Dietary food folate and synthetic folic acid co-exposure patterns with elevated depressive symptoms: Findings from NHANES 2005–2018

This study by Zhang et al. (2025) examined how different patterns of dietary intake involving natural food folate and synthetic folic acid relate to depressive symptoms, an area not well understood before. Researchers analyzed data from 25,354 adults who took part in NHANES between 2005 and 2018, where participants completed the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to quantify depression symptoms, and a 24-hour dietary recall to determine folate consumption. Four distinct folate intake patterns were identified: folate deficiency, adequate dietary folate, folic acid supplementation, and a combination of both sources. Data analysis revealed that both low and high intakes may be linked to increased risk. However, those in the dietary folate sufficiency group had significantly lower odds of elevated depressive symptoms, unlike those in the supplement-based groups. These results demonstrate the possible advantages of getting folate mostly from food rather than supplements for mental health. However, it is important to consider limitations like the cross-sectional design and dependence on self-reported data. [NPID: Dietary folate, folic acid, depression, NHANES]

Year: 2025

Reference: Zhang, J., Wang, X.-Y., Yang, S., Xu, X.-Q., Pan, S.-J., & Li, Y. (2025). Dietary food folate and synthetic folic acid co-exposure patterns with elevated depressive symptoms: Findings from NHANES 2005–2018. Journal of Affective Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.03.191