The impact of nutrition and intestinal microbiome on elderly depression-a systematic review

Klimova, Novotny & Valis (2020) aimed to review the evidence for proper nutrition having a positive impact on prevention/decline of depressive symptoms among elderly people. The six eligible articles indicated that: proper nutrition is associated with improvements in mental health (reduction in depressive symptoms) among the elderly population; there is a considerable correlation between intakes of vitamin B with reduced incidence of depression; and sufficient dietary consumption of tryptophan is important in terms of nutrition and serotonin levels in the body. From these findings, the authors deduce that the use of preventative measures may be the rational way of promoting greater mental health in seniors, and exploring associations between depression with dietary intake rather than focusing on nutrients is important. Klimova and the other authors (2020) call for more studies including interdisciplinary collaboration, which might involve diagnosis by a psychiatrist, analysis of individual nutrient metabolism by biochemists, and the construction of a nutritional plan by a nutritional therapist. [NPIDs: aging, elderly, cognitive decline, neurodegenerative disorders, depression, vitamin B, B vitamins, B6, B12, tryptophan, serotonin, nutritional therapy]

Year: 2020

Reference: Klimova, B., Novotny, M., & Valis, M. (2020). The Impact of Nutrition and Intestinal Microbiome on Elderly Depression-A Systematic Review. Nutrients, 12(3), 710. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12030710

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