Older people deficient in vitamin B12 are at greater risk of experiencing depression

In Ireland, one-in-eight older adults are reported to be low in vitamin B12, while low dietary intake and low blood status have been reported throughout all age groups. Picture: File

Older people deficient in vitamin B12 may be at greater risk of experiencing depression, according to a new study by Irish scientists.

Research by scientists from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin examined the relationship between vitamin B12 and folate — otherwise known as vitamin B9 — and depressive symptoms in a group of older adults over a four-year period.