Abstract
- Background
A previous meta-analysis suggested that zinc status may be linked to depression status. However, it remains unclear whether zinc status can predict the risk of depression development, or whether the monotherapy of zinc is superior to the combination of zinc supplementation and antidepressant medications in the treatment of depression. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to clarify the impact of zinc status and supplementation on depression development and status across all available evidence.
- Methods
PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and ISI web of science were searched, up to 14 May 2020, for relevant publications. Pooled relative risks with 95 percent confidence intervals in observational studies, and mean and standard deviation for the change in depression score in RCTs were calculated using a random-effects model.
- Results
The meta-analysis of RCTs indicated that zinc supplementation significantly lowered depressive symptom scores of depressed patients, and the improvement in depression status occurred only when zinc supplementation was prescribed as a monotherapy. The cohort studies showed that the highest level of zinc intake was associated with a 28 percent reduced risk of depression. Dose-response analyses revealed a significant non-linear effect of baseline mood status on depression score.
- Conclusion
Current evidence from observational studies and RCTs supports the potential benefits zinc to reduce the risk of, and alleviate, depression. However, further trials are needed to confirm the beneficial effect of zinc as a monotherapy versus adjunctive therapies.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32829928/