Relationships of maternal folate and vitamin B12 status during pregnancy with perinatal depression: The GUSTO study

• Published in: Journal of psychiatric research Vol. 55; pp. 110 - 116
• Main Authors: Chong, Mary F.F, Wong, Jocelyn X.Y, Colega, Marjorelee, Chen, Ling-Wei, van Dam, Rob M, Tan, Chuen Seng, Lim, Ai Lin, Cai, Shirong, Broekman, Birit F.P, Lee, Yung Seng, Saw, Seang Mei, Kwek, Kenneth, Godfrey, Keith M, Chong, Yap Seng, Gluckman, Peter, Meaney, Michael J, Chen, Helen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Antenatal; Antenatal depression; Biological and medical sciences; Cohort Studies; Depression; Depression, Postpartum - blood; Depression, Postpartum - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - blood; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; Female; Folate; Folic Acid - blood; Humans; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Mood disorders; Multivariate Analysis; Odds Ratio; Postnatal depression; Postpartum women; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - blood; Pregnancy Complications - epidemiology; Pregnancy diet; Pregnant women; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Regression Analysis; Singapore - epidemiology; Vitamin B 12 - blood; Vitamin B12; Singapore; Pregnancy diet; Vitamin B12; Postnatal depression; Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; Folate; Antenatal depression; Mood disorder; Evaluation scale; Perinatal; Psychometrics; Depression; B-Vitamins; Maternal diseases; Puerperium; Folic acid; Cyanocobalamin; Feeding; Pregnancy; Diet
• ISSN: 0022-3956; 1879-1379
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.04.006

Abstract Studies in the general population have proposed links between nutrition and depression, but less is known about the perinatal period. Depletion of nutrient reserves throughout pregnancy and delayed postpartum repletion could increase the risk of perinatal depression. We examined the relationships of plasma folate and vitamin B12 concentrations during pregnancy with perinatal depression. At 26th–28th weeks of gestation, plasma folate and vitamin B12 were measured in women from the GUSTO mother-offspring cohort study in Singapore. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) during the same period and at 3-month postpartum. EPDS scores of ≥15 during pregnancy or ≥13 at postpartum were indicative of probable depression. Of 709 women, 7.2% ( n  = 51) were identified with probable antenatal depression and 10.4% ( n  = 74) with probable postnatal depression. Plasma folate concentrations were significantly lower in those with probable antenatal depression than those without (mean ± SD; 27.3 ± 13.8 vs 40.4 ± 36.5 nmol/L; p  = 0.011). No difference in folate concentrations was observed in those with and without probable postnatal depression. In adjusted regression models, the likelihood of probable antenatal depression decreases by 0.69 for every unit variation (increase) in folate (OR = 0.69 per SD increase in folate; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.94). Plasma vitamin B12 concentrations were not associated with perinatal depression. Lower plasma folate status during pregnancy was associated with antenatal depression, but not with postnatal depression. Replication in other studies is needed to determine the direction of causality between low folate and antenatal depression. Clinical trial registry NCT01174875.