The following Vitamins have been shown to be at least as effective as drugs for treating depression.

• Folate
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B12 (should be taken as a sublingual, not as part of a multivitamin)
• Vitamin E

Research

Vitamin D

Gloth FM 3rd, Alam W, Hollis B.Vitamin D vs broad spectrum phototherapy in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder. J Nutr Health Aging. 1999;3(1):5-7.

All subjects receiving vitamin D improved in all outcome measures. Subjects receiving vitamin D improved more than those receiving phototherapy.

Lansdowne, A. Provost, S. Vitamin D3 enhances mood in healthy subjects during winter. Psychopharmacology. Volume 135, Number 4 / February, 1998.

Forty-four healthy subjects were given 400 IU, 800 IU, or no vitamin D3 for 5 days during late winter in a random double-blind study. Results on a self-report measure showed that vitamin D3 significantly enhanced positive affect and there was some evidence of a reduction in negative affect.

Armstrong, D et al. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with anxiety and depression in fibromyalgia. Clinical Rheumatology. Volume 26, Number 4 / April, 2007.

Vitamin D deficiency is common in fibromyalgia and occurs more frequently in patients with anxiety and depression.

Holick, M. Vitamin D Deficiency. NEJM. Volume 357:266-281 July 19, 2007 Number 3.

Depression, anxiety and chronic pain are major symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency.

Folate and B Vitamins

Bolander-Gouaille, C. Treatment of depression: time to consider folic acid and vitamin B12. Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 19, No. 1, 59-65 (2005)

Both low folate and low vitamin B12 status have been found in studies of depressive patients, and an association between depression and low levels of the two vitamins is found in studies of the general population. There is now substantial evidence of a common decrease in serum/red blood cell folate, serum vitamin B12 and an increase in plasma homocysteine in depression. On the basis of current data, we suggest that oral doses of both folic acid (800 µg daily) and vitamin B12 (1 mg daily) should be tried to improve treatment outcome in depression.

Tiemeier, H. et al. Vitamin B12, Folate, and Homocysteine in Depression: The Rotterdam Study. Am J Psychiatry 159:2099-2101, December 2002.

The authors screened 3,884 elderly people for depressive symptoms. Subjects with positive screening results had psychiatric workups. Folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine blood levels were compared in 278 persons with depressive symptoms and 416 randomly selected reference subjects. Hyperhomocysteinemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, and to a lesser extent, folate deficiency were all related to depressive disorders. For folate deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia, the association with depressive disorders was substantially reduced after adjustment for functional disability and cardiovascular disease, but for vitamin B12 this appeared independent. The association of vitamin B12 and folate with depressive disorders may have different underlying mechanisms. Vitamin B12 may be causally related to depression, whereas the relation with folate is due to physical comorbidity.

Raymond T. P. Paul, Anne P. McDonnell, Dr Christopher B. Kelly. Folic acid: neurochemistry, metabolism and relationship to depression. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental. Volume 19 Issue 7, Pages 477 – 488

A recently discovered genetic variant (5,10 MTHFR) leading to altered folic acid metabolism may explain why some individuals are vulnerable to the effects of folic acid deficiency, despite adequate intake.

Tommi Tolmunena, Jukka Hintikkaa, Anu Ruusunenb, Sari Voutilainenb, Antti Tanskanena, Veli-Pekka Valkonenb, Heimo Viinamäkia, George A. Kaplane, Jukka T. Salonenb. Dietary Folate and the Risk of Depression in Finnish Middle-Aged Men: A Prospective Follow-Up Study. Psychother Psychosom 2004;73:334-339

Studied the association between dietary folate and cobalamin and receiving a discharge diagnosis of depression in a prospective follow-up setting. The cohort was recruited between 1984 and 1989 and followed until the end of 2000, and it consisted of 2,313 men aged between 42 and 60 years from eastern Finland. Results: The mean intake of folate in the whole cohort was 256 µg/day (SD = 76). Those below the median of energy-adjusted folate intake had higher risk of getting discharge diagnosis of depression (RR 3.04, 95% CI: 1.58, 5.86) during the follow-up period than those who had a folate intake above the median.

Alpert JE, Fava M. Nutrition and depression: the role of folate. Nutr Rev. 1997 May;55(5):145-9.

Depressive symptoms are the most common neuropsychiatric manifestation of folate deficiency. Conversely, borderline low or deficient serum or red blood cell folate levels have been detected in 15-38% of adults diagnosed with depressive disorders.

Martha S. Morris, Maurizio Fava, Paul F. Jacques, Jacob Selhub, Irwin H. Rosenberg. Depression and Folate Status in the US Population. Psychother Psychosom 2003;72:80-87

Healthy subjects whose red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations had been measured were determined to have no depression (n = 2,526), major depression (n = 301 ), or dysthymia (n = 121) using a diagnostic interview schedule. Low folate status was detectable in depressed members of the general US population.

Bell, I. et al. Relationship of Normal Serum Vitamin B12 and Folate Levels to Cognitive Test Performance in Subtypes of Geriatric Major Depression. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, Vol. 3, No. 2, 98-105 (1990).

Low vitamin B12 levels in the blood was correlated with cognitive problems in elderly patients with psychotic depression.

Penninx, B. et al. Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Depression in Physically Disabled Older Women: Epidemiologic Evidence From the Women’s Health and Aging Study. Am J Psychiatry 157:715-721, May 2000.

In community-dwelling older women, metabolically significant vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with a doubling the risk of severe depression.

Bender, D. Non-nutritional uses of vitamin B6. British Journal of Nutrition (1999), 81:7-20 Cambridge University Press.

While there is not enough evidence to say if B6 is an effective treatment for depression, a deficiency in this vitamin has been associated with decreased serotonin levels in the brain.

Antioxidents and Vitamin E

Tsuboi H, Shimoi K, Kinae N, Oguni I, Hori R, Kobayashi F. Depressive symptoms are independently correlated with lipid peroxidation in a female population: comparison with vitamins and carotenoids. J Psychosom Res. 2004; 56(1): 53-8

Oxidated fats, such as any fat or oil that has been used for cooking, increases chances for depression. Antioxidents neutralize these oxidated fats.

Maes, M. Lower serum vitamin E concentrations in major depression Another marker of lowered antioxidant defenses in that illness. Journal of Affective Disorders , Volume 58 , Issue 3 , Pages 241 – 246.

Major depression is associated with defective antioxidant defenses. Vitamin E is the major fat soluble antioxidant in the body. Patients with major depression had significantly lower serum vitamin E concentrations than healthy controls.