People who suffer from depression might have problems metabolizing folate, a B vitamin, and may benefit from folic acid supplements.
Researchers found that people with depression were more likely to have high levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that is a byproduct of metabolism, in their blood. Folic acid, which is the form of folate in supplements, is known to play a role in breaking down homocysteine.
Too little folate or a disturbed folate metabolism may partially be the cause of depression in some people. Folate supplementation may be effective in preventing depression, researchers said.
Archives of General Psychiatry June, 2003;60(6):618-26
Fresh vegetables are a high source of folic acid, so it appears that increasing fresh vegetable consumption could radically reduce the epidemic of depression we are experiencing.
We already know that elevated homocysteine levels from folic acid deficiency can be a major contributor to heart disease and Alzheimer's disease, and folic acid may be useful for seizure disorders and preventing brain atrophy.
However, the best way to get folic acid is not through a supplement. As I mentioned above, high-quality, uncooked vegetables are a great source of folic acid. Vegetable juicing is an important tool because it allows us to radically increase the amount of vegetables we are able to consume. If you are looking for a high-quality juicer, I have done extensive evaluations of vegetable juicers over the years and have found that the Omega 8002 juicer is a great value based on performance and price.
The following table lists the folic acid content of some popular vegetables:
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