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Dietary intake of B6-9-12 vitamins, serum homocysteine levels and their association with depressive symptoms: the Zutphen Elderly Study

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 939–945 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

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 B6-9-12 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 B6 (−2.09, 95% CI −2.92; −1.26) per standard deviation increase was associated with lower levels of serum homocysteine, while vitamin B12 was not associated with serum homocysteine. Intake of folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 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 B6-9-12 vitamins and high levels of serum homocysteine are related to depression in healthy elderly men.

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Acknowledgements

This study has been supported by grant number 2001b176 of the Netherlands Heart Foundation and previous grants of the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Beshesda, MD, USA and the Netherlands Prevention Foundation, The Hague, The Netherlands.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    M H Kamphuis, M I Geerlings & D E Grobbee

  2. Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    D Kromhout

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  1. M H Kamphuis
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  2. M I Geerlings
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  3. D E Grobbee
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  4. D Kromhout
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Correspondence to M H Kamphuis.

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Kamphuis, M., Geerlings, M., Grobbee, D. et al. Dietary intake of B6-9-12 vitamins, serum homocysteine levels and their association with depressive symptoms: the Zutphen Elderly Study. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 939–945 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602804

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