MONDAY, March 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Taking vitamin pills and other supplements won’t prevent depression, but promoting better eating habits might help, new research suggests.<\/p>\n
The study included more than 1,000 overweight or obese people in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain who were at risk for depression but were not currently depressed.<\/p>\n
Excess weight is often linked with depression, the researchers noted.<\/p>\n
Half of the study participants took daily supplements containing folic acid, vitamin D, omega-3 fish oils, zinc, and selenium. Half took a placebo pill.<\/p>\n
In a one-year follow-up, the researchers discovered that the supplements worked no better than the placebo in helping ward off depression.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the counseling was not effective overall, though it seemed to help prevent depression in participants who attended a recommended number of sessions.<\/p>\n
That suggests counseling works only if people get an adequate “dose” of therapy and make significant changes in their diet, according to the study published March 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.<\/p>\n