Only a few studies have focused on the relationship between vitamin intake and depressive symptoms in Japanese individuals. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between vitamin intake and depressive symptoms in 1634 elderly Japanese individuals (65 years and older). The consumption of fifteen vitamins including retinol, a retinol equivalent, beta-carotene equivalent, vitamin D, alpha-tocopherol, vitamin K, vitamin group B, vitamin C, and cryptoxanthine was analyzed using a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ). The short version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to assess depressive symptoms. The prevalence of participants with depressive symptoms was 26.7%. The consumption of all vitamins, except for retinol and vitamin D, was lower among depressed than non-depressed participants. The consumption of vitamins was significantly less in female and overweight participants with depressive symptoms than in elderly participants without depressive symptoms. After adjustments for potential confounders, none of the fifteen vitamins were correlated with depressive symptoms in male or underweight participants. Associations between vitamin deficiencies and depressive symptoms were observed in female and overweight elderly participants. Our findings demonstrated a relationship between vitamin intake and depressive symptoms.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship of mineral intake, including sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper and manganese, with depressive symptoms in both genders in the Japanese elderly population. A total of 1423 participants who were older than 65 years old were recruited in this study. Mineral intake was analyzed using a validated and brief self-administered diet history questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were assessed with a short version of the Geriatric Depression Scale. A logistic regression model was applied to determine the relationship between mineral intake and depressive symptoms. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 20%. Except for sodium and manganese, mineral intake was significantly lower in the depressive symptoms group. There was no difference of mineral intake between male participants with depressive symptoms and those without such symptoms. However, in female participants, mineral intake was significantly lower in participants with depressive symptoms compared to those without such symptoms. Potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and copper were significantly and negatively correlated with depressive symptoms among female participants, but not male participants. Our results suggest that the deficiencies in mineral intake may be related to depressive symptoms, especially in women.

Sedentary behaviors have recently become an important public health issue. We aimed to investigate the relationship between screen time and nutrient intake in children and adolescents. The present study was conducted in 2013. Data were collected from children and adolescents aged between 6 and 15 years old in Shika town. Questionnaires were distributed to 1459 subjects, 1414 of whom participated in the study (96.9%). Sedentary behaviors were assessed based on participants’ screen behaviors (television (TV) viewing, personal computer (PC) use, and mobile phone (MP) use). The main outcomes were the intake of nutrients from a validated food frequency questionnaire. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to examine the significance of differences in nutrient intake estimates. Multivariate linear regression analyses, adjusting for age, BMI, and physical activity, were used to provide parameter estimates (β) and 95% CI for the relationship between screen time and nutrient intake. In boys, longer TV viewing times correlated or tended to correlate with a lower intake of protein, potassium, calcium, iron, vitamin K, vitamin B-2, and total dietary fiber. In girls, longer TV viewing times correlated with a lower intake of protein, sodium, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B-2. Longer TV viewing times correlated with a higher intake of n-6 fatty acids in girls. PC use was related or tended to be related to a lower intake of potassium, iron, vitamin K, and folic acid in boys, but not in girls. A relationship was observed between MP use and a lower intake of vitamin K in boys, and MP use and a higher intake of vitamin D in girls. The present results revealed that longer TV viewing times are associated with less protein, minerals, vitamins, and total dietary fiber intake in children and adolescents. It was also revealed that boys with PC use have less minerals and vitamins. These results support the need to design intervention programs that focus on decreasing TV viewing time in both sexes and PC use in boys while encouraging adherence to dietary guidelines among children and adolescents.

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to determine the brain areas associated with fibromyalgia, and whether pretreatment regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) can predict response to gabapentin treatment. Methods: A total of 29 women with fibromyalgia and 10 healthy women (without pain) matched for age were finally enrolled in the study. Technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer single photon emission computed tomography (^99mTc-ECD SPECT) was performed in the fibromyalgia patients and controls. A voxel-by-voxel group analysis was performed using Statistic Parametric Mapping 5 (SPM5). After treatment with gabapentin, 16 patients were considered 'responders', with decrease in pain of greater than 50% as evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS). The remaining 13 patients were considered 'poor responders'. Results: We observed rCBF abnormalities, compared to control subjects, in fibromyalgia including hypoperfusion in the left culmen and hyperperfusion in the right precentral gyrus, right posterior cingulate, right superior occipital gyrus, right cuneus, left inferior parietal lobule, right middle temporal gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, and left superior parietal lobule. Compared to responders, poor responders exhibited hyperperfusion in the right middle temporal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, right precuneus, right cingulate, left middle occipital gyrus, and left declive. The right middle temporal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, right precuneus, left middle occipital gyrus, and left declive exhibited high positive likelihood ratios. Conclusions: The present study revealed brain regions with significant hyperperfusion associated with the default-mode network, in addition to abnormalities in the sensory dimension of pain processing and affective-attentional areas in fibromyalgia patients. Furthermore, hyperperfusion in these areas was strongly predictive of poor response to gabapentin.

Recent studies indicate that patients with depression have increased concentrations of serum pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, studies of IL-17 and studies on community-dwellers are few. The purpose of this study was to investigate serum cytokine levels, especially IL-17A, among subjects with high and low depressive symptoms of a general population. The participants comprised 20 female community-dwellers aged 40 years or older who contributed to a Shika study in Ishikawa, Japan. Ten participants who showed higher and ten who showed lower depressive symptoms among 208 females assessed by the Japanese version of the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) were selected for this study. Serum samples were analyzed for TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, and IL-17A using a multiplex Luminex analysis. For the comparison between the high and low depressive groups statistically, linear regression analyses were applied. The serum level of IL-17A was significantly higher among the high depressive participants (p < 0.05) even after controlling possible confounders, whereas there were no differences in TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, or IL-12 between the high and low depressive groups. Our findings supported an association between serum IL-17A levels and depressive symptoms. Peripheral IL-17A immune response may be a preventive and treatment target for depression.