#324 Can Multivitamins Help Treat Depression, Anxiety and Prevent Mental Health Issues? | Professor Julia Rucklidge
19th Nov 2025
Coming into this podcast my opinion was that multivitamins are just not worth it. Whether that’s for general wellbeing, cardiovascular health, sleep and especially mental health, I just was not convinced that they did anything at all.
But I specifically wanted to speak with Professor Julia Rucklidge, clinical psychologist and Director of the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab at the University of Canterbury, because she has a very different opinion.
Julia’s groundbreaking research and viral TED Talk have transformed how psychiatrists and mental health practitioners think about nutrition and mental illness, especially the potential of broad-spectrum micronutrients to support mood, focus, and resilience.
We explore:
- 💊 Why “no single ingredient solutions” matter, and when multivitamins might actually help
- 🧬 How stress, inflammation, and modern farming have changed our nutrient needs
- 🧠 The mechanisms linking nutrients, mitochondria, and neurotransmitters to mood and cognition
- 👩🔬 The evidence for micronutrients in ADHD, PMS, Depression and Anxiety
- 🥗 How to choose quality supplements and avoid the hype
If you’ve ever wondered whether taking a daily multivitamin is worth it or how food and nutrients impact the brain, this episode will challenge your assumptions and expand your understanding of nutrition for mental wellbeing.
Julia has made me reconsider my personal perspectives on multivitamins, and I’m excited to dive deeper into this topic on future podcasts and with our internal research team.
You can find our more about Julia's book - The Better Brain linked here.
Episode guests
Professor Julia Rucklidge, a clinical psychologist, is the Director of Te Puna Toiora, the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab at the University of Canterbury. Originally from Toronto, Canada, she is internationally renowned for her research and clinical trials on nutrients and mental illnesses, having given hundreds of talks around the world. Professor Rucklidge has become well-known for her ability to succinctly communicate the latest research relating to nutrition and mental health. She has over 160 peer reviewed publications, including in the Lancet Psychiatry, JAMA, JAACAP, and the British Journal of Psychiatry, with over 10,000 citations. She is currently on the Executive Committee for the International Society of Nutritional Psychiatry Research. Notable achievements include co-authoring "The Better Brain," a TEDx talk with over 5 million views, a free online course through EdX on Mental Health and Nutrition that has been taken by close to 100,000 students, and receiving awards like University of Canterbury Innovation Medal 2024, the Ballin Award from the NZ Psychological Society for her contributions to clinical psychology, Fellow of Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, a Braveheart Award for making Christchurch a better place to live, and being named three times as one of New Zealand's top 100 influential women. Julia is passionate about advocating that a good nutritional foundation is essential for helping people prevent and recover from mental health challenges.
