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From a USDA News Release
There's new evidence that folate, a B vitamin, might play a role in various stages of depression.
In reviewing data from a questionnaire given to 3,000 people aged 15 to 39 years, researchers found that individuals with either major or mild forms of depression had lower blood levels of folate than did those who had never been depressed. Low folate levels are already known to be common in psychiatric patients and may hamper the effectiveness of antidepressant therapy.
Scientists at the ARS Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Mass., conducted the study.
Good sources of folate include beef liver, green leafy vegetables, pinto, kidney and garbanzo beans; and enriched grain products such as breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, flour and rice. Alcohol, certain medications and anemia can reduce the body's ability to absorb and use this essential nutrient.
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There's new evidence that folate, a B vitamin, might play a role in various stages of depression.