Database Analysis of Depression and Anxiety in a Community Sample-Response to a Micronutrient Intervention

• Published in: Nutrients 2018-01, Vol.10 (2), p.152
• Main Authors: Kimball, Samantha M, Mirhosseini, Naghmeh, Rucklidge, Julia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety - prevention & control; Anxiety - psychology; Anxiety - therapy; Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology; Anxiety Disorders - prevention & control; Anxiety Disorders - psychology; Anxiety Disorders - therapy; Canada - epidemiology; Case-Control Studies; Combined Modality Therapy; Communities; depression; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - prevention & control; Depression - psychology; Depression - therapy; Depressive Disorder, Major - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder, Major - prevention & control; Depressive Disorder, Major - psychology; Depressive Disorder, Major - therapy; Dietary Supplements; Electronic Health Records; Exercise; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Promotion; Healthy Lifestyle; Humans; Intervention; Male; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Micronutrients - therapeutic use; Middle Aged; Mood; multivitamin/multimineral; Nutritional status; nutritional supplements; Physical activity; Prevalence; Program Evaluation; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Quality of Life; Vitamin D; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu10020152

Depression and anxiety are common mental health concerns worldwide. Broad-spectrum multi-vitamin/mineral approaches have been found to alleviate a number of psychiatric symptoms. We investigated the effects of a nutrient intervention program, which includes optimizing vitamin D levels, on depression and anxiety outcomes from community-based program. We evaluated self-reported health measures of depression and anxiety collected as part of a community-based program focused on optimizing overall health through nutritional supplementation, education and lifestyle advice. Data were collected from 16,020 participants, with measures including European Quality of Life Five Dimensions (EQ-5D) and Targeted Symptoms List (TSL) providing self-reported depression and anxiety. More than 56% of participants were identified as having elevated levels of depression and anxiety at baseline as reported on the EQ-5D. After one year in the program, 49.2% ( = 7878) of participants who reported any level of depression or anxiety at baseline reported improvement at follow-up. Of those who reported severe/extreme depression at baseline ( = 829), 97.2% reported improvement after one year. Regression analyses revealed a significant association of improvement in depression and anxiety with higher vitamin D status (>100 nmol/L) and more strenuous physical activity. Overall, people from the general population who suffer from mood and anxiety problems may benefit from improved nutritional status achieved with nutritional supplements.