Association of dietary vitamin C intake with depression in adults: A cross-sectional study of NHANES from 2005 to 2020

The purpose of this study by Zhao, Long & Wang (2024) was to evaluate the connection between adult depression and dietary vitamin C consumption in the diet. This cross-sectional analysis used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2005 and 2020 (n = 38157, with 3,448 [9.04%] reporting depression). After adjusting for covariates, higher vitamin C intake reduced depression. When vitamin C intake was categorized into quartiles, those in higher intake groups showed progressively lower odds of depression than those in the lowest quartile. Further analysis revealed a significant association between vitamin C intake and lowering the odds of depression for intakes below 93.61 mg. However, no significant association was found for 93.61 mg or higher intakes. The authors comment that, due to the nature of this study being cross-sectional, it cannot establish a causal link between dietary vitamin C intake and depression. Potential confounding factors may have influenced the results, whether measured or unmeasured. [NPID: Vitamin C, dietary intake, depression, NHANES, cross-sectional study]

Year: 2024

Reference: Zhao, D., Long, X., & Wang, J. (2024). Association of dietary vitamin C intake with depression in adults: A cross-sectional study of NHANES from 2005 to 2020. Journal of Affective Disorders, 358, 113–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.05.032