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Folate and depression

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GIPapakostas. et al. The relationship between serum folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine levels in major depressive disorder and the timing of improvement with fluoxetine. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2005 Dec;8(4):523–8.
MJTaylor. et al. Folate for depressive disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Psychopharmacol. 2004 Jun;18(2):251–6.
SJLewis. et al. The thermolabile variant of MTHFR is associated withdepression in the British Women's Heart and Health Study and a meta-analysis. Mol Psychiatry. 2006 Jan 10; [Epub ahead of print]

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2013

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In a nutshell

There is ample evidence of the link between major depression and low folate levels. This has some genetic element, associated with a polymorphic variant affecting the homocysteine methylation cycle.

A few RCTs have found folate supplements helpful when added to conventional anti-depressants. Depressed patients should be tested for folate and supplemented when folate is low.

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Type
Brief Report
Information
Arbor Clinical Nutrition Updates , Volume 237 , January 2006, pp. 1 - 3
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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