Dutch researchers compared vitamin D levels with mood in a study of 1,282 elderly people. They found that vitamin D levels were 14% lower in those with depression. Measures of parathyroid hormone showed that this hormone was 5-33% higher in elderly individuals with depression. Depression severity...
This study investigated omega 3, depression and bipolar. A meta-analysis (review of studies to date) by scientists in Taiwan suggests that omega-3 fatty acids have significant antidepressant effects in patients with depression and bipolar disorder. The researchers interpret the results cautiously,...
The study investigated omega 3 & depression. In a small study, specific areas of the brains of deceased patients who had suffered from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) were compared with the brains of ‘age-matched normal controls’. The omega-3 fatty acid DHA was significantly different...
This study investigated chromium & depression. In a placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot study of 15 subjects, chromium picolinate was observed to improved the moods of 70% of those taking chromium compared with 0% on placebo. Two hypothesised mechanisms of actions with relation to the...
This study investigated the microbiome, anxiety & depression. It is understood that there is constant communication between the gut and the brain (the gut-brain axis). In this study, mice were fed a strain of probiotic (gut bacteria) or placebo. The mice who received the probiotics showed...
This study investigated depression & processed foods. Eating a diet high in processed food increases the risk of depression, according to a recent study. Data on diet among 3,500 middle-aged civil servants was compared with self reported depression five years later. Those in the 'whole food'...
This study investigated fish oil & depression. Moderate dose of Omega-3 fish oil was observed to improve mood in depressed elderly. In this small randomised controlled trial, a group of elderly people with mild to moderate depression were given either a fish oil capsule (with 300mg of the...
This study investigated iron & depression. Two hundred women who were not anaemic had their mood and blood iron levels measured. The iron levels in the women who were rated as depressed (67) were significantly lower than in the healthy controls (125). M Vahdat Shariatpanaahi et al., ‘The...
This study investigated omega 3, depression & children. Antidepressant medication is not recommended for children due to concerns over adverse side effects. In this pilot study of omega-3 fatty acids in children with major depression, 28 children aged between 6 and 12 years old were assessed...
This review explored folate & depression. A review of all randomized controlled trials that compared treatment with folic acid or 5'-methyltetrahydrofolic acid to an alternative treatment, for patients with depression. Three randomized trials (247 participants) were included. Two studies...
