A Good Vitamin Supplement Could Be Just What
the Doctor Ordered
Did you ever wish that you could take a
vitamin for depression? Well, for some of you it may be just
that simple. There are a variety of vitamin deficiencies that
can lead to depression symptoms.
The B-Complex Vitamins
The B-complex vitamins are essential to mental
and emotional well-being. They cannot be stored in our bodies,
so we depend entirely on our daily diet to supply them. B
vitamins are destroyed by alcohol, refined sugars, nicotine, and
caffeine so it is no surprise that many people may be deficient
Here's a rundown of recent finding about the
relationship of B-complex vitamins to depression:
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine): The brain uses
this vitamin to help convert glucose, or blood sugar, into
fuel, and without it the brain rapidly runs out of energy.
This can lead to fatigue, depression, irritability, anxiety,
and even thoughts of suicide. Deficiencies can also cause
memory problems, loss of appetite, insomnia, and
gastrointestinal disorders. The consumption of refined
carbohydrates, such as simple sugars, drains the body's B1
- Vitamin B3 (niacin): Pellagra-which
produces psychosis and dementia, among other symptoms-was
eventually found to be caused by niacin deficiency. Many
commercial food products now contain niacin, and pellagra
has virtually disappeared. However, subclinical deficiencies
of vitamin B3 can produce agitation and anxiety, as well as
mental and physical slowness.
- Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): Symptoms
of deficiency are fatigue, chronic stress, and depression.
Vitamin B5 is needed for hormone formation and the uptake of
amino acids and the brain chemical acetylcholine, which
combine to prevent certain types of depression.
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): This vitamin
aids in the processing of amino acids, which are the
building blocks of all proteins and some hormones. It is
needed in the manufacture of serotonin, melatonin and
dopamine. Vitamin B6 deficiencies, although very rare, cause
impaired immunity, skin lesions, and mental confusion. A
marginal deficiency sometimes occurs in alcoholics, patients
with kidney failure, and women using oral contraceptives.
MAOIs, ironically, may also lead to a shortage of this
vitamin. Many nutritionally oriented doctors believe that
most diets do not provide optimal amounts of this vitamin.
- Vitamin B12: Because vitamin B12 is
important to red blood cell formation, deficiency leads to
an oxygen-transport problem known as pernicious anemia. This
disorder can cause mood swings, paranoia, irritability,
confusion, dementia, hallucinations, or mania, eventually
followed by appetite loss, dizziness, weakness, shortage of
breath, heart palpitations, diarrhea, and tingling
sensations in the extremities. Deficiencies take a long time
to develop, since the body stores a three- to five-year
supply in the liver. When shortages do occur, they are often
due to a lack of intrinsic factor, an enzyme that allows
vitamin B12 to be absorbed in the intestinal tract. Since
intrinsic factor diminishes with age, older people are more
prone to B12 deficiencies.
- Folic acid: This B vitamin is needed for
DNA synthesis. It is also necessary for the production of
SAM (S-adenosyl methionine). Poor dietary habits contribute
to folic acid deficiencies, as do illness, alcoholism, and
various drugs, including aspirin, birth control pills,
barbiturates, and anticonvulsants. It is usually
administered along with vitamin B12, since a B12 deficiency
can mask a folic acid deficiency. Pregnant women are often
advised to take this vitamin to prevent neural tube defects
in the developing fetus.