From Kimchi to green leafy vegetables, scientists discover how regimes rich in minerals, especially potassium, can help protect mental health between crops.
In a recent article published in the journal NutrientsResearchers have studied the relationship between consumption of minerals such as calcium, zinc and iron, and the incidence of depression in adults in the United States and Korea.
They found that Korean adults with higher intake of potassium and sodium were less likely to undergo depression, phosphorus showing a limit association, an observation similar to that of American adults with higher intake of potassium and zinc, with iron showing limit meaning.
Background
Depression is a widespread mood disorder marked by persistent sadness and despair, and should become a major world burden. In South Korea, around 5% of adults report depressive disorders, while in the United States, more than 17 million adults experience at least one major depressive episode each year.
Many affected people are not treated, often due to stigma and reluctance to ask for help, while high recurrence rates make management difficult. Nutrition has been increasingly linked to mental health, with deficiencies in minerals such as magnesium, zinc and selenium associated with cognitive decline and psychiatric conditions.
However, the roles of sodium and potassium in depression have received little attention, despite their abundance in everyday diet. Sodium is mainly consumed in the form of table salt, while potassium is in a variety of food.
Given limited research and food orientation potential to improve mental health results, this study aimed to assess the association between seven food minerals and depression in Korean and American adults.
The comparison between these two culturally and nutritionally distinct populations could help identify shared and unique models, offering a basis for future research and public health strategies in mental health nutrition.
About the study
In this transversal analysis, the researchers used data from health and nutrition surveys representative nationally in the two countries, employing several floors and stratified samples. Korean adults aged 19 and over and American adults aged 18 and over who finished detection of depression were included, excluding those who were pregnant, under depression processing or with missing key data.
The final sample included 12,996 Koreans and 9,547 Americans. People with a depression score of 10 or more were considered depressed. Mineral dietary intake (calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium and potassium) was estimated from 24 hours a day, using national databases of food composition.
Covariables included demography, socioeconomic factors, body mass index (BMI), lifestyle, comorbidities and total energy intake. Associations between mineral intake and depression have been assessed using multivariable logistics regression, by adjusting potential confusion factors. Samples specific to the survey have ensured national representativeness.
Key conclusions
In the Korean sample, 4.1% of the 12,996 participants had depression, while in the American sample, 6.2% of the 9,547 participants were affected.
In both countries, people with depression were more often women, had lower income and levels of education, were more likely to live alone and showed higher depression scores, smoking rates, a prevalence of diabetes and comorbidity scores.
The regular exercise was less common in the American depression group. The mineral contribution was generally lower in people with depression, with the exception of calcium, which did not follow this model.
Multivariable analyzes have shown that in Korea, higher sodium and potassium intakes were significantly associated with lower chances of depression, with phosphorus showing limit meaning.
In the United States, potassium and zinc were significantly associated and iron has shown limit meaning. Restricted cubic spline analysis indicated that the contributions below certain thresholds were linked to a higher risk of depression.
The analysis of the sub-groups revealed models specific to the population and the group: for example, sodium was protective in Korean men, potassium in older Americans and zinc among non-obese Americans. The additional results of the sub-groups included significant associations for phosphorus in Korean females, potassium, iron and zinc in American males and sodium in Koreans aged ≤ 65 years.
Some minerals were associated with depression in a sexual or BMI category but not the other. Potassium was the only mineral systematically linked to the drop in risk of depression in both countries, highlighting its universal relevance for mental health. In particular, magnesium and calcium have shown no significant association with depression in one or the other population.
Conclusions
This study revealed that the reverse associations between certain minerals and depression, with different diagrams between Korea and American potassium have constantly shown protective effects in the two populations, while
These differences can reflect variations in average contribution, food sources and bioavailability of nutrients, such as the intake of sodium significantly higher in Korea from fermented vegetables, soups and stews, or more hemical and higher bio-person zinc of red meat in the United States. On the other hand, Korean regimes have more based on plants and seafood with bioavailability of lower nutrients.
The forces include large sets of representative data at the national level of two culturally distinct countries, the examination of seven minerals and analyzes of sub-groups revealing demographic influences and lifestyle.
The limitations involve transversal conception, preventing causal inference, the opposite causality possible, dependence on the 24 -hour recall, which can be particularly inaccurate, in particular due to memory disorders linked to depression, and the use of self -depressed depression measures which can be subjected to bias.
Overall, the results suggest that the supply of food minerals could be integrated into mental health strategies. Longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm causation and clarify the mechanisms linking minerals to the risk of depression.