Association of Selenium Intake and Development of Depression in Brazilian Farmers.

Tatiana Lourençoni Ferreira De Almeida,Glenda Blaser Petarli,Kelly Guimães Tristão,Luciane Bresciani Salaroli,Olivia Maria De Paula Alves Bezerra,Monica Cattafesta,Eliana Zandonade

doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.671377

Abstract

Introduction: Depression and deficiency in the consumption of micronutrients are a public health problem, especially in the rural population. The deficiency in selenium consumption affects mental health, contributing to the development of major depressive disorders. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate selenium intake and its association with depressive symptoms in farmers in southeastern Brazil.Material and Methods: Epidemiological, cross-sectional, and analytical study with 736 farmers aged between 18 and 59. A semistructured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic, lifestyle and clinical condition data. For evaluation of food intake, three 24-h recalls were applied, and for identification of depressive episodes, the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was conducted.Results: A total of 16.1% (n = 119) of the farmers presented symptoms of major depressive episodes, 5.8% (n = 43) presented symptoms of current depressive episodes, and 10.3% (n = 76) presented symptoms of recurrent major depressive episodes. Sociodemographic factors associated with depression were gender (p < 0.001), marital status (p = 0.004), and socioeconomic class (p = 0.015). The consumption of high doses of selenium was associated with a reduction of ~54% in the chances of occurrence of depression (OR = 0.461; 95% CI = 0.236–0.901).Conclusion: High selenium intake is associated with a lower prevalence of depression even after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, lifestyle, and pesticide intoxication. The findings of this study contributed to highlighting the high prevalence of depression in rural areas and its relationship with selenium intake.

Highlights

Depression and deficiency in the consumption of micronutrients are a public health problem, especially in the rural population
Depressive disorder is ranked as the largest contributor to disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) with 7.5% of years lived with disability (YLD) [3]2
The variables associated with depression that were entered into the logistic regression model as adjustment variables were as follows: sex (p < 0.01), marital status (p = 0.004), socioeconomic class (p = 0.015), alcohol consumption (p = 0.002), and pesticide intoxication (p = 0.001)

Summary

Introduction

Depression and deficiency in the consumption of micronutrients are a public health problem, especially in the rural population. The deficiency in selenium consumption affects mental health, contributing to the development of major depressive disorders. Depression is a common mental disorder all over the world and the leading cause of inability [1]1. The Global Burden of Disease Study, a systematic analysis of the global burden of disease, examined 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2019, identifying the 10 most important factors that increase the burden of disease—among them, depressive disorders that are common from adolescence to old age [4]3. One of the major contributing factors to the progressive increase of chronic non-communicable diseases such as depression is an unhealthy lifestyle, including an inadequate diet [5]. It is known that long-term exposure to low levels of some nutrients, like selenium, may affect brain function, such as cognitive function and mood [7]

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