Dietary intake of B(6-9-12) vitamins, serum homocysteine levels and their association with depressive symptoms: the Zutphen Elderly Study.

OBJECTIVE

Low B-vitamin status and high levels of serum homocysteine are found in depressed inpatients, but results of population-based studies of this association are inconclusive. We investigated whether a low dietary intake of B(6-9-12) vitamins and high levels of serum homocysteine are associated with depressive symptoms in elderly men.

METHODS

The study sample included a total of 332 men aged 70-90 years who were free from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at baseline in 1990. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale at baseline in 1990 and dietary factors with the crosscheck dietary history method in 1985 and 1990. Serum levels of homocysteine were obtained in 1985. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Dietary intake of folate (-1.19, 95% CI -2.03; -0.36) and vitamin B(6) (-2.09, 95% CI -2.92; -1.26) per standard deviation increase was associated with lower levels of serum homocysteine, while vitamin B(12) was not associated with serum homocysteine. Intake of folate, vitamin B(6), vitamin B(12) and levels of serum homocysteine were not related to depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results do not support the hypothesis that a low dietary intake of B(6-9-12) vitamins and high levels of serum homocysteine are related to depression in healthy elderly men.