Vitamin B6 Status is Associated with Depression Among Women with Inflammation

Depression is the leading cause of disease burden in U.S. women of reproductive age. Inflammation is associated with depression, yet the mechanism for this association remains unclear. Additionally, vitamin B6 status has been linked to depression and found to be compromised during inflammation. In secondary data analyses, we evaluated the association between inflammation, vitamin B6, and depression in non-pregnant women (19-45 yrs) from NHANES 2005-2006. Depression was evaluated with the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9); a score of 10 or above denotes clinically significant depression. Inflammation was defined as a C-reactive protein level above the median (1.8 mg/L). Vitamin B6, as plasma pyridoxine-5'phosphate, was categorized as deficient ( 30 nmol/L). Overall, 7.7% of women had depression, but this proportion varied by inflammation status: 4.8% of women with no inflammation, compared to 10.4% of women with inflammation had depression (p=0.008)....