Nutr Res Pract.  2012 Dec;6(6):527-533.

Low dietary calcium is associated with self-rated depression in middle-aged Korean women

• Bae YJ
• Kim SK

Abstract

It is thought that calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) may be related to mental disorders such as depression; however, there have been few studies investigating the association between Ca and Mg nutrition status with depression in middle-aged female adults. Study subjects in this study included 105 women between the ages of 41 and 57 years. The subjects were divided into three groups according to the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) score: Group I (SDS score < 33 percentile; n = 32), Group II (33 percentile < or = SDS score < 67 percentile; n = 37), and Group III (67 percentile < or = SDS score; n = 36). Anthropometric measurements, dietary intake survey using 3-day dietary records, SDS questionnaire and measurement of serum Ca and Mg were obtained and analyzed. No differences were observed in Ca, plant Ca, and Mg intake among the three groups. However, animal Ca intake by Group III was 141.3 mg, which was significantly lower than 207.6 mg by Group I and 198.3 mg by Group II (P = 0.0345). There were no significant differences in serum levels of Ca, and Mg among the three groups. Correlation analysis indicated that the SDS score had negative correlations with Ca intake (r = -0.2927, P < 0.01) and animal Ca (r = -0.3411, P < 0.001) after adjusting for age, menopause and energy intake. In conclusion, dietary Ca and animal Ca had negative associations with SDS score among middle-aged Korean female adults. Additional analysis of factors related to the association of calcium and magnesium nutritional status and depression is necessary.

Keyword

Self-rated depression; calcium; magnesium; middle-aged women

MeSH Terms

Adult
Animals
Calcium
Calcium, Dietary
Depression
Diet Records
Energy Intake
Female
Humans
Magnesium
Menopause
Mental Disorders
Nutritional Status
Plants
Surveys and Questionnaires
Calcium
Calcium, Dietary
Magnesium

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 The serum calcium (a) and magnesium (b) of three groups by self-rating depression scale (SDS) score. Significance as determined by ANOVA test according to the total SDS depression score risk score; No significant difference (α = 0.05)

Reference

1. Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Koretz D, Merikangas KR, Rush AJ, Walters EE, Wang PS. National Comorbidity Survey Replication. The epidemiology of major depressive disorder: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). JAMA. 2003. 289:3095–3105.

2. Prado Jde A, Kerr-Corrêa F, Lima MC, da Silva GG, Santos JL. Relations between depression, alcohol and gender in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil. Cien Saude Colet. 2012. 17:2425–2434.

3. Bromberger JT, Kravitz HM. Mood and menopause: findings from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) over 10 years. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2011. 38:609–625.

4. Exebio JC, Zarini GG, Exebio C, Huffman FG. Healthy Eating Index scores associated with symptoms of depression in Cuban-Americans with and without type 2 diabetes: a cross sectional study. Nutr J. 2011. 10:135.

5. Saeed SA, Bloch RM, Antonacci DJ. Herbal and dietary supplements for treatment of anxiety disorders. Am Fam Physician. 2007. 76:549–556.

6. Weeks BS. Formulations of dietary supplements and herbal extracts for relaxation and anxiolytic action: Relarian. Med Sci Monit. 2009. 15:RA256–RA262.

7. Bertone-Johnson ER, Powers SI, Spangler L, Brunner RL, Michael YL, Larson JC, Millen AE, Bueche MN, Salmoirago-Blotcher E, Liu S, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Ockene JK, Ockene I, Manson JE. Vitamin D intake from foods and supplements and depressive symptoms in a diverse population of older women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011. 94:1104–1112.

8. Pasco JA, Jacka FN, Williams LJ, Evans-Cleverdon M, Brennan SL, Kotowicz MA, Nicholson GC, Ball MJ, Berk M. Dietary selenium and major depression: a nested case-control study. Complement Ther Med. 2012. 20:119–123.

9. De Souza MC, Walker AF, Robinson PA, Bolland K. A synergistic effect of a daily supplement for 1 month of 200 mg magnesium plus 50 mg vitamin B6 for the relief of anxiety-related premenstrual symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, crossover study. J Womens Health Gend Based Med. 2000. 9:131–139.

10. Carroll D, Ring C, Suter M, Willemsen G. The effects of an oral multivitamin combination with calcium, magnesium, and zinc on psychological well-being in healthy young male volunteers: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2000. 150:220–225.

11. Konopka LM, Cooper R, Crayton JW. Serotonin-induced increases in platelet cytosolic calcium concentration in depressed, schizophrenic, and substance abuse patients. Biol Psychiatry. 1996. 39:708–713.

12. Demuro A, Mina E, Kayed R, Milton SC, Parker I, Glabe CG. Calcium dysregulation and membrane disruption as a ubiquitous neurotoxic mechanism of soluble amyloid oligomers. J Biol Chem. 2005. 280:17294–17300.

13. Doherty TM, Asotra K, Fitzpatrick LA, Qiao JH, Wilkin DJ, Detrano RC, Dunstan CR, Shah PK, Rajavashisth TB. Calcification in atherosclerosis: bone biology and chronic inflammation at the arterial crossroads. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003. 100:11201–11206.

