Consumption of food sources of tryptophan, pyridoxine, vitamin C and academic stress in Peruvian university students; [Consumo de alimentos fuente de triptófano, piridoxina, vitamina C y estrés académico en estudiantes universitarios peruanos]

Abstract

Introduction: There are nutrients such as tryptophan, pyridoxine and vitamin C, which are involved in various physiological functions related to sleep, skin, immune system and mood. Academic stress is a state of mental tension that university students face during the academic stage due to the demands and responsibilities they exercise in university life, and there is a need for the diet they consume to be varied in nutrients. Objective: To identify the relationship between the consumption of food sources of tryptophan, pyridoxine and vitamin C and the levels of academic stress in Peruvian university students. Methods: The method was a logical-deductive quantitative approach, correlational level, basic type, non-experimental design, with the participation of 513 university students with a mean age of 24 years (SD = 7.2). They completed the designed questionnaire of Food Consumption with tryptophan, pyridoxine and vitamin C content, which has 59 items and was validated with the participation of 9 judges and the reliability of Cronbach’s alpha was 0.89 while the academic stress questionnaire was the DASS-21 which consists of 21 questions having as dimensions: stressors, symptoms and strategies, each with 7 questions. It is an instrument used in various investigations and has a reliability level of Cronbach’s alpha 0.91. Results: With respect to the consumption of food sources of tryptophan, pyridoxine and vitamin C, there was evidence of a higher consumption by male students compared to female students, which would represent a disadvantage in the production of serotonin, counteracting oxidative stress and less protection against infections. Regarding the levels of academic stress, 65.5% of the students presented a moderate level and about 25% a high level, which constitutes a public health problem. Conclusion: There is a relationship between tryptophan and pyridoxine consumption and academic stress, with a statistically significant weak and low intensity correlation, respectively (0.028; 0.011), and no significant correlation was found between the consumption of food sources of vitamin C and stress levels (0.771). It was found that more than half of the participants had a low consumption of tryptophan, pyridoxine and vitamin C source foods and university students presented 65.5% moderate academic stress and about 25% high academic stress. © 2025 Sociedad espanola de dietetica. All rights reserved.