ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the evidence for antioxidants from dietary supplements and/or food sources as therapy in the treatment of depression. It discusses the studies of antioxidant nutrients typically have estimated the intake of nutrients from food by the use of questionnaires or food-record techniques and/or biochemical measures such as use of biomarkers. A meta-analysis of oxidative stress markers in depression indicates that serum total antioxidant capacity, paraoxonase, and antioxidant levels are lower, whereas serum free radical and oxidative damage product levels are higher in depressed patients as compared to controls. Furthermore, there have been many inquiries into the role of diet and phytochemicals in prevention and management of depression. It has been hypothesized that activation of the immune-inflammatory process, increase in the metabolism of monoamines, and abnormalities in lipid compounds may cause overproduction of reactive oxygen species, which leads to the oxidative stress playing a role in the pathophysiology of depressive disorders.
