mental health

GSK3B

Does This Signaling Gene Play a Role in Anxiety? (GSK3β)

Written by John Williams, B.Sc on September 24th, 2020

The GSK3β gene plays a role in a number of signaling pathways and seems to be affected by serotonin. Does it affect anxiety in any way? Read on to find out!

Summary

GSK3B encodes the protein glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta. Variants that produce more GSK3β protein seem to be associated with an increased risk of anxiety. Lifestyle, diet, and supplement modifications can counteract the effects of these variants by either decreasing the amount of GSK3β directly or by increasing serotonin, which reduces GSK3β through a mechanism involving a different protein called Akt.

GSK3B and Anxiety

The GSK3B gene encodes a protein that plays a role in many different pathways and is highly active in the brain. Variants that produce less GSK3β, such as the ‘T’ variant of rs12630592, are associated with having decreased risk of anxiety [R, R, R, R].

The GSK3B gene is turned off by Akt (also called protein kinase B). Since serotonin activates the Akt pathway, it follows that increasing serotonin levels should cause less GSK3β and therefore less anxiety. This is the same mechanism used by certain drugs (SSRIs) that are used to treat depression and anxiety [R, R].

Your GSK3B Results for Anxiety

SNP Table

variant	genotype	frequency	risk allele
rs334558
rs6438552
rs12630592
rs7633279

Primary SNP:

GSK3B rs334558

‘A’ = associated with increased risk of anxiety
‘G’ = not associated with anxiety

Other Important SNPs:

GSK3B rs6438552

‘A’ = associated with increased risk of anxiety
‘G’ = not associated with anxiety

GSK3B rs12630592

‘G’ = associated with increased risk of anxiety
‘T’ = not associated with anxiety

GSK3B rs7633279

‘A’ = associated with increased risk of anxiety
‘T’ = not associated with anxiety

Recommendations

Lifestyle

Meditation

One way to increase serotonin in the brain is through meditation. While meditation has numerous health benefits other than increasing serotonin, the serotonin increase is useful for your genetic variant because serotonin will activate Akt (protein kinase B) thus causing GSK3β levels to go down [R, R].

Meditating on a regular basis may help with stress and anxiety.

Diet

Tryptophan

By building serotonin, tryptophan may help reduce GSK3B activity and support mental health. Tryptophan deficiency correlates with anxiety. Increasing tryptophan intake through diet or supplements improved anxiety in different studies [R, R, R, R, R].

Good tryptophan sources include dairy, chicken, tuna, oats, and peanuts [R].

Increasing your tryptophan intake may prevent or improve anxiety by increasing serotonin levels.

Supplements

Zinc

Zinc inhibits GSK3β in cells at concentrations similar to what your body is used to [R].

Several studies have noticed an association between low zinc levels and elevated anxiety. Since most zinc in the American diet comes from red meat and chicken, vegetarians and vegans are especially at risk of having low zinc levels and should consider this option [R, R, R, R].

Consider supplementing with zinc as it has been associated with both lower GSK3β levels and reduced anxiety.

John Williams

B.Sc

John received his BSc from the University of Toronto. John has spent the last several years teaching high school science and math to English-language learners, which has forced him to learn how to simplify difficult concepts as much as possible. He has also worked in two different research labs and has experience as a student intern working and studying under doctors in hospitals and clinics to help diagnose and treat patients, interpret lab results and fill out mountains of paperwork.

Disclaimer

The information on this website has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration or any other official medical body. This information is presented for educational purposes only, and may not be used to diagnose or treat any illness or disease.

Also keep in mind that the “Risk Score” presented in this post is based only on a select number of SNPs, and therefore only represents a small portion of your total risk as an individual. Furthermore, these analyses are based primarily on associational studies, which do not necessarily imply causation. Finally, many other (non-genetic) factors can also play a significant role in the development of a disease or health condition — therefore, carrying any of the risk-associated genotypes discussed in this post does not necessarily mean you are at increased risk of developing a major health condition.

Always consult your doctor before acting on any information or recommendations discussed in this post — especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have been officially diagnosed with a medical condition.

More mental health blogs

How to Be a Better Dater (HTR2A) How to Increase Your Chances of a Romantic Relationship (5HT1A) Are You Genetically Vulnerable to High Brain Histamine, Migraines, or ADHD? (HNMT) Protect Yourself Against Stress and Mood Problems with the Oxytocin (OXTR) Gene Beat “Brain Fog” With The Cannabinoid System (CNR1) Boost Your Cognitive Ability By Protecting Your Dopamine Neurons (LMX1A) How Emotionally Self-Aware Are You? (5HT1A) The Gene That Increases Cognitive Processing Speed by Inhibiting Inflammation (NFKBIL1) The Key Dopamine Receptor Gene That Influences Your Intelligence And Creativity (DRD2) How to Increase Intelligence and Enhance Learning (BDNF)

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Summary GSK3B and Anxiety Your GSK3B Results for Anxiety

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