Suicide is a global public health concern, often preventable with timely and evidence-based interventions. The role of one such low-cost intervention — folic acid, or vitamin B9 — in reducing the risk of suicide attempts was recently investigated by US researchers. The study was conducted over two years with health insurance data from 866,586 patients. Folic acid intake resulted in a 44% reduction in suicide attempts and self-harm.
This association was valid even after adjusting for age, sex, diagnoses related to suicidal behavior and folic acid deficiency, a history of folate-reducing medications, and suicidal events. A daily intake of 1 mg of folic acid for a month further reduced the risk of suicide attempts by 5%. The same analysis with a cyanocobalamin supplement — a form of vitamin B12 — showed no link with suicide attempts. It would be interesting to see if a randomized clinical…
