If there’s anything we can all agree on, it’s that modern life is stressful. It’s difficult to find anyone who doesn’t feel stressed out and somewhat anxious much of the time.

A recent study found evidence that a surprisingly simple treatment might help. In this double-blind trial, 80 healthy male volunteers were given either placebo or a multivitamin supplement with calcium, magnesium and zinc.1 The results were surprising. Over the study’s 28-day period, participants receiving the vitamins and minerals experienced significantly less anxiety and stress.

Why did such a simple treatment work? It’s hard to know, considering the number of vitamins and minerals given simultaneously.

One possibility is that a slight deficiency of various nutrients might increase the sensation of stress, and particular vitamins and minerals might be helpful. Only future research can tell. One thing that can be said for sure: it’s hard to go wrong taking a multivitamin/multimineral supplement.