Vitamins give a boost

Mental Health Nursing,  Mar 2004  

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Vitamin B supplements may help the fight against depression, according to research published in the journal BMC Psychiatry.

Scientists at Kuopio University in Finland believe that people with depression respond better to treatment if they had high levels of vitamin B12. They suggest vitamin B supplements could boost the effectiveness of anti-depressants.

The researchers checked 115 out patients who were treated for depression over a six months. They measured vitamin B12 levels in the patients' blood when they first came to the clinic, and after six months

Those who responded fully to treatment had higher concentrations of vitamin Bl2 in their blood at the start and the end of the study compared to those for whom treatment was less effective.

The association held steady even when other factors such as smoking and drinking, type of treatment received and family history of depression were factored out

Copyright Community Psychiatric Nurses Association Mar 2004
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