Source: BMC Cancer  |  Posted 9 years ago

The associations found between depressive disorders and either vitamin B[_]12[] or folate may have different underlying mechanisms, Dutch researchers suggest.

"Vitamin B[_]12[] may be causally related to depression, whereas the relation with folate is due to physical comorbidity," say investigators from Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The associations between depression and vitamin B[_]12[], folate and homocysteine were examined in a population-based study of 3,884 elderly people screened for depressive symptoms. Those who screened positive underwent psychiatric workups.

The researchers then compared blood levels of folate, vitamin B[_]12[] and homocysteine in 278 people with depressive symptoms and 416 randomly selected reference participants. Depressive symptom participants included 112 people with depressive disorders.

Adjustments were made for age, gender, cardiovascular disease and functional disability.

Results indicate hyperhomocysteinemia, vitamin B[_]12[] deficiency and, to a lesser extent, folate deficiency all were related to depressive disorders.

The investigators point out, however, that the associations for folate and hyperhomocysteinemia and depressive disorders were "substantially" reduced when they made adjustments for functional disability and cardiovascular disease.

The association for vitamin B[_]12[] appeared to be independent, on the other hand.