Author
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Hunt, Janet |
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Penland, James |
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Submitted to: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 6/29/1999 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: We tested whether mild iron deficiency or low iron stores were associated with depression in premenopausal women. Women recruited locally for an assessment of iron status provided a fasting blood sample, completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), a standardized psychological test, and completed a checklist to describe their general mood. All testing occurred 7 to 14 days after the beginning of menstruation. Of 384 participants, 19 were eliminated because of illness or chronic medication. Women eliminated for taking antidepressent medication were no more likely than other participants to have low iron stores (one of five). Of the remaining 365 participants, 4% had low hemoglobin (low iron in red blood cells), 6% had low transferrin saturation (low iron transported in blood), and 20% had low ferritin (low iron stores). Eight percent had clinically elevated scores on the Depression scale of the MMPI. The occurrence of elevated MMPI Depression scores was unrelated to the occurrence of low hemoglobin, transferrin saturation or ferritin. Unexpectedly, participants with low iron stores were less likely to describe themselves as depressed or tired and more likely to describe themselves as confident on the adjective checklist. Iron stores tended to be higher in those who used oral contraceptives, lower in blood donators, and were not related to meat consumption or use of iron supplements. Depression was not related to low iron stores or mild iron deficiency anemia in this survey of premenopausal women. Technical Abstract: To test the hypothesis that low iron status or other nutritional deficiencies are associated with depression in premenopausal women, blood indices of nutritional status were related to scores on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and responses to a mood adjective checklist. Participants recruited locally for an assessment of iron status sprovided a fasting blood sample and completed the MMPI during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Of 384 participants, 19 were eliminated because of illness or chronic medication. Of five women eliminated for taking antidepressant medication, one had a serum ferritin <12 ug/L. Of the remaining 365, 4% had hemoglobin <120 g/L, 6% had transferrin saturation <16%, and 20% had ferritin <12 ug/L. Eight percent had clinically elevated scores (T greater than or equal to 70) on the Depression scale of the MMPI. The frequency of elevated MMPI Depression scores was unrelated to the frequency of low hemoglobin, transferrin saturation, or ferritin. Unexpectedly, participants with low ferritin were less likely to describe themselves as depressed or tired and more likely to describe themselves as confident on the adjective checklist. Iron stores were positively associated with oral contraceptive use, negatively associated with donating blood, and were not associated with meat consumption or use of iron supplements. The frequency of significant associations between other nutritional indices and MMPI scores did not substantially exceed that expected by chance. The results do not support the hypothesis that low iron status contributes to depression in women. |
