Insufficient consumption of micronutrients and common mental disorders in Brazilian adolescents

The study aimed to estimate the association of insufficient consumption of vitamins A, C, E, B-12 and zinc on the pathogenesis of Common Mental Disorders (CMD) in Brazilian adolescents who participated in the Estudo de Riscos Cardiovasculares em Adolescentes - ERICA (Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents) from February 2013 to November 2014. The sample corresponded to the number of students (71,971) who answered the the 24-hour dietary recall and the questionnaire that addressed mental health. Pearson's chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed between the CMD variable and insufficient micronutrient consumption, adjusting for sex, type of school and age group variables. The level of significance adopted was p<0.05. Associations between the existence of CMD and insufficient consumption of Vitamin B12 and zinc were significant. Zinc, when consumed in small quantities, was the element that most influenced the CMD variable. Therefore, it was found that insufficient consumption of Vitamin B12 and zinc influences the presence of CMD in adolescents.