Vitamin supplementation in the treatment of schizophrenia.
This article reviews the current literature addressing the treatment of schizophrenia with vitamin supplementation. It describes the important roles that vitamins play in normal metabolism, and reviews the evidence pertaining to vitamin deficiency and supplementation in patients with schizophrenia. There is mounting evidence suggesting that vitamin supplementation, in particular with folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin D, may be important in treatment within certain subgroups of patients. There is a need for larger randomized controlled trials, and further studies examining the incidence of schizophrenia in countries with poor prenatal care and malnutrition, as well as in countries that have adopted mandatory folic acid fortification of grain products, are recommended.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA, hebrown@partners.org.
Hannah E
HE
Brown
Joshua L
JL
Roffman
D001361:Avitaminosis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D; D005492:Folic Acid; D014805:Vitamin B 12