Effect of zinc supplementation on antidepressant therapy in unipolar depression: a preliminary placebo-controlled study.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc.

A growing body of evidence implicates a derangement of zinc homeostasis in mood disorders.

A placebo-controlled, double blind pilot study of zinc supplementation in antidepressant therapy was conducted in patients who fulfilled DSM IV criteria for major (unipolar) depression.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 6 patients taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and pilot study.

Because people in this Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

As a double-blind Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc group a baseline to be compared against.

It is described as a pilot, a small early test of whether a larger Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc study would be practical.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Amitriptyline, Antidepressive Agents, Citalopram, Clomipramine, Depressive Disorder, Pilot Projects and Zinc.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc in 6 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2004 (Polish journal of pharmacology), a journal based in Poland.

More context: the Vitamin D, K2, Magnesium and Zinc compound page, all human trials.