Question:
In adults with depression and low mood, how effective is folic acid, compared to any other pharmacological intervention, in improving mood?
Answer:
Plain language
summary
There is minimal evidence available to determine whether folic
acid can help with depression and low mood and there are no
clinical guidelines available. More research is needed to help
understand this area further.
Clinical and research implications
No definite clinical implications may be made based on the
evidence included in this BEST summary. There were no studies that
directly compared folic acid with any other pharmacological
interventions in adults with depression, with the exception of one
RCT included in a Cochrane review. This RCT compared folate with
trazodone in patients with comorbid dementia and depression, so
that it's applicability to this BEST summary is questionable.
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link to the right.