Investigating the Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Reducing Depression in Children With Cancer

Abstract

Background and Objective: Zinc deficiency plays an essential role in mood disorders, such as depression, at different stages of life. This study aimed to investigate the effect of zinc supplementation on depression in children with cancer Materials & Method: This study is a clinical trial conducted on 69 children with cancer. First, the serum zinc level was measured, and the patients completed the Maria Kovacs children’s depression inventory (CDI). Patients with low zinc levels were treated with zinc supplements for one month. Next, they completed the Maria Kovacs CDI, and their serum zinc levels were measured again. The depression score was evaluated and recorded with CDI, and the data were statistically analyzed. Results: The children’s average initial serum zinc level was 77.28 ±25.60 μg/dL, and after the intervention, it was 81.25±26.35 μg/dL. The serum zinc levels before and after the intervention were not significantly different (P=0.126). A total of 8.69% of children suffered from depression. The zinc serum levels in depressed and non-depressed children were not significantly different (P=0.827). Conclusion: This study showed that zinc deficiency is prevalent in all children with cancer, and after the intervention with a standard dose of zinc, no significant change occurred in the level of zinc in the patients. In addition, this intervention did not change the level of depression of these patients. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct more studies to treat these children with a different dose or treatment period.