Vitamins from foods or in supplements may protect you from depression or relieve conditions. Vitamins assist in the synthesis of nutrients in the body and help with the production of neurotransmitters, which affect moods and behavior. Depression causes symptoms of sadness, hopelessness, poor concentration and insomnia. Persistent depression requires professional therapy and medication. Dietary and vitamin therapy may help during treatment. Maintaining sufficient levels of vitamins in your body may help improve your moods.
B Vitamins
Adding more B vitamins to your diet may help improve depression. Deficiencies in folic acid, also called vitamin B-9 or folate, reduce serotonin levels in the brain to cause mood changes. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter, provides calming effects and helps with sleep. Lack of folic acid has been linked to depression in psychiatric patients, according to Middle Tennessee State University. Replenishing the body with foods containing folic acid, such as green vegetables and fruit, may improve depression. Depressed patients may have low levels of vitamin B-6, or pyridoxine. Sources of B-6 include spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peas, radishes and onions. Deficiencies in vitamin B-3, or niacin, found in wheat, meat and dairy products, can cause depression, anxiety or agitation.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C deficiencies may cause depression, fatigue and weight loss. The vitamin helps the synthesis of folic acid and amino acids to help maintain moods and behavior. Vitamin C, along with the B vitamins, helps replace lost nutrients due to stress. Stress and anxiety can lead to depression. Take vitamin C supplements or get the vitamin through plenty of fruits and leafy vegetables.
Vitamin D
Insufficient levels of vitamin D may lead to depression. Your body produces vitamin D when your skin is exposed to the sunlight. A lack of sun exposure may cause seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, which results in depression for some people during the winter and fall months when the daylight hours become shorter. Research at the National Institute on Aging suggests that maintaining sufficient amounts of vitamin D in the blood may prevent depression in the elderly. The researchers found that low levels of vitamin D in the blood increased depression in elderly subjects over time, Reuters reports. Aside from exposure to sunlight, certain foods provide vitamin D. They include oily fish, such as tuna, salmon, herring, halibut and mackerel.
Depression Protection
Although supplements can provide vitamins, eating vitamin-rich foods help absorb the vitamins into your body efficiently. Foods rich in vitamins B, C, D and other vitamins, minerals and nutrients include fruits and vegetables. Diets high in fruits, vegetables and fish have been found to protect middle-aged people from depression. A five-year study of 3,486 middle-aged people found that those who consumed a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fish had significantly lower risk factors for depression than people who practiced a diet high in processed foods, fried foods, high-fat dairy products and sugary desserts, according to the "British Journal of Psychiatry."
References
- Middle Tennessee State University: Food, Mood and Neurotransmitters
- Holisticonline.com: Depression -- Nutrition and Diet
- Psych Central: Beating Stress Through Nutrition; May 15, 2007
- Reuters: Low Vitamin D Tied to Depression in Older People; May 12, 2010
- BJ Psych: Dietary Pattern and Depressive Symptoms in Middle Age; November 2009
