The Impact of Zinc on Depression in Kut Governorate/Iraq (2022)

Abstract

Background: Approximately 19-34 % of depressed patients are not responded to antidepressants and  up to half of them may suffer symptoms recurrence, so search for other approach to treat the disease such as micronutrients supplementation is needed in clinical practice. Aim of the study: The objective was to compare mean serum zinc across depressed and non-depressed people to investigate how zinc and depression are related. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study included 134 patients ages 18 to 70. The study lasted from May through August 2022. Participants were selected from people who visited the psychiatric unit in Kut Governorate. The DSM-5 was used to assess depression. Exclusion criteria included age over 70 or under 18, pregnancy, puerperium, lactation, DM, renal failure, liver and pancreatic illness, inflammatory bowel diseases, bariatric surgery, burn, leukemia, diuretics, epileptic drug and other psychiatric disorder. Results: The mean serum zinc of the depressed group was lower than that of the non-depressed group, 66.90 ±30.51 (µg/dl) versus 108.45 ±22.44 (µg/dl), significant difference (p < 0.001). For depressed patients, zinc deficiency was at 53.4 % and 23.3 % with marginal deficiency, while those with normal level were at 23.3 % only. Whereas, in non-depressed group, marginal deficiency accounted for 23 (22.1 %) and those with normal serum zinc accounted for 81 (77.9 %). The difference was significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Zinc deficiency can be a modifiable determinant for depression and zinc administration may greatly improve symptoms in those patients.