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The efficacy of zinc supplementation in postpartum depression: A review of studies on pregnancy and post-delivery care
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| Author:
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ELHAM ALSHAMMARI
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| Abstract:
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Depression is a major public health issue concerning many women during and after pregnancy. Most research studies indicate a prospective role of zinc in decreasing or inhibiting such depressive indications. Several investigations have evaluated the link between low zinc levels and depression. However, there are limited clinical trials examining zinc supplementation in depressed women before and after pregnancy. As a result, the review put together findings from some of the published studies on the effectiveness of zinc supplementation in the reduction or deterrence of depressive symptoms. Studies discussed in this paper were searched on Pubmed. In some of the studies, support for the effectiveness of zinc supplements on depressive indications was noted. However, in most of the studies, zinc supplementation was used as an adjunct of antidepressants drug treatment and was found to lower depressive symptoms significantly. The current study is limited in various ways. Currently, there are only a few trials investigating the impact of women taking zinc supplements to alleviate depressive symptoms before and after pregnancy. It is not possible to upgrade this review into a systematic review since a general pooled estimation of effect cannot be determined. In summary, it was evident from this review that zinc supplementation has potential benefits for depression, either as an independent intervention or as an addition to traditional antidepressant drug therapy. Even so, existing studies have several methodological challenges and there is need for additional well-designed studies evaluating zinc supplementation during pregnancy and post-delivery care to prevent postpartum depression.
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| Keyword:
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Depression; postpartum depression; pregnancy; zinc; women.
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| EOI:
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| DOI:
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https://doi.org/10.31838/ijpr/2021.13.01.490
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| Download:
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Request For Article
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