Intakes of folate, vitamin B6 and B12 and risk of depression in community-dwelling older adults: the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Aging

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Depression can decrease quality of life and affect health outcomes in older population. We investigated whether different intake levels of folate, vitamin B-6 and B-12 were associated with a 3-year depression incidence among generally healthy, community-dwelling older men and women. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Participants in the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Aging (NuAge), free of depression (that is, 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) < 11) at baseline (N = 1368; 74 +/- 4 years old; 50.5% women), were screened annually for incident depression (GDS >= 11) or antidepressant medication. Tertiles of intakes (food only and food+ supplements) were obtained from the mean of three non-consecutive 24-h recalls at baseline. Sex-stratified multiple logistic regression models were adjusted for age, physical activity, physical functioning, stressful life events and total energy intake. RESULTS: Over 3 years, 170 participants were identified as depressed. Women in the highest tertile of B-6 intake from food were 43% less likely to become depressed when adjusting for demographic and health factors (multivariate odds ratio (OR) 0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-0.96), but adjustment for energy intake attenuated the effect. Men in the highest tertile of dietary B-12 intake had decreased risk of depression (energy-adjusted multivariate OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.20-0.90). No other association was observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides some evidence of decreased depression risk among women with higher intakes of vitamin B-6 from food, which was dependent on total energy intake, and among men with higher intakes of B-12 from food, independently of energy intake.