Anything you are deficient in may cause or aggravate your depression, but there are the usual suspects. In the many nutrients that keep our brains healthy, some have a much more direct impact than others. There are also nutrients that we are simply much more likely to be deficient in and, thus, end up high on the radar of researchers (Omega 3 fatty acids and iron are a good example).
Research comes out regularly on the link between Omega 3 fatty acids and depression. If you are depressed and have not made a concerted effort to improve the content of Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet, the easiest first step you may make to alleviating depression is to buy an Omega 3 fatty acid supplement. Read more on this site:
Omega 3 and Depression: How Much for How Long
Omega 3 Food: Fish and Seafood
Omega 3 and B Vitamins for Depression
Speaking of B vitamins, most of us really do not get enough in our diets. According to the 2001-02 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 25% of us ladies consume below the daily recommended intake of folic acid and vitamin B-6. The folic acid intake actually includes both the folic acid added to processed grains in the United States as well as the folate naturally occurring in food. Without the fortification, precious few of us would be consuming adequate folate (though read more for some of the unintended consequences of folic acid fortification). Furthermore, if our lives are stressful, that stress actually increases your need for B vitamins, beyond any government calculations for adequate intake.
In clinical trials, supplementary folic acid and vitamin B-12 have been shown to reduce symptoms of depression, but the studies generally do not select participants deficient in that particular nutrient. If you are, in fact, deficient you are likely to experience an improved mood and general sense of well-being. There is less evidence for the vitamin B-6/depression link, but the vitamin is commonly used by alternative practitioners because of its role in producing serotonin in your body (you actually require it to convert amino acids into neurotransmitters like serotonin).
Your doctor can test your B-12 levels fairly easily and can administer a red blood cell folate test as well. A B-6 test is available (a blood plasma test for pyriodoxal 5'-phosphate), but there is also an interesting "rogue" self test: dream recall and vitamin B-6 deficiency.
In the mineral family, pay attention to your magnesium intake. The average intake among women in the U.S. is about 240 milligrams a day and the government recommends about 50% more than that. A low magnesium status is implicated in depression. Watch your zinc intake. If you have white spots on your fingernails, slow-growing hair, or stretch marks, read more about zinc and depression.
If you are low in iron, you will probably look rather pale, have no energy, and struggle with your mood. Low iron levels are very common with postpartum moms and implicated in postpartum depression. Your doctor can test your ferritin level to determine your iron status. If you are a man or a postmenopausal women, iron is less likely to be your problem, but a test of your status may still be in order (and high iron is not a good thing either). If you are low in iron, take an iron supplement to improve your mood and energy, but also make changes in your diet to increase your iron intake and absorption. The food-iron ebook on this site will be a useful tool for your diet change.
In both the cases of iron and zinc, high levels can be toxic. Do not supplement these minerals willy-nilly. With magnesium, you will risk hitting bowel tolerance and ending up with diarrhea. Consequences are more severe for excess iron and excess zinc.
As you work on your nutrient levels, take as much time as possible to rest, relax, and laugh. Sleep is critical to health and key in mental health (and particularly critical in the postpartum case). Laughter changes our physiology. It even changes out breast milk. Do not underestimate its power to change your life.
