Katie Moore1, Catherine F Hughes1, Leane Hoey1, Mary Ward1, Conal Cunningham2, Anne M Molloy3, J J Strain1, Kevin McCarroll2, Miriam C Casey2, Fergal Tracey4, Eamon Laird3, Maurice O'Kane5, Helene McNulty6. 1. Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. 2. Mercers Institute for Research on Aging, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. 3. School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. 4. Causeway Hospital, Northern Health and Social Care Trust, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. 5. Clinical Chemistry Laboratory, Altnagelvin Hospital, Western Health and Social Care Trust, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. 6. Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Electronic address: h.mcnulty@ulster.ac.uk.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Mental health disorders are major contributors to disease burden in older people. Deficient status of folate and the metabolically related B vitamins may be implicated in these conditions. This study aimed to investigate folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and riboflavin in relation to depression and anxiety in aging and also considered the role of fortified foods as a means of optimizing B-vitamin status and potentially reducing the risk of these mental health disorders. DESIGN: The Trinity Ulster Department of Agriculture (TUDA) aging study was a cross-sectional cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling adults (n = 5186; ≥60 years) recruited from 2 jurisdictions within the island of Ireland from 2008 to 2012. MEASURES: Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scales, respectively. The following B-vitamin biomarkers were measured: red blood cell folate, serum total vitamin B12, plasma pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PLP; vitamin B6), and erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient (EGRac; riboflavin). RESULTS: Biomarker values in the lowest 20% of status for folate (odds ratio [OR] 1.79; 95% CI 1.23-2.61), vitamin B6 (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.01-2.06), or riboflavin (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.10-2.00), but not vitamin B12, were each associated with an increased risk of depression (CES-D score ≥16). Correspondingly, B vitamin-fortified foods if consumed daily were associated with a reduced risk of depression (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.41-0.70). A deficient status of vitamin B6 (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.07-2.81), but not other vitamins, was associated with increased anxiety. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Better B-vitamin status may have a role in impacting positively on mental health in older adults. Regular intake of fortified foods can provide a means of optimizing B-vitamin status and thus could contribute to reducing depression. If confirmed by a randomized trial, these results may have implications for nutrition and mental health policy, and thus quality of life, in older people. Crown
OBJECTIVES: Mental health disorders are major contributors to disease burden in older people. Deficient status of folate and the metabolically related B vitamins may be implicated in these conditions. This study aimed to investigate folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and riboflavin in relation to depression and anxiety in aging and also considered the role of fortified foods as a means of optimizing B-vitamin status and potentially reducing the risk of these mental health disorders. DESIGN: The Trinity Ulster Department of Agriculture (TUDA) aging study was a cross-sectional cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling adults (n = 5186; ≥60 years) recruited from 2 jurisdictions within the island of Ireland from 2008 to 2012. MEASURES: Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scales, respectively. The following B-vitamin biomarkers were measured: red blood cell folate, serum total vitamin B12, plasma pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PLP; vitamin B6), and erythrocyte glutathione reductase activation coefficient (EGRac; riboflavin). RESULTS: Biomarker values in the lowest 20% of status for folate (odds ratio [OR] 1.79; 95% CI 1.23-2.61), vitamin B6 (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.01-2.06), or riboflavin (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.10-2.00), but not vitamin B12, were each associated with an increased risk of depression (CES-D score ≥16). Correspondingly, B vitamin-fortified foods if consumed daily were associated with a reduced risk of depression (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.41-0.70). A deficient status of vitamin B6 (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.07-2.81), but not other vitamins, was associated with increased anxiety. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Better B-vitamin status may have a role in impacting positively on mental health in older adults. Regular intake of fortified foods can provide a means of optimizing B-vitamin status and thus could contribute to reducing depression. If confirmed by a randomized trial, these results may have implications for nutrition and mental health policy, and thus quality of life, in older people. Crown
Authors: Adam H Dyer; Eamon Laird; Leane Hoey; Catherine F Hughes; Helene McNulty; Mary Ward; J J Strain; Maurice O'Kane; Fergal Tracey; Anne M Molloy; Conal Cunningham; Donal J Sexton; Kevin McCarroll Journal: Int J Geriatr Psychiatry Date: 2022-07 Impact factor: 3.850