Vitamin A intake may improve depressive symptoms in people with heart failure
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Key takeaways:
- Increased vitamin A intake may improve depressive symptoms in patients with HF.
- Daily intake of 731.38 µg or more was significantly associated with reduced odds of depressive symptoms.
Increased vitamin A intake may play a role in reducing depressive symptoms in patients with heart failure, according to a cross-sectional study published in ESC: Heart Failure.
According to a report from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, foods high in vitamin A include leafy green, orange and yellow vegetables, tomatoes, red bell pepper, cantaloupe, mango, beef liver, fish oils, milk, eggs and fortified foods.
“Beyond the physical burden, HF patients frequently experience psychological symptoms such as depression. Depression emerges as a prevalent comorbidity in HF patients, with prevalence rates ranging from 9.7% to 45.5%. Depression could have a detrimental impact on HF prognosis,” Lu Wang, of the department of cardiology at The Third Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Changchun, China, and colleagues wrote. “Vitamin A, a fat-soluble micronutrient, plays a vital role in various physiology process including vision, immune function, cellular growth and differentiation. The inverse association between vitamin A and depression has been reported. ... While the relationship between vitamin A intake and depression has been explored in the general population, the relationship in HF patients remains unclear.”
Patients with HF, depression
To evaluate the association between vitamin A intake and depression in people with HF, Wang and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study, utilizing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2020 data. Their analysis included 999 adult NHANES participants with HF and information regarding vitamin A intake and depression assessment (mean age, 66 years; 48% women; 70% white; 60% with obesity).
Overall, 19.72% of participants had depressive symptoms.
Compared with those without it, participants with depression were younger, more likely to have education below college level, more likely to have obesity, more likely to smoke or consume alcohol, more likely to take antihypertensive medication and more likely to report having trouble sleeping.
Vitamin A intake and odds of depression
The researchers observed that approximately 85% of participants with depression reported daily vitamin A intake of less than 731.38 µg.
Wang and colleagues found that compared with patients with low daily vitamin A intake, depression was less likely in patients at increasing daily intake levels of vitamin A, which became significant above 731.38 µg daily:
- 256.89 µg to less than 463.53 µg daily (OR = 0.71; 95% CI, 0.39-1.26; P = .236);
- 463.53 µg to less than 731.38 µg daily (OR = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.25-1.13; P = .099); and
- 731.38 µg or more daily (OR = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.18-0.76; P = .007).
Moreover, daily vitamin A intake of 731.38 µg or more compared with low intake was significantly associated with lower odds for depression among participants with HF aged 65 years or older, men and participants with hyperlipidemia or chronic kidney disease.
“Vitamin A acts as an antioxidant, protecting against oxidative damage and reducing inflammation by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. By mitigating these processes, vitamin A may contribute to reduce the incidence of depression in HF patients,” the researchers wrote.
“Vitamin A is involved in the regulation of various hormones, including cortisol and thyroid hormones, which have been implicated in depression. Chronic stress, commonly experienced by patients with HF, can dysregulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to elevated cortisol levels,” they wrote. “Adequate vitamin A intake may contribute to optimal thyroid function and reduce the risk of depression in patients with HF.”
Reference:
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A and carotenoids: Fact sheet for health professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/. Accessed July 18, 2024.
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