Associations of dietary mineral intakes with the risk of six common mental disorders: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND

Evidence on the relationship between dietary minerals and mental disorders remains limited and inconsistent. This study assessed the associations between twelve essential minerals and six major mental disorders.

METHODS

We included 199,877 participants from the UK biobank without implausible energy intake, missing covariates, or baseline mental disorders. Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the relationship between twelve minerals and six mental disorders. We performed subgroup analyses by sex (male/female) and age (≤55/>55). In addition, early-onset cases and patients with chronic diseases were excluded for sensitivity analysis, and other divalent metals were included as covariates to control for confounding.

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 13 years. In the fully adjusted model, higher intake of iron (0.878, 95 % CI: 0.828-0.931), magnesium (0.905, 95 % CI: 0.853-0.961), and selenium (0.880, 95 % CI: 0.830-0.933) was inversely associated with depression, while higher calcium intake increased the risk of depression (1.104, 95 % CI: 1.041-1.171) and anxiety (1.154, 95 % CI: 1.085-1.227). Manganese reduced suicide risk (0.668, 95 % CI: 0.531-0.841), and high zinc intake decreased PTSD risk (0.429, 95 % CI: 0.262-0.701). Subgroup analyses indicated stronger protective associations of iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and selenium with depression among women. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the main findings.

CONCLUSIONS

High intakes of iron, selenium and manganese may reduce common mental disorders risk, while high calcium intake may increase depression and anxiety risk, highlighting the need for balance. Ensuring adequate intakes at RNI levels for magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese may provide a pragmatic approach to mitigating mood disorder risk.