14. Foster TC, Kumar A. Calcium dysregulation in the aging brain. Neuroscientist. 2002. 8:297–301.

15. Plein H, Berk M, Eppel S, Butkow N. Augmented platelet calcium uptake in response to serotonin stimulation in patients with major depression measured using Mn2+ influx and 45Ca2+ uptake. Life Sci. 2000. 66:425–431.

16. Mockett BG, Guévremont D, Wutte M, Hulme SR, Williams JM, Abraham WC. Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II mediates group I metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent protein synthesis and long-term depression in rat hippocampus. J Neurosci. 2011. 31:7380–7391.

17. Jimerson DC, Post RM, Carman JS, van Kammen DP, Wood JH, Goodwin FK, Bunney WE Jr. CSF calcium: clinical correlates in affective illness and schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 1979. 14:37–51.

18. Bae HS, Kim SY, Ahnv HS, Cho YK. Comparison of nutrient intake, life style variables, and pregnancy outcomes by the depression degree of pregnant women. Nutr Res Pract. 2010. 4:323–331.

19. Ghanbari Z, Haghollahi F, Shariat M, Foroshani AR, Ashrafi M. Effects of calcium supplement therapy in women with premenstrual syndrome. Taiwan J Obstet Gynecol. 2009. 48:124–129.

20. Durlach J, Pagès N, Bac P, Bara M, Guiet-Bara A. Importance of magnesium depletion with hypofunction of the biological clock in the pathophysiology of headhaches with photophobia, sudden infant death and some clinical forms of multiple sclerosis. Magnes Res. 2004. 17:314–326.

21. Abraham GE. Nutritional factors in the etiology of the premenstrual tension syndromes. J Reprod Med. 1983. 28:446–464.

22. German-Fattal M, Lecerf F, Sabbagh F, Maurois P, Durlach J, Bac P. Neuroprotective gene profile in the brain of magnesium-deficient mice. Biomed Pharmacother. 2008. 62:264–272.

23. Jung KI, Ock SM, Chung JH, Song CH. Associations of serum Ca and Mg levels with mental health in adult women without psychiatric disorders. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2010. 133:153–161.

24. Jacka FN, Maes M, Pasco JA, Williams LJ, Berk M. Nutrient intakes and the common mental disorders in women. J Affect Disord. 2012. 141:79–85.

25. Derom ML, Martínez-González MA, Sayón-Orea Mdel C, Bes-Rastrollo M, Beunza JJ, Sánchez-Villegas A. Magnesium intake is not related to depression risk in Spanish university graduates. J Nutr. 2012. 142:1053–1059.

26. Rural Resources Development Institute. Food Composition Tables. 2006. 7th edition. Seoul: Hyoil books.

27. Zung WW. A Self-rating depression scale. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1965. 12:63–70.

28. Knight RG, Waal-Manning HJ, Spears GF. Some norms and reliability data for the State--Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Zung Self-Rating Depression scale. Br J Clin Psychol. 1983. 22:245–249.

29. Maes M, De Ruyter M, Claes R, Suy E. Self rated depression in relation to DSM-III classification: a statistical isolinear multiple components analysis. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1988. 77:27–31.

30. Carman JS, Wyatt RJ. Calcium: bivalent cation in the bivalent psychoses. Biol Psychiatry. 1979. 14:295–336.

31. Penland JG, Johnson PE. Dietary calcium and manganese effects on menstrual cycle symptoms. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1993. 168:1417–1423.

32. Khajehei M, Abdali K, Parsanezhad ME, Tabatabaee HR. Effect of treatment with dydrogesterone or calcium plus vitamin D on the severity of premenstrual syndrome. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2009. 105:158–161.

33. Bertone-Johnson ER, Hankinson SE, Bendich A, Johnson SR, Willett WC, Manson JE. Calcium and vitamin D intake and risk of incident premenstrual syndrome. Arch Intern Med. 2005. 165:1246–1252.

34. Ministry of Health and Welfare. Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2009 National Health Statistics: The 4th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the third year. 2010. Cheongwon: Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;239.

35. Roman SA, Sosa JA, Pietrzak RH, Snyder PJ, Thomas DC, Udelsman R, Mayes L. The effects of serum calcium and parathyroid hormone changes on psychological and cognitive function in patients undergoing parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism. Ann Surg. 2011. 253:131–137.

36. Tietz NW. Fundamentals of Clinical Chemistry. 1987. 3rd edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.

37. Schuette SA, Linkswiler HM. Calcium. Present Knowledge in Nutrition. 1984. 15th edition. Washington D.C.: The Nutrition Foundation Inc.;400–412.

38. Fromm L, Heath DL, Vink R, Nimmo AJ. Magnesium attenuates post-traumatic depression/anxiety following diffuse traumatic brain injury in rats. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004. 23:529S–533S.

39. Aikawa JK. Magnesium: Its Biological Significance. 1981. Florida: CRC Press Inc..