Page 49 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

Nutritional Treatments in Psychiatry | 49

A lack of B vitamins has been found to cause cognitive
dysfunction and reductions in brain capillary length and density
in mice. Test animals fed a B-deficient diet were found to have
seven times the homocysteine levels of controls (Troen 2008).

Folate: Vitamin B9
A clear relationship has been established between B12 and folate
deficiencies and depressive disorders in the elderly (Tiemeier
2002). Researchers report that low folate and B12 status has been
found in depressed patients in general, along with increased
homocysteine levels (see Figure 4.1), a common metabolic result
of low B vitamins that has a wide range of negative health
ramifications. Low plasma or serum folate has also been found in
patients with recurrent mood disorders treated by lithium. In
one review of the evidence of B vitamin influence on mood, the
authors concluded, “On the basis of current data, we suggest that
oral doses of both folic acid (800 microg daily) and vitamin B12 (1
mg daily) should be tried to improve treatment outcome in
depression.” (Coppen 2005)
Serum folate levels have also been found to be low in
schizophrenia patients and supplementation significantly
improves negative symptoms in a specific genotype: MTHFR
status (see Figure 4.1—MTHFR is in sequence C) significantly
moderated the relationship between change in serum folate and
change in negative symptoms (Hill 2011).
MTHFR refers to the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate
reductase and the gene that regulates it. The MTHFR gene has
been found to have a large number of mutations. One particular
form—C677T—is found in significantly higher numbers in
psychiatric populations. MTHFR-C677T reduces MTHFR enzyme
activity to 30–65%, thus affecting the processing of folate and
other nutrients. A meta-analysis of research on the MTHFR gene
and psychiatric sequelae found “an association between the
MTHFR C677T variant and depression, schizophrenia, and