How much vitamin B should you take to relieve depression?

Regarding the question of "How many B vitamins should be taken to relieve depression?", the current consensus in the clinical and nutritional circles is that the three most relevant to mood regulation are vitamins B6, B9 (folic acid), and B12. However, it must be clear that the B vitamins can only be used as an auxiliary supplement for depression intervention, and they absolutely cannot replace formal antidepressant treatment, and not everyone will benefit from taking them.

When I accompanied a friend to a psychiatrist for a follow-up consultation, I saw the doctor prescribing antidepressants to moderately depressed patients along with a small dose of B-complex. At that time, he was specifically told not to take this as the main drug, as it helps regulate nerves. It’s not complicated to say. In the synthesis process of serotonin and dopamine, which we often call “happy transmitters”, B6 is an essential coenzyme. Without it, neurotransmitter synthesis will be stuck. ； B12 and folic acid jointly control the metabolism of homocysteine ​​in the body. If this indicator is too high, it will not only damage blood vessels, but also directly interfere with nerve signal transmission, making it easy to suffer from persistent depression, fatigue, and poor sleep.

I once met a girl who had been a vegan for three years. For most of the year, she always felt "a weight on her heart" and shed tears at every turn. When she checked the depression scale, it was just a mild emotional problem. A blood test revealed that her homocysteine ​​was twice as high as the normal value and her B12 level was about to fall below the minimum threshold. The doctor asked her to take active folic acid + B6 + B12 and eat eggs and milk twice a week. Within three months, she said, the "empty feeling of inexplicable lack of energy" was basically gone.

But don’t be dazzled by those marketing posts on the Internet that say “one pill of B’s can cure emo”. There is still considerable controversy in academic circles about the effect of B’s in relieving depression. Many large-sample randomized controlled studies have shown that for depressed patients whose serum B complex levels are completely normal, supplementing these three types of B complexes has minimal difference in mood improvement compared with the control group taking a placebo. To put it bluntly, it is a waste of money. There are also people who want to buy a single B6 for a few yuan and 100 tablets at a cheap price. They eat three or four tablets a day, and their fingertips become numb after half a month of eating. Only when they went to the hospital did they find out that it was peripheral neuropathy caused by excessive B6 supplementation. It took several months to recover.

To be honest, you really have to judge whether you need to take supplements. Don’t just stock up on a bunch of Internet celebrity supplements. First go to the hospital to get blood drawn and check three things: serum B12, folic acid, and homocysteine. Especially for people who have been vegetarians for a long time, like to drink alcohol, often go on diets to lose weight, and have poor gastrointestinal absorption, the probability of B complex deficiency is already high. If you find out that you are really deficient, you should follow the doctor's advice to supplement. If you can eat to supplement, don't take pills. Usually eat two more bites of lean pork, deep-sea fish, dark green vegetables, eggs, and animal liver once a week. If you eat a normal diet, the intake of B group is basically enough, and you don’t have to spend extra money.

When I was a volunteer in a psychiatric department, I met a little girl who felt that antidepressants had side effects, so she secretly stopped taking them and only took B-complex. As a result, she relapsed within half a month and almost had an accident. I really want to remind everyone that Clan B is just an "auxiliary buff" in the final analysis. If you don't do the main tasks (take medicine as prescribed by the doctor, undergo psychological treatment, and adjust your lifestyle), you can't pass the level just by relying on this buff. If you are only in a bad mood occasionally, it is better to put down your phone and go for a walk for half an hour. The effect may be more effective than taking half a bottle of vitamins.