March/April 2004
HEALTH BYTES

B12 boosts antidepressant success

      Vitamin B12 may help people taking antidepressants respond better to the drugs, according to new research. A recent study found that participants who had the highest levels of B12 responded fully to antidepressant treatment. Other studies have found that people with depression have low levels of two B vitamins, B12 and folate. Researchers say the findings are important, since many people with depression don’t respond to medication. The method by which B12 may affect antidepressant treatment is unknown, but one possibility is that B12 helps form monamines, substances in the central nervous system that are associated with mood and depression. Another possibility: a B12 deficiency may promote higher levels of an amino acid called homocysteine, which can aggravate depression. (BMC Psychiatry, 2003)