In the present study, 100 participants were involved who represented a group of adults
as university students comprising of 40 females and 60 males. More specifically, the age
group of these selected respondents ranged from 18 to 25.Participants were involved in the
study and thus could assess the connection between stress and diet so that study could be
completed in an effective way. Therefore, it resulted in directing proper survey being carried
out. The type of diet that is consumed by male and female are different and so by selecting
both male and female in equal proportion will enable to provide adequate information.
Different questions have been asked in relation to diet and stress to make sure that research
aim is achieved. However, the questions have been selected on the basis of scientific research
carried to ascertain the nutritional value of various food products with a major focus on
discovering the benefits of such nutrients that can in turn reduce the stress level of the
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individuals. In context to which, a significant use of vitamin C constituent has been found to
be the most beneficial one for reducing the strain level of individuals.
Data collection
The present research work has reflected primary data collection method with the help
of a questionnaire to interrogate 100 selected respondents with a willing consent to contribute
in the study. After which, the designed questionnaire was then transmitted to their given mail
ID or respondents selected and later filled by them. Reverted back Primary data collection
method means that data is being collected for the first time from the selected respondents. In
regard to collected primary data, questionnaire is being used and thus different questions
were being asked regarding the connection between stress and diet. Further, lower perceived
stress about consumption of vitamin C so that helps in measuring the perception of stress and
diet among respondents.
Materials and procedures
The sample selected for carrying out this study has helped in assessing the relative
facts of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) that is basically used to identify the stress level among
the participants. Also, it helps in identifying the eating habits and thus assesses consumption
of vitamin C products so that stress could be released. By considering yet another fact of
vitamins where almost all its composition duly helps in lessening the stress level of
individuals, the participants in the foremost questionnaire were also interrogated about their
intake of any other constituent of vitamins. However, it is with a major emphasis upon the
effectiveness of vitamin C to degrade the stress level of individuals and on which, the entire
study has been relied. Apart from this, there together existed a direct association between the
consumption of vitamin C and PSS where the direct benefits of both has been scrutinized to
finally recognize the most advantageous way of reducing stress from either of the measures.
PSS (Perceived Stress Scale) helps in identifying the level and then mark behaviour of adults
on the basis of selected scale so that it helps in evaluating positive responses. Thus, through
carrying out proper materials and procedures it helps in identifying the best way through
which PSS could be carried out. It is the most widely used psychological instrument for
measuring the perception of stress (Ezzati and et. al., 2014). Hence, PSS is considered as a
valid and reliable tool for measuring the stress level of the targeted group where it will also
assists in identifying the risk factor that will be based upon the consumption of vitamin C
constituent. In order to conduct the research in effective manner Statistical Packing for the
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Social Science (SPSS) tool is used. With this respect, there are different types of test that will
be conducted. It includes regression, correlation, T-test and crosstab. These are the type of
tests that enable to provide adequate answers and to come up with appropriate outcome.
Ethical consideration
In order to carry out the research in effective manner, there are certain sets of ethical
considerations that are considered. With this respect, there is personal information that is
gathered from respondents. In this context, it is important to make sure that personal data
collected are stored with the help of secure system. Further, it should not be shared with any
one and only the person who is authorised should have the authority to access.
Moreover, all the respondents should be delivered with adequate information with
respect to the questionnaire that is sent to them. When respondent have proper understanding
about the aims for which research is conducted, then it becomes helpful enough for the
researchers and individuals selected will provide proper answers for the questions.
Furthermore, all the secondary information need to be taken as reference and should not be
used as it is. In this context, proper citation should be done.
RESULTS
Gender
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid
Male 60 60.0 60.0 60.0
Female 40 40.0 40.0 100.0
Total 100 100.0 100.0
Pie graph
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According to the results, it is seen that out of 100 respondents surveyed, 60%
surveyed audience were male and 40% respondents were female.
Did you consume Citrus fruits and juices rich in Vitamin C, and how often have you felt that you were unable to
control the important things in your life? Crosstabulation
9