Nutrients can play a key role in the onset as well as severity and duration of depression. It has been found that many of the food patterns in people, before the acute episode of depression are the same as those that occur during depression such as poor appetite, skipping meals, and a dominant desire for sweet foods. 

Some important vitamin supplements for better mental health prescribed by physicians are B group vitamins,folates etc.

Role of nutrients in mental health

Vitamin  B1 status was linked with poor mood.

Vitamin B-12 and other B vitamins play a role in producing brain chemicals that affect mood and other brain functions.

Low levels of B-12 and other B vitamins such as vitamin B-6 and folate may be linked to depression.

Vitamin B12 delays the onset of signs of dementia or loss of memory, if it is taken in a regular interval as directed by physician before the onset of the first symptoms of dementia.

Supplementation with cobalamin enhances cerebral and cognitive functions in the elderly people.

 Folate: When you don’t get enough folate you can be at a higher risk of feeling depressed. Studies show that patients with depression have blood folate levels, which are, on an average, 25% lower than healthy controls[8].

Folate can be found in green vegetables, citrus fruits, liver, beans and fortified foods.

Depression is comparatively low in people who consume traditional diet that tend to be high in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, fish and seafood, and contain only modest amounts of lean meats and dairy.

Selenium deficiency may increase the chance of feeling depressed and other negative mood states. Good sources of selenium include Brazil nuts, seeds, whole meal bread, meat and fish.

Other important minerals for better mental health are iodine and zinc. Iodine is required for thyroid development and deficiency causes cretinism in children.It is also associated with mental retardation.
Studies have shown that zinc levels are lower in those with clinical depression.

Further extensive research is ongoing in nutritional psychiatry and nutritional neuroscience to understand the role of nutrient supplementation in mental health in a more comprehensive way. It is recommended only under the directions from a health care provider.

written by Dr.sanjana vb. [copyright]

References

1.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16962306/
2.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738337/
3.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7028146/
4.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6177256/
5.  National Institute of Mental Health: Depression. National Institute of Mental Health. 2000. (US Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda (MD) [reprinted September 2002]
6.  Hoes MJ. L-tryptophan in depression. J Orthomolecular Psychiatry. 1982;4:231
7.  Buist R. The therapeutic predictability of tryptophan and tyrosine in the treatment of depression. Int J Clin Nutr Rev. 1983;3:1–3.
8.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10967371/