International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research (IJVNR) is published by IMR Press from Volume 95 Issue 1 (2025). Previous articles were published by another publisher under a hybrid publishing model, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Hogrefe.
1 Food Security Research Center and Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
2 Psychosomatic Research Center, Integrative Functional Gastroenterology Research Center and Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
3 Psychosomatic Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
4 Integrative Functional Gastroenterology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
5 Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
6 Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada and Integrative Functional Gastroenterology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
7 Cardiac rehabilitation research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Abstract
Objective: The prevalence of depression and anxiety is increasing worldwide. Diet as a modifiable factor for mental health has received great attention. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of vitamin B6 intake with depression and anxiety. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among 3362 adults in 2011. Anxiety and depression were evaluated using an Iranian validated version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire. Dietary intakes were evaluated by a validated 106 item self-administered Willett-format dish-based semi quantitative food-frequency questionnaire (DFQ). Results: The mean intake of vitamin B6 (mg/day) was significantly lower in anxious (1.93 ± 0.74 vs. 2.0 ± 0.74; P = 0.02) and depressed (1.86 ± 0.72 vs. 1.99 ± 0.74; P = 0.001) people than healthy participants. The lower level of vitamin B6 intake (tertile 1), after adjustment for the impacts of various confounding variables, in total population and women was associated with the higher odds of depression (OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.19, 2.31; P < 0.001. OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.08, 2. 21; P = 0.02, respectively). Also, the lower level of vitamin B6 intake (tertile 1) in total population and women was associated with the higher odds of anxiety (OR = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.31, 4.04; P < 0. 001, OR = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.19, 4.46; P = 0.04). Conclusion: The association of lower intakes vitamin B6 intake with increased risk of depression and anxiety was clearly supported by current study. A reasonable approach to tackle these disorders could be the improvement of nutritional status, accordingly large randomized controlled trials are suggested for providing more evidence.
Keywords
- Vitamin B6
- anxiety
- depression
- psychological disorders