Two Vitamins Enhance Mood and Well Being

By VRP Staff

According to a new study, higher intake of vitamins B12 and B6 decreased the risk of developing depression in older adults. The National Institute of Mental Health states that approximately 57.7 million American adults suffer from a mental disorder in a given year. This includes 14.8 million American adults with Major Depressive Disorder and 3.3 million American adults with Dysthymic Disorder, which is a chronic mild form of depression.

In this recent study, using a food-frequency questionnaire, researchers evaluated the intake of vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid in 3,503 adults ages 65 or older. The subjects also completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression evaluation. The researchers followed the subjects for an average of 7.2 years to determine the incidence of depression.

The results of the study showed that increased intake of vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, including supplementation, was associated with a decreased risk of developing depression. More specifically, the study found that for each 10 additional milligrams of vitamin B6 and 10 additional micrograms of vitamin B12, the risk of developing depression decreased by 2 percent per year. The study did not find an association between folic acid intake and depression.

The researchers concluded, “Our results support the hypotheses that high total intakes of vitamins B6 and B12 are protective of depressive symptoms over time in community-residing, older adults.”

Reference:

Skarupski KA, Tangney C, Li H, Ouyang B, Evans DA, Morris MC. Longitudinal association of vitamin B-6, folate, and vitamin B-12 with depressive symptoms among older adults over time. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jun 2. Published Online Ahead of Print.