Vitamins/supplements and Depression

Foods with magnesium

In this large study on depression, researchers looked at the impacts of micronutrients on genetics and genetics on micronutrient utilisation. They found weak potential evidence that serum iron, copper and vitamin D had a potential effect on major depression and iron had the strongest relationship with depression. The impacts of magnesium and selenium were mixed, which was surprising; past studies have shown benefits in observational studies of supplementing with magnesium.

So what might be happening here?

The authors note that the research looked at serum magnesium, which doesn’t always correlate well with intracellular (inside the cell) and/or brain magnesium. The authors also noted that magnesium, calcium and vitamin D interact, and the potential negative impacts of magnesium disappear when accounting for calcium and vitamin D levels.

In my opinion, also this is the most important take home message, all of the nutrients had an optimal range. Iron deficiency is a problem and will cause symptoms of depression, but iron excess also causes physiologic problems. Same goes for copper deficiency may contribute mood issues, but excess may cause zinc deficiency!

Similar situations exist where we’re going for a “happy medium” for vitamin D, selenium, and most other vitamins and minerals. Testing, and the guidance of your health care team is important.

I’m a big fan of magnesium, through food and/or supplements. Although unfortunately there have never been studies on people with symptomatic connective tissue disorders, there have been studies on healthy people. A magnesium deficiency will increase the breakdown of collagen, promote inflammation and increase the risk of injury in people with healthy collagen. It’s a reasonable assumption that adequate magnesium is also important for people with collagen and connective tissue disorders.

by dietitian C. Harris, MPH, RD

References to the study :

Carnegie RE, Zheng J, Borges MC, Jones HJ, Wade KH, Sallis HM, Lewis SJ, Evans DM, Revez JA, The Major Depressive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, et al. Micronutrients and Major Depression: A Mendelian Randomisation Study. Nutrients. 2024; 16(21):3690. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16213690

Sankova MV, Nikolenko VN, Oganesyan MV, et al. Magnesium deficiency and its interaction with the musculoskeletal system, exercise, and connective tissue: an evidence synthesis. Sport Sci Health; 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-024-01179-